EAST LANSING – The Michigan State field hockey team hosted No. 15 Penn State, and looked to bounce back after losing to No. 9 Maryland 3-0 on Oct. 6. While the Spartans played a tough, physical game, the Nittany Lions strong defense made it tough to get a shot off, which paired with their speedy offense lead to a final score of 4-0.
MSU came out strong, controlling the first quarter. They had the Nittany lions flustered and chasing their strong stick to stick passes. With 11 minutes and 47 seconds left in the first quarter, a penalty stroke was awarded to Michigan State, but graduate forward Lena Kassel came out empty handed. The Spartans continued to press the Penn State defense, but they couldn’t break them. Nearing the end of the first quarter, Penn State began intercepting more Spartan passes and got their offense going. With six minutes and 32 seconds left, Penn State senior forward Sophia Gladieux found the back left corner of the net, making the score 1-0.
The second quarter was an even match, as both teams played a fast game, with the ball moving at an extra pace on the slick field due to the rainy weather conditions. On Penn State’s second corner, graduate defender Julienne Van Bekkum slipped the ball between redshirt freshman goalie Cecily Charles. The Nittany Lions went into halftime with a 2-0 lead.
The third quarter was filled with lots of shots on Penn State’s part, but Charles came up with save after save. On the opposition, the Spartans struggled to get a shot off. They had great passes down the field but lost their organization when entering Penn State’s 25 yard marker, turning the ball over without taking a shot. With 2:24 left to go in the third, MSU committed a costly turnover that led to fifth year senior midfielder Mackenzie Allessie driving the ball down the baseline and scoring an unassisted goal. Allessie’s goal gave Penn State a 3-0 lead heading into the final quarter.
Entering the fourth quarter, the Spartants looked to get back into the game, but struggled to get shots off. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions extended their lead to 4-0, when Gladieux dribbled into the circle and found the back of the cage with a powerful reverse chip, earning her second goal of the night.
Michigan State had great ball control but struggled to get shots off until the last minute of the contest. While their record moves to 3-9 the Spartans remain hopeful of ending the weekend with a win, when they face off against No. 4 Rutgers at home on Sunday, Oct. 15.
