Spartans Travel for Two B1G Contests
QUICK STRIKES FOR THE WEEK AHEAD ...
• Michigan State returns to Big Ten play for the remainder of its regular-season schedule, and heads to New Jersey and Pennsylvania for dates with Rutgers (Friday) and No. 16 Penn State (Sunday). MSU has played the fewest Conference games of any team in the league (3), and will play its remaining five games against B1G opponents - three on the road, and two at home.
• Head coach Meredith Civico is in her 13th season at the head coach at Rutgers and has guided her team to a 4-7 record (1-4 B1G) after a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2023. The Scarlet Knights have dropped their last three games to No. 2 Northwestern, Indiana (OT) and No. 5 Michigan after opening the B1G campaign with a penalty shootout victory over Iowa. Guillermina Causarano, (6-9-21) and Paulina Niklaus (6-3-15) lead Rutgers in goals, and goalkeeper Sophia Howard has played all 11 games - she owns a .638 save percentage and 2.28 GAA.
• Penn State, like Rutgers and MSU, has dropped three straight Big Ten games. The Nittany Lions downed Ohio, 5-0, in its most recent game and will host Michigan on Friday prior to MSU coming to town for Sunday's action. Lisa Bervinchak Love is in her second season at the helm after a long tenure on staff (since 1994) as an assistant and then associate head coach for the Nittany Lions. The reigning B1G Offensive Player of the Year Sophia Gladieux leads the league with 19 goals and 43 points, while no other player on her team has more than two scores or nine points. Abby Dverka owns a 2.91 GAA and .681 save percentage.
• MSU is coming off a 1-1 week, falling to No. 6 Maryland last Friday at home before a 3-1 rebound victory on the road at Central Michigan to complete its non-conference slate. The Spartans are 7-3 against non-Big Ten opponents, with all three losses coming in overtime or in a penalty shootout.
• The Spartans have surpassed their win total from a year ago (4) and have scored 30 goals through 13 games in 2024. The 2023 offensively-challenged Spartans scored 17 goals in 16 games combined.
• With seven players boasting double-digit points, it is tied for second-most in the last 10 years - the 2015 team also had five in double figures, and the 2022 team had seven. MSU has seven players who have established new career highs in goals, assists AND points (all three categories). Five players have either four or five goals.
• Emma O'Neill had two goals in Sunday's victory at Central Michigan and has overtaken the team's scoring lead (5-10-15).
• Lilian Knorr had goals in each of MSU's games last week, and she now has a 4-2-10 scoring line. She is tied for third on the team with four goals.
• Ellie Rutherford is tied for third on the team in goals (4) and is second with 14 points. She has tied her career best in goals (she has four in each of the four seasons of her collegiate career) and surpassed her previous bests with six assists and 14 points.
• Maddie Lawlor had an assist on Lilian Knorr's goal against Maryland to push her season scoring line to 4-2-10 - also her most prolific scoring season. Lawlor missed the 2023 season with injury.
• Jillian Bonczewski assisted on O'Neill's game-winning marker at Central Michigan. With three goals and two assists (eight points), Bonczewski is also enjoying her most prolific scoring season of her career. She entered the season with just one goal in 33 career games.
• Sophomore keeper Lyra Gavino had seven saves in the game against Maryland and was forced to make just one stop in the win at Central Michigan. She owns a career-best .658 save percentage and 2.02 GAA in 12 games.
• MSU returns to Ralph Young Field for its final two regular-season home games next week. MSU will host No. 17 Iowa on Friday afternoon, and then take on No. 2 Northwestern on Sunday.
Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.
