They say a tie is like kissing your sister. But when your sister is the defending national champion and top-ranked team in the country, maybe it's not that bad. The MSU men's soccer team (2-1-4 overall, 0-0-1 Big Ten) played to a scoreless tie against Indiana (4-0-3, 0-0-1) in their Big Ten opener on Saturday, shutting down the nation's No.
Champaign, Ill. - It's been an up-and-down season for the MSU defense up to this point, but after allowing nearly 600 yards of total offense to Notre Dame last week, the Spartans put the clamp down on Illinois, allowing just 271 yards in MSU's 61-14 win over Illinois on Saturday. "We made some mistakes, I made mistakes, but we made a big stride as a defense in this game," MSU sophomore linebacker Kaleb Thornhill said.
The MSU women's volleyball team finally earned a victory in the Big Ten season but it didn't come easily as they captured it on the road in a four-game match against Indiana University (7-6 overall, 1-1 Big Ten). The Spartans (8-4, 1-1) got off to a slow start, as the Hoosiers jumped out to an 18-11 lead in game one.
The MSU field hockey team (7-3 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) played catch-up all game long, and eventually fell to Indiana in double overtime 3-2 in their first Big Ten game of the season. Indiana struck first early in the opening half as midfielder Kayla Bashore found the back of the net and gave the Hoosiers the 1-0 lead. "They were able to swing the ball and get numbers up on the opposite side and we were playing too jumpy," Madison said. In the second half, the Spartans were able to even the score at one as freshman forward Gwen Riley put one in the back of the net at the 39:06 mark. The Hoosiers took the lead again 2-1 as forward Lydia Schrott scored her team-leading eighth goal of the season off a penalty corner. The Spartans scored fewer than two minutes later when junior forward Ashley Pernicano took a pass from senior midfielder Jessica Miller and knotted the game at two. In the first overtime, the Spartans had three shots but were not able to get a goal and the game went into a second extra session. Indiana broke the tie for the final time in the second overtime as forward Kate O'Connell scored, giving the Hoosiers the 3-2 win. The Spartans never led at any point in the game and were always one step behind their opponent.
After I found out I would be covering football this season, the first thing I did was check the schedule. I knew the majority of the games the Spartans would be playing, but I always like to take a quick gander at the schedule and determine which games MSU should win and lose.
Champaign, Ill - The first drive was not pretty. It featured a fumble and then a punt. The second drive, however, was quite different. Set on their own 25-yard line, the Spartans showed just how powerful and efficient their offense could be. Junior quarterback Drew Stanton dropped back, faked a hand-off, and then found senior wide receiver Kyle Brown 19 yards down the sidelines.
The Big Ten season opened with a win for the MSU women's soccer team (5-2-3 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) as they shut out Ohio State 1-0 at home. MSU head coach Tom Saxton attributed the shutout to the team's continuously strong defense.
I look down the bench and to my right sit Delco Rowley, Idong Ibok, Marquise Gray and Mo Ager. In front of us, Coach Izzo is spewing a fiery pep talk about being the best in the land. I must have stumbled into some parallel universe where has-been high school letter-winners get to live out their unfulfilled sports fantasies. I take a second glance at my teammates and realize I'm a good three to six inches shorter than most of these guys.
There's still almost a month until the MSU men's basketball team can officially practice for the first time, but for its student section, the season begins this weekend. Returning ticket-holders and lower-bowl hopefuls will stake out Munn Field on Saturday night for the Izzone Campout and a chance to secure their seats and spend some time with each other. "It's kind of like when you bring your family together for a family reunion," senior Associate Athletics Director Mark Hollis said. "It's a bonding situation." Students who were in the lower bowl last year are guaranteed lower-bowl seats again if they complete the campout.
The MSU men's soccer team (2-1-3 overall) hopes to keep its focus as they travel to Bloomington, Ind.
The MSU field hockey team (7-2 overall) will try to get back on track after losing to Wake Forest last Sunday, by kicking off their Big Ten season on the road against Indiana on Saturday. "We get excited for the Big Ten because of the competition and the rivalry," senior midfielder Jessica Miller said. Even though the Spartans have defeated Indiana in the past eight meetings, head coach Michele Madison stressed the importance of this conference opener. "This is the first new game of a new season and everything we do is in preparation for the Big Ten season," she said. Players have said that Big Ten competition this year will be tough and possibly better than last season. "Every program keeps getting stronger in the Big Ten," Miller said.
The MSU volleyball team (7-4 overall) will try to shake off a tough loss to Michigan when it travels to Bloomington to take on Indiana at 7 p.m.
MSU women's basketball coach Joanne P. McCallie was selected as one of five people to be inducted into the Maine Sports Legends Hall of Honors on Oct.
The chances are there for the MSU women's soccer team. The Spartans just aren't finishing. Despite outshooting their opponent for the fifth straight game, the Spartans squandered a 2-0 lead and could manage only a tie against Detroit Mercy on Wednesday. MSU head coach Tom Saxton said the team lacked focus, possibly because this was the last game the Spartans play before the Big Ten season. "I just felt we were flat as a team and as a coaching staff," Saxton said.
Freshman basketball guard Jenny Poff is one of 10 players to receive the Tomorrow's Winners Award, given to student-athletes for success on the field and in the classroom.
When senior forward Michelle Huynh-Ba first arrived at MSU, her knowledge of the field hockey program was minimal and playing the sport was far from her mind. After originally coming to MSU to play soccer, she decided to give field hockey a shot.
There's a first time for everything and tonight MSU volleyball head coach Cathy George will see first-hand just how deep the rivalry is between Michigan and the Spartans.
The MSU women's soccer team hopes its second close loss won't become a trend. The Spartans lost both of their games by a slim margin of one goal.
Gone are the days of 3 yards and a cloud of dust from the Woody Hayes-Bo Schembechler era. In are the days of the spread offense, increased passing and increased scoring. This offensive transformation has led to an increase in the length of games during the past few years. Indiana head coach Terry Hoeppner expressed concern about the length of games in recent years. The Hoosiers' season-opening win at Central Michigan lasted 3 hours, 52 minutes.
Despite entering Big Ten play ranked No. 17 with a perfect 3-0 record, MSU head coach John L. Smith isn't pleased with the mistakes his team made Saturday in a 44-41 overtime win at Notre Dame Stadium. "As we look at what we did, we're definitely thankful we got a win without a doubt, but we played by no means our best game," Smith said.