Senior midfielder Kristin Matula drives the ball downfield in an away game against Penn State on Sept. 30. The Spartans were defeated by the Nittany Lions by a score of 4-1. PHOTO COURTESY OF MSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS.
To finish off the regular season, the MSU field hockey team dropped its last two games against the Northwestern and Stanford teams 4-3 and 3-2, respectively.
Despite the losses, the team feels there were some positives from those games that they can take into the postseason.
“Both the teams were in the top 20, so the fact that we stuck with them and they were one-goal games is really positive for us, and we figured out on Sunday that we had more shots on goal than we have had in awhile so that is a big positive as well,” redshirt-junior Kendal Anderson said.
The MSU field hockey team will begin postseason play on Thursday as they are set to take on the No. 10 University of Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten Tournament.
This will be the third time that the in-state rivals will cross paths this season. The first game between the two was an exhibition that MSU won 5-3. The second meeting came on Sept. 16, when U-M won 4-1.
The Wolverines come in as the No. 3 seed team in the tournament, with an 11-6 overall record and 5-3 Big Ten record. U-M is led by forwards Carly Bennett, Emma Way and Courtney Enge, who each have a team-leading six goals. Goalkeeper Sam Swenson is ranked No. 2 in the Big Ten and No. 10 nationally with a 1.34 goals-against average.
The Spartans will have their hands full with U-M, but Anderson said she feels the team is prepared for the challenge after playing against them twice already this season.
“Just sticking to the game plan, because that's what we did in preseason and it obviously worked because we won," Anderson said. "We had a little rough patch in the middle of the year when I think we weren't playing to our potential, and I think we are getting back to that. I think going back to the game plan and just trusting everything we have done, knowing that it works and we can beat them."
Anderson currently leads the Spartans in goals scored with 14 on the season. She is followed by senior midfielder Kristin Matula, who has scored 10 goals thus far.
“I think with players like Kendal and Kristin, their positions and their roles in our attack corners and different areas in the field," head coach Helen Knull said. "It’s not like we isolate them like in some sports to get them the ball, it's just in the flow of the game. They are going to find themselves in positions to finish for us.”
Knull also said the two leading scorers for the Spartans can help pull an upset over U-M.
“I think both of them have the maturity and they have had the time to play to finish on those opportunities and I’m excited for them on Thursday,” Knull said. “Any time you play Michigan it's a battle, and I expect the same thing on Thursday. They’re vying for a Big Ten trophy just like we are, it's going to be a great battle.”
MSU will face off against U-M to start the Big Ten Tournament at 10 a.m. on Nov. 3 in College Park, Md. The winner of Thursday's match will move on to play the winner of Penn State vs. Indiana game in the second semifinal match at 1 p.m. on Nov. 4.
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