EAST LANSING- Michigan State Field Hockey took on the Northwestern Wildcats at Ralph Young Field on a crisp fall afternoon.
MSU took first possession of the ball but turned it over due to an out-of-bounds pass. The Spartans retained the ball due to pressure by senior midfielder Ellie Rutherford, but the Wildcats regained possession after a foul called on the Spartans.
The Wildcats got close to scoring but missed a shot that veered right behind the goal. Northwestern had two shot attempts four minutes into the first.
Sophomore forward Bianca Pizano checked in for MSU five minutes into the first quarter.
MSU could not get the ball out of their own zone, which led to the Northwestern offense that held the Spartans to zero-shot attempts eight minutes into the first.
The Spartans took it back downfield, but the ball was turned over. Sophomore forward Brynn Schaffer checked in for MSU with five left to play in the first quarter.
Northwestern came close to scoring, but the Spartan defense and sophomore goalie Lyra Gavino prevented the point.
The Wildcats dominated the ball for the first quarter, and with 30 seconds remaining, the Wildcats had shot five attempts to the Spartans zero.
Both teams remained scoreless in the first quarter, then a wide-open MSU team downfield looked to capitalize off a Northwestern turnover to open the second. The Wildcats answered with a forced turnover, but a great stop by Gavino prevented a Northwestern goal.
Gavino gained another stop five minutes into the second quarter. The Spartans still had not attempted a shot, but the goals for the Wildcats did not fall yet.
Northwestern added to their shot total of seven, but Gavino was there again and racked up another save off a corner shot.
The Wildcats continued to pressure late in the second quarter, and looked to get on the board.
The Spartans have yet to attempt a shot, but both teams are left scoreless going into halftime. The Wildcats forced another corner shot attempt off a MSU foul three minutes into the third quarter.
The Wildcats missed the corner attempt, but kept the ball in the zone, which resulted in a Northwestern goal, scored by senior midfielder Regan Cornelious, unassisted.
The Wildcats attempted 14 shots to the Spartans zero with nine minutes remaining in the third quarter, with the score of 1-0 Northwestern.
Northwestern scored again, with a high right shot that escaped Gavino’s reach. The Wildcat goal was scored by freshman midfielder Elaine Velthuizen, who was assisted by Cornelious.
MSU added their first shot attempt to the board with three minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Wildcats scored late into the third, with a goal by sophomore forward Ashley Sessa, who made the score 3-0 Northwestern.
The Wildcats scored again on a corner goal by senior midfielder Maddie Zimmer, who was assisted by senior back Lauren Hunter, and Sessa.
A fifth Wildcats goal scored from another corner shot, which placed Northwestern up 5-0. A goal was scored by sophomore midfielder Ilse Tromp, assisted by Zimmer and Sessa.
The Spartans attempted a corner shot with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, but the shot was blocked. The score was 5-0 with two minutes remaining in the fourth.
MSU ran it down the field looking to get on the board, but the Wildcats were able to hold the Spartans to zero.
Northwestern had 22 shot attempts compared to only three for the Spartans, and the Wildcats ended up with the win 5-0.
Despite the loss, Gavino tied her career high of 17 saves and held the Wildcats to no goals scored in the first half, despite the 10-shot attempts.
“It’s a mentality for that first half, our game plan was to come on strong and be confident in everything we were doing,” Gavino said.
The Northwestern offense certainly put pressure on Gavino, but she understood that communication with her defense was key.
“Honestly, it’s just a matter of shouting at them to get back and to get them in the right positions, stepping left or stepping right or just their names,” Gavino said.
The Spartans travel on the road to Indiana to face the Hoosiers this Friday. The game will be streamed at 3 p.m. on Big Ten Plus.
