On Friday afternoon, Michigan and Michigan State will meet again and renew their rivalry. On the field, the two teams have had different seasons and have had different degrees of success. None of that will matter though when they take the field against their biggest rival.
Last season in East Lansing, Michigan State defeated Michigan 3-2 in a double overtime thriller. Twice Michigan came from behind to tie the game, but in the end, Abby Barker scored the final goal to pull off the upset.
Every rivalry game is emotional, and the memory of that contest will certainly be on the minds of the players. This year the narrative is somewhat similar. Michigan is ranked and Michigan State has had a few bumps in the road. The game is late in the season and both teams have seniors who have plenty of memories and want to end with a win.
This season, Michigan has been led by a group of seniors who have posted extraordinary numbers. Leading the team in scoring has been fifth year senior Leslie Smith, with 11 goals on the season. This has been her highest scoring season and she currently has 29 career goals. Also leading the team this season has been fifth year senior midfielder Ainsley McCallister, who has been a rock for the team with 16 assists this season and has started every single game. Joining McCallister on the midfield is another rock, grad student Sammy Gray, who has made 67 appearances for the Wolverines. The other two graduating players that Michigan will be saying goodbye to are Lauren Hauge and Emy Guttman, who scored a dramatic game winning goal over Northwestern recently.
While Michigan is in a three way tie for first in the Big 10, in-state rival Michigan State would love nothing more then to spoil the party. Currently Michigan State is 3-4 in conference play and a win here would help them heading into the conference tournament. The Spartans know how to fight hard, six of their eight wins this season have been come from behind victories with plenty of overtime wins and overtime heartbreak as well.
Leading them throughout this crazy season has been senior Abby Barker. The same Abby Barker who crushed the Wolverines' hopes in double overtime last season. This season, Barker has recorded 12 goals and 11 assists and has been the focal point of the Spartans offense. Michigan State has scored 40 goals this season and is averaging 2.67 goals per game. Another senior has been coming in strong for the Spartans this season, with Allie Ahern scoring seven goals on the season. With plenty of seniors playing consistently, and 11 players appearing in every single game, Michigan State will be ready for bring a strong performance against their instate rival.
Although Michigan has dominated the series recently, the game still has an air of excitement to it. Michigan has won three of the last four, but remember that the one loss was a double overtime upset thanks to a strong performance by Michigan State. This game should live up to the expectations when the players hit the field on Friday at 3:30. The game will be shown on the Big 10 Network. Look for the stars to come out when the cameras turn on, as both teams have a group of exceptional seniors who are playing in this great rivalry for the last time.
Showing posts with label Game Preview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Game Preview. Show all posts
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Saturday, September 27, 2014
When Giants Meet
#1 against #2. It does not get any better then this does it? Tomorrow at noon, #1 North Carolina is going to face #2 Connecticut at a neutral site. Some sports naturally pit the highest two ranked teams against each other while others can only hope that they meet. NCAA field hockey is going to have one epic day when #1 and #2 meet tomorrow.
Of course, this is not the first 1/2 meeting that we have had this season. Earlier in the year #2 North Carolina met with #1 Maryland and the tar heels came out on top. After the game, the heels came out as the #1 team and currently Maryland is the #4 team in the country. Having two 1/2 matchups in the month of September is an incredibly special season and a sign of great things to come.
So how did we get here? UNC is currently 7-1 on the season with their one loss being at Louisville last weekend. North Carolina has beat Michigan, Iowa, Maryland, Syracuse, and Boston College to prove to the country that they are the #1 team. The hardest part of their schedule is arguably over with matchups against Connecticut, Duke, Virginia, and Wake Forest left with many smaller sides in between. North Carolina is looking to be a favorite for the tournament and they came close last year until they lost in the semifinals.
Who beat them in the semis? Connecticut. The huskies may not be in the ACC, but they still play a tough schedule. They have already faced Penn State, Boston College, and Stanford and end their season against Temple. Connecticut is currently 6-2 on the season with a loss at Boston College in a shootout and on Friday afternoon against Stanford. While their resume this season may not look quite as impressive, this team is the defending national champions and that speaks loudly.
Who needs the win more? While both teams are going to bring their A game, Connecticut needs this win more. Their remaining schedule is weaker then Carolina's is and they are coming off of their first loss. The ACC is still the dominating conference and UNC will have multiple chances to prove itself later on this year if they stumble on Sunday. Connecticut does not have Virginia and Duke remaining on their schedule so many will look to how they played against Stanford and UNC at the end of the season. With a loss on Friday already, Connecticut needs this win more then Carolina does.
Who does the neutral site benefit? The game tomorrow is being played at the Boston College Soccer Complex in Newton, Massachusetts. North Carolina just played there on Friday and earned an overtime win over Boston College. Despite that, I think Connecticut has the advantage here. They also played on this field earlier in the season and Storrs is only 90 minutes from Newton. They should have the bigger fan base at the game and they will not be as tired from the travel as North Carolina will be.
Who will win? The biggest winner on Sunday is probably going to be the fans. Seeing #1 meet #2 at a neutral site and have it be a rematch of a semifinal game from last year is a great story. But on the field though it will be extremely competitive. I would not be surprised to see this game go into overtime. My prediction is:
North Carolina 3 and Connecticut 2
Of course, this is not the first 1/2 meeting that we have had this season. Earlier in the year #2 North Carolina met with #1 Maryland and the tar heels came out on top. After the game, the heels came out as the #1 team and currently Maryland is the #4 team in the country. Having two 1/2 matchups in the month of September is an incredibly special season and a sign of great things to come.
So how did we get here? UNC is currently 7-1 on the season with their one loss being at Louisville last weekend. North Carolina has beat Michigan, Iowa, Maryland, Syracuse, and Boston College to prove to the country that they are the #1 team. The hardest part of their schedule is arguably over with matchups against Connecticut, Duke, Virginia, and Wake Forest left with many smaller sides in between. North Carolina is looking to be a favorite for the tournament and they came close last year until they lost in the semifinals.
Who beat them in the semis? Connecticut. The huskies may not be in the ACC, but they still play a tough schedule. They have already faced Penn State, Boston College, and Stanford and end their season against Temple. Connecticut is currently 6-2 on the season with a loss at Boston College in a shootout and on Friday afternoon against Stanford. While their resume this season may not look quite as impressive, this team is the defending national champions and that speaks loudly.
Who needs the win more? While both teams are going to bring their A game, Connecticut needs this win more. Their remaining schedule is weaker then Carolina's is and they are coming off of their first loss. The ACC is still the dominating conference and UNC will have multiple chances to prove itself later on this year if they stumble on Sunday. Connecticut does not have Virginia and Duke remaining on their schedule so many will look to how they played against Stanford and UNC at the end of the season. With a loss on Friday already, Connecticut needs this win more then Carolina does.
Who does the neutral site benefit? The game tomorrow is being played at the Boston College Soccer Complex in Newton, Massachusetts. North Carolina just played there on Friday and earned an overtime win over Boston College. Despite that, I think Connecticut has the advantage here. They also played on this field earlier in the season and Storrs is only 90 minutes from Newton. They should have the bigger fan base at the game and they will not be as tired from the travel as North Carolina will be.
Who will win? The biggest winner on Sunday is probably going to be the fans. Seeing #1 meet #2 at a neutral site and have it be a rematch of a semifinal game from last year is a great story. But on the field though it will be extremely competitive. I would not be surprised to see this game go into overtime. My prediction is:
North Carolina 3 and Connecticut 2
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