The Spartans used stingy defense and two goals from senior co-captain and midfielder Ryan McMahen to defeat Ohio State 2-0 at Old College Field yesterday. The Spartans (4-3-4 overall, 1-1-1 Big Ten) took the lead off the foot of McMahen about 30 minutes into the contest.
Tickets for the Spartan Clash, the event that will pit the men's basketball team against Wichita State, go on sale today at www.palacenet.com, the Palace of Auburn Hills box office, Ticketmaster or by calling (248)645-6666. The third-annual Spartan Clash is at 7 p.m.
The MSU men's tennis team recorded wins in the No. 1 and No. 2 singles' matches in the Spartan Invitational while also getting the victory in two of the three doubles matches against Western Michigan on Sunday. MSU sophomores Nick Rinks and Adam Monich each went 3-0 in singles' play during the weekend and also partnered to go 4-0 in doubles' play. The junior duo of Michael Flowers and Joseph McWilliams recorded the other MSU doubles victory.
No. 6 Ohio State at No. 16 Penn State Fish: This game has potential to be quite a low-scoring affair. The Buckeyes have one of the best defenses in the Big Ten, and after last week's throttling of Minnesota, Penn State comes into the game with a little more swagger. People have been writing Penn State off the last few years, but these Nittany Lions could spoil Ohio State's chances of winning the Big Ten. I see this game coming down to who has the better offense, and although both teams have made steps in the right direction in this area, Ohio State's offensive tandem is more proven. Look for a late Teddy Ginn Jr.
In 1991, Greg Bria was sitting in Munn Ice Arena watching the MSU hockey team practice when then-head coach Ron Mason skated to him. At that time, Bria was just a fan but had spent a lot of time around the team and had developed a reputation around the program as a handyman. "Hey, we need some new lockers for the locker room," Mason said.
To put it lightly, I was excited. My anticipation level was soaring as I pulled my car into the Joe Louis Arena parking garage.
Ashley Schatzle first felt that something was wrong with her shoulder in her later high school years. But after having surgery last winter, this outside hitter for the MSU volleyball team said her game has improved. "I had a fray in my rotator cuff," said Schatzle, a nursing sophomore, describing her shoulder injury.
Despite a 4-1 record, the second guessing of the MSU football team's coaching staff has begun after some failed plays in its 34-31 overtime loss to Michigan last week. Offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin has taken a bulk of the heat, but said if given the chance to recall any plays of the game, he would decline. The general feeling among Spartans fans is that the play calling has been a bit conservative, especially during the second half of MSU's win over Notre Dame and the second half of the U-M game. "To say we were conservative is ludicrous," Baldwin said.
After compiling a 20-17-4 overall record last season with the expectations and hopes that the program had coming into the 2004-05 campaign, MSU head coach Rick Comley is determined to leave last year in the past. "It was a season obviously, we had good expectations and there was no reason to think we weren't going to do well and then it just didn't work," he said.
MSU and Michigan is always a tough rivalry, but this year both field hockey teams are struggling in unfamiliar territory. Each is looking for its first conference victory as U-M comes to the MSU Field Hockey Complex at 5 p.m.
Looking to rebound after a tough conference loss to Northwestern, the MSU men's soccer team (3-2-4 overall, 0-1-1 Big Ten) will host Oakland University today at 4 p.m.
After joining the Big Ten in 1993, Penn State finished in the top three of the conference for five straight years. Yet, the Nittany Lions have not come closer than fourth place since then. But this year might be a different story as Joe Paterno has his team out to its first 5-0 start since 1999, when the team won its first nine games. This weekend presents the toughest test to date for the No.
MSU men's head basketball coach Tom Izzo secured his second verbal commitment from the top tier of the class of 2006 - Raymar Morgan, a versatile, 6-foot-7 forward from Canton, Ohio. Morgan is listed as the eighth best small forward and 28th best overall prospect in the nation by the recruiting service www.scout.com. "He's just a good, well-rounded player," said Chris Monter, Midwest region recruiting analyst for www.collegebasketballnews.com. "He does a lot of things around the hoop and he has a good mid-range game." Morgan had narrowed his options to MSU, Michigan and Ohio State.
After experiencing a game in which junior kicker John Goss missed two field goals, MSU head coach John L.
After falling to Minnesota on Friday the MSU women's volleyball team bounced back on Saturday, defeating Iowa, 3-2. The Spartans (9-5 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) were led by senior setter Mickey Davis who posted a floor-high 74 assists against Iowa.
After suffering a 5-1 loss to Purdue on Friday, the MSU women's soccer team knocked off Indiana 1-0 on Sunday to salvage a split on their weekend road trip. Sophomore forward Breana Ballard provided all the offense the Spartans (5-3-3 overall, 1-1-0 Big Ten) would need on Sunday, beating Hoosier goalkeeper Lauren Fabbro low into the left corner just moments before halftime to net her first career goal. "It's real exciting to finally get one, especially today," Ballard said in a written statement.
Steve Smith, a former All-American for MSU, announced his retirement from the NBA on Friday at the Clara Bell Smith Student-Athlete Academic Center.
The field hockey team came up short Saturday and was upset by No. 14 Iowa as they fell 3-2, staying winless in the Big Ten. This was the second loss in a row suffered at the hands of the Hawkeyes and the first time the Spartans have started the conference 0-2 since 2000. Iowa took the lead twenty minutes into the contest as defender Kadi Sickel found the back of the net beating senior goalie Christina Kirkaldy. The Spartans entered the second half down 1-0. In the second half, Sickel struck again for Iowa and gave them the 2-0 lead over the Spartans. The Spartans didn't give up, however, and got on the scoreboard just less than three minutes later.
The Spartans looked far from an undefeated, No. 11-ranked team Saturday when they fell to Michigan, 34-31 in overtime, amid a number of mistakes that were absent in their previous four contests. The offense, defense, and special teams all played a rollercoaster of a game that sophomore linebacker Kaleb Thornhill called a "team loss". "The defense made mistakes, the offense made mistakes, we all made mistakes," Thornhill said.
• Texas Tech has given Pat Knight, son of current men's basketball coach Bob Knight, a five-year contract to replace his dad once he retires. No word yet if MSU has made a similar promise to Tom Izzo's 5-year-old son, Steven. • You could say the Tigers limped to the finish line of another disappointing season this weekend.