MSU sophomore defender Erin Doan walks back to midfield as members of the Wisconsin team celebrate senior midfielder Amy Vermeulen's game-winning goal in the semifinal game of the Big Ten Women's Soccer Tournament on Friday at Michigan Soccer Field in Ann Arbor.
The MSU field hockey team looked up at the scoreboard and saw something all too familiar. The Spartans were knocked out of the Big Ten Tournament in the first round on Friday after losing to Ohio State, 1-0.
I believe the MSU Spartans can beat any football team in the country. Let me back up for a moment and explain a harebrained statement like that. I watched a couple of games on television over the weekend.
West Lafayette, Ind. — A common sight in Saturday's 28-21 loss at Purdue was the vision of uprooted chunks of grass on Ross-Ade Stadium following pivots, cuts and runs from players on both teams. The field conditions were so bad that stadium personnel and representatives from each team hurried onto the field during TV timeouts and stoppages in play in attempting to repair the divots on the field. "It was probably the worst field you've ever seen," MSU head coach John L.
Going into the weekend, the No. 8 MSU hockey team's major question was whether or not it could keep up its solid play with all of the injuries it has suffered. After 10 goals and two completely different styles of wins, the Spartans walked away from their weekend series against No.
West Lafayette, Ind. Once again, MSU's vaunted offense failed to put up points against one of the worst defenses in the country. Ranked 116th defensively out 117 teams in Division 1-A, Purdue shut down the Spartans offense from the first quarter en route to its first Big Ten win, 28-21, at Ross-Ade Stadium. "We started out great," junior quarterback Drew Stanton said.
• A Missouri lawmaker wants to expand the state's athlete and entertainer tax to make umpires pay for what he sees as bad calls made during the playoff series in which the St.
Junior goalkeeper Jason Tillman made four saves as the MSU men's soccer team closed out the regular season with a 2-0 victory at Valparaiso on Sunday. Senior midfielder Steve Doster scored the first goal, his third of the season, about 15 minutes into the game on a penalty kick. With less than two minutes left in the game, redshirt freshman forward Doug DeMartin iced the game with another goal. Tillman notched his sixth shutout of the season. The Spartans (7-5-5) will be either the No.
The MSU volleyball team secured a five-game victory over Iowa on Friday night, but failed to ride the wave of momentum on Saturday, falling to No.
Juniors Nick Simmons and Andy Simmons won titles at 125 pounds and 141 pounds, respectively, at the Eastern Michigan Open on Saturday. The brothers from Williamston got identical 5-0 records as the MSU wrestling team kicked off the season. Four other wrestlers placed in their respective weight classes, including senior Darren McKnight (third place, 149 pounds), and freshman Nick Palmieri (197 pounds), redshirt freshmen Tim Hammer (141 pounds) and John Murphy (184 pounds). The Spartans host the MSU Open Nov.
There are still some question marks for the MSU men's basketball team as its regular season opener approaches.
West Lafayette, Ind. — All Drew Stanton could do was shake his head and shrug when asked about MSU's offensive struggles Saturday against Purdue's statistically awful defense. "I don't know," the junior quarterback said.
The MSU volleyball team will look to rebound from a pair of road losses last weekend when it hosts Iowa and No.
Senior forward Emma Harris (7) celebrates with teammates after scoring the team's first goal in its 3-0 victory Thursday at Michigan Soccer Field in Ann Arbor. Harris, who was named second team all-Big Ten this week, had a goal and an assist on the day. Junior forward Shannon Collar fights for possession with Indiana defender Robin Barker on Thursday at Michigan Soccer Field in Ann Arbor during the first round of the Big Ten Women's Soccer Tournament. Collar iced the game by scoring the Spartans' third goal in the second half. By winning Thursday, the team earned a spot in today's conference semifinal game at 4:30 p.m.
It's been a long three seasons for Rick Comley since he left Marquette for East Lansing. The MSU head coach is just 3-7 against his former team, Northern Michigan, since becoming the Spartans head coach in 2002. MSU was swept out of the Berry Events Center last season in the only two meetings between the schools and the Wildcats eliminated the Spartans from the CCHA Super-Six in 2003 and 2004. Now, off to its best start under Comley, MSU is looking to end the Wildcats' dominance when they meet for two games on Friday and Saturday, both at 7:05 p.m.
Heading into the Big Ten Tournament, the MSU field hockey team is hoping to experience déja vu against the Buckeyes. The sixth-seeded Spartans (12-7 overall, 2-4 Big Ten) will face No.
The MSU wrestling team will hit the mats for the first time this season at the Eastern Michigan Open in Ypsilanti on Saturday. The Spartans are ranked in the top 20 in most national preseason polls, and are led by All-American brothers Nick and Andy Simmons. Nick Simmons was named Most Outstanding Wrestler at last year's EMU Open.
Shannon Brown and Maurice Ager are murderous on the wings. MSU's tandem of athletic guards has shown an ability to finish dunks and alley-oops on the fast break that is nearly unparalleled in the realm of college basketball. But with the departure of Kelvin Torbert, Chris Hill, Alan Anderson and Tim Bograkos, there is a question as to whether or not the duo will be able to get up and down the court at the same break-neck pace as in previous seasons. Depth is now a major concern in the MSU backcourt, with the only feasible substitutes for Ager, Brown and sophomore point guard Drew Neitzel being two unproven freshmen: Maurice Joseph and Travis Walton.
The MSU women's soccer team is refusing to live in the past. The team will open the Big Ten Tournament today at 10:30 a.m.
The players on the MSU women's basketball team have been scrimmaging against each other for long enough.