Sophomore defender Mary Kathryn Fiebernitz celebrates with teammates after a goal during their game against San Diego State, Aug. 30, 2013, at DeMartin Soccer Stadium. The Spartans tied with the No. 21 ranked San Diego State Aztecs, 1-1. Danyelle Morrow/The State News
With the Big Ten season not far off, the women’s soccer team and head coach Tom Saxton know they can’t look past Oakland on Thursday evening.
The Spartans (3-0-1 overall) will look to maintain their undefeated record against the Grizzlies (1-3). However, after Oakland’s performance last season, Saxton knows his players need to be sharp when they welcome Oakland to DeMartin Stadium.
“That could be a bit of a trap if we don’t take a mature approach,” he said. “Oakland is a very, very good team that’s playing a difficult schedule … they’ve got many of the same players back.”
Last season, Oakland tied MSU and went on to win its conference tournament to receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament. They faced off against then-No. 17 Ohio State and won on penalty kicks to advance, but eventually lost in the next round to then-No. 15 Texas A&M.
Oakland will come to East Lansing on a three-game losing streak, with all three losses coming against teams in the top 20.
Saxton said thus far this season his team has performed well, but needs to continue to build off their recent games.
“We’re comfortable with the continued themes of ruling things by committee, using lots of players and continuing to build on an organized, strong defense and taking our chances when they come and taking them well,” Saxton said.
After MSU tied against then-No. 21 San Diego State, 1-1, and beat Dayton, 2-1, last weekend, associate head coach Tammy Farnum said she liked the way the defense played and hopes to bring that force into this week’s games.
“I was very pleased with the discipline of our team on the defensive side. We as a staff believe it absolutely contributed to the offense,” Farnum said. “We did a great job of settling out in front of the box and understanding when it’s your time to put the ball in the back of the net. It comes from a composure on the defense to have the freedom to play aggressively on offense.”
After Oakland, Saxton will take his team on a road trip spanning more than 1,500 miles out west to face New Mexico (1-3) on Sunday for the first time since 2003, when MSU came out on top 2-0.
With a long weekend ahead, senior goalkeeper Courtney Clem knows it will be tough to stay loose after a long trip, but is confident in her team.
“It’s going to be hot, so we just have to come out prepared,” Clem said. “It’s definitely sore on your legs sitting down for that long, but we like to get in some practices and that helps get our legs up.”
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