EAST LANSING – This Friday the Michigan State field hockey team will host No. 6/9 University of Maryland Terrapins for their 12th game of the 2024 season.

Last weekend, the Spartans lost to Kent State 4-3. In the fourth quarter, with a little over a minute left, senior midfielder Maddie Lawlor scored to send the game into overtime. After two scoreless overtimes, Kent State won in a penalty shootout and improved their record to 3-8.

The game against Kent State was the fifth game this season that the Spartans had to play in overtime. MSU won two of these five games, but extra minutes of playtime added to the exhaustion and burnout that comes when having to play two games each weekend.

Junior forward Bianca Pizano leads the Spartans in goal-scoring with five goals this season. Beyond that, this team is a cohort of freshmen and seniors as eight out of ten of the goal scorers are either freshmen or seniors on the team.

Sophomore goalie Lyra Gavino will play a large role in this game, as Maryland has been outshooting their opponents this season 100-55. Currently, Gavino’s goals against average (GAA) is 2.02 per game while Maryland’s goals per game is 2.56, so Gavino needs to play a consistent game if the Spartans hope to keep the Terrapin goals to a minimum.

For the Terrapins, freshman Ella Gaitan is one of the biggest threats. Gaitan was named Big 10 freshman of the week for the second time this season, after helping the Terrapins get a top 10 win against Iowa, by scoring twice in the 5-0 win. Beyond Gaitan, seniors Kylee Niswonger and Hope Rose lead the team in scoring with five and four goals.

The Spartans hope to get their first Big 10 win this Friday, while the Terrapins look to maintain their status at the top of the Big 10 rankings. They head to Ralph Young field this Friday, October 11 at 3 p.m. to take on the Terrapins.