Michigan State field hockey gets a big home weekend at Ralph Young Field, and Friday brings more than just a ranked opponent. The Spartans will celebrate senior day against No. 13 Indiana at 4 p.m. on Oct. 2, then turn around to host sixth-ranked Iowa on Sunday, Oct. 4 at noon.
Friday’s matchup will air nationally on Big Ten Network, while Sunday’s game will be streamed on B1G+.
The Spartans will honor four seniors after Friday’s game: Bianca Pizano, Natalie Arnold, Minke Klijn and Serena Mailhe.
MSU enters the weekend 4-5 under first-year head coach Tamara Durante after a road loss to Northwestern last Friday. Pizano has been the team’s top scorer so far, piling up 11 points on five goals and one assist. Four Spartans sit next in the scoring column with two goals apiece: Ellie Kendall, Lilian Knorr, Mora Cavazza and Caroline Horace.
In goal, Lola Munoz de Verger and Catherine Wolf have split the workload evenly. Wolf owns a .688 save percentage, while Munoz de Verger carries a 2.62 goals-against average.
Indiana comes in with momentum after a strong start to conference play under eighth-year head coach Kayla Bashore, capped by a 1-0 shutout of then-No. 13 Michigan last weekend.
The Hoosiers are powered by sophomore forward Molly Stutte and sophomore forward Celia Arroyo Cabezud. Stutte has seven goals and seven assists this season, putting her tied for second in the Big Ten in both categories.
Arroyo Cabezud has six goals and three assists.
Junior goalkeeper Sadie Canelli has also been a key piece for Indiana, ranking among the Big Ten’s top three in goals-against average at 0.95, saves with 26 and shutouts with three.
This will be the 38th meeting between Michigan State and Indiana. The Spartans lead the series 27-10 and will try to snap a skid against the Hoosiers with their first win in the matchup since a 3-0 shutout in East Lansing on Sept. 24, 2023.
Iowa brings a much different challenge on Sunday. The Hawkeyes are ranked No. 6 and remain one of the nation’s most dangerous attacking teams under longtime head coach Lisa Cellucci.
Senior midfielder Dionne van Aalsum, a first-team All-American who led the country in scoring a season ago, has 11 goals and one assist this year for 23 points. Senior forward Fréderique van Cleef has been just as lethal, leading the NCAA with 14 goals and adding six assists.
Between the posts, junior Abby Johnson has given Iowa a 7-1 record with 17 saves and a 1.54 goals-against average.
Iowa owns the all-time series 59-16-1, and Michigan State will be chasing its first win over the Hawkeyes since Oct. 25, 2024, when the Spartans earned a 2-1 overtime victory at Ralph Young Field.
After this weekend, Michigan State stays home for two more matches, hosting Penn State on Friday, Oct. 9 at 3 p.m. and Longwood on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 11 a.m.
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