Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Michigan State
Spartans Slip Past Northwestern, 4-1
10/22/2005 12:00:00β―AM | Field Hockey
Michigan State 4, Northwestern 1
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Oct. 22, 2005
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- After tying the match on a penalty stroke midway the through the second half, Northwestern's field hockey team fell to Michigan State Saturday, 4-1. Senior co-captain Christine Nannicelli (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) scored the Wildcats lone goal in the match.
Michigan State struck first a little under nine minutes into the match, giving the Spartans a 1-0 lead.
Despite being outshot 11-3 in the first stanza, Northwestern's defense frustrated the Spartan offense, and Northwestern went into the break trailing by just one.
The 'Cats came out of the break set to pressure Michigan State offensively. Nannicelli did just that when she sent home her first goal of the year on a penalty stroke in the 45th minute to tie the match at 1-1.
Michigan State went on to score two goals in the 52nd minute, then another at 64:17, to take the match, 4-1.
"I was happy with the way we played defensively today," head coach Kelly McCollum said. "We just needed to be more assertive on offense and finish the opportunities we had," McCollum said.
Freshman goalkeeper Emily Kyle (San Francisco, Calif./San Francisco University High School) logged six saves in 70 minutes in her first career start between the pipes.
The Wildcats drop to 7-9 on the year, and have two regular-season matches remaining. The Wildcats are back in action on Friday, Oct. 28 at Wake Forest.
