QUICK STRIKES FOR THE WEEK AHEAD ...
• Michigan State has a split weekend of action, traveling to Louisville for a Friday game at Bellarmine before hosting Colgate on Sunday morning at Ralph Young Field.
• Live statistics and webstream links can be found for both games on the field hockey schedule page at MSUSpartans.com. Friday's game will stream on ESPN+, and Sunday will air on BTN+ .
• The Spartans earned a split in its second weekend of action, earning a 3-1 win over Vermont before a heartbreaker against Ohio on Sunday, 3-2 in double overtime.
&NBSP: &NBSP: &NBSP: &NBSP: &NBSP: Last Friday was a 3-1 victory over the Catamounts, which featured goals from Skylar Santucci, Jillian Bonczewski, and Carmen Pucheta along with a pair of assists from Emma O'Neill in the victory.
&NBSP: &NBSP: &NBSP: &NBSP: &NBSP: On Sunday, the Spartans suffered the OT heartbreak against Ohio, having two goals overturned by video review and a third waived off and fell 3-2 in double overtime. The Spartan goals were scored by Bianca Pizano and Ellie Rutherford. Lyra Gavino had six saves over the two games.
• Anna Krump (2-3-7) is the leading scorer for Bellarmine, which enters Friday's contest with a 2-2 record. The Knights have earned overtime wins over Saint Louis and Rider, and most recently dropped a 3-0 decision on the road at LIU. Devanny Boisvert is in her sixth season as the head coach, and has guided the Knights through their transition to a Division I program. This is the first season that Bellarmine would be eligible to compete in the NCAA Division I tournament.
• Colgate (0-3) will play at Central Michigan on Friday prior to the Sunday showdown at Michigan State. The Raiders were outscored 14-4 in their first three games, but lost on penalty strokes to Lock Haven in its most recent contest. April Cornell-DeAngelis is in her eighth season leading the Raiders, and her current team is led in scoring by Anna Lochhead (2-0-4).
• Both of MSU's losses this year have come in overtime. MSU was 0-4 in overtime games in 2023, with its last victory in extra time coming on Oct. 18, 2022 against Indiana.
• Three of MSU's four games this year have been one-goal affairs. MSU played six one-goal games a year ago.
• Pizano took over the team's scoring lead with her third goal of the season against Ohio (3-0-6). Pizano had a pair of goals last season as a freshman.
• Maddie Lawlor returned to the lineup after missing the entire 2023 season, and is MSU's second-leading point producer with a 2-1-5 scoring line. She set up classmate Ellie Rutherford's first goal of the season against Ohio.
• Bonczewski has a pair of goals this season after one in her career over her first three varsity campaigns (37 games).
• O'Neill had a pair of helpers in last Friday's victory over Vermont and has a team-best three assists on the season. She has appeared in 68 games for MSU over her career, and three of her seven career assists have come in 2024.
• Pucheta scored her first collegiate goal in the win over Vermont. She is one of three freshmen to start all four games for MSU, along with Mora Cavazza, Lilian Knorr, and Caro Schäfer.
• Gavino has started all four MSU games and owns a 2.12 GAA and .591 save percentage. The sophomore started three games a year ago.
• The Spartans open Big Ten play next week with a road tilt at Ohio State on Friday (Sept. 20). MSU then hosts Michigan on Monday, Sept. 23 in a 3 pm game that will air live on Big Ten Network.
Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.
