After a tough loss to North Carolina over the weekend, the MSU field hockey team still earned a top 10 national ranking for the season's first poll.
The National Field Hockey Coaches' Association (NFHCA) tabbed the Spartans as the nation's 8th-best squad in a poll released Tuesday. In addition to MSU, five other Big Ten teams made the top 20, including Penn State (4th), Michigan (7th), Iowa (9th), Indiana (13th) and Northwestern (19th).
The Tar Heels snagged the No. 2 spot, second only to 2002 National Champion Wake Forest.
Sophomore goalkeeper Christina Kirkaldy hadn't seen the poll but wasn't too upset to hear that the arch-rival Wolverines were ranked just ahead of her squad, though the Spartans defeated U-M 3-0 to take the Big Ten Tournament title.
The Wolverines lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2002, while MSU advanced to the Final Four before being knocked out by the eventual champion Demon Deacons.
"The Big Ten Tournament was definitely an awesome game," Kirkaldy said. "(The ranking) just gives us another goal to work for, something to shoot for now."
MSU head coach Michele Madison said first week rankings don't concern her much.
"They've maybe played some more competitive teams than us so far," she said of U-M.
During the season, the Spartans face off against seven of the country's top 20 teams according to NFHCA. Madison said while MSU's schedule is challenging, the Spartans will have to play the best squads to achieve the best results from within their team.
"Right now it's truly more about our team and things we need to do," she said. "And we have to have a strong schedule to get to the tournament."
Final Four Field
This weekend the Spartans travel to Louisville, Ky. to take on the No. 12-host Cardinals and Southwest Missouri State. The field where matches will be played brings back memories to the Spartan squad, which lost the Final Four game to Wake Forest, 3-0, on the same field.
"It's a familiar field, a wet field similar to ours, and I'm really excited to go," Madison said.
Kirkaldy undercover
Fans who catch Kirkaldy in a rare moment without her gear on might notice the goalkeeper now sports a brace on her left knee. Though surgery to repair her damaged meniscus and torn ACL was performed during her freshman year, Kirkaldy said people are still surprised to see the brace.
"Most people only see me with my pads on so when I take them off, everyone's like, 'Whoa, when did that happen?'" she said, laughing.
Kirkaldy added while she had to cut out the inside of her goalie pads in order to have the brace fit over the pads, she hardly notices the apparatus except for "occasional soreness."
Alexandra the Great
Senior back Alexandra Kyser tallied two strikes in the Spartan's 9-1 demoralization of Providence on Sunday, half of her season average. In three years at MSU, Kyser has notched four goals each season.
Fabulous freshmen
Forward newcomers Ashley Pernicano and Ashley Smeltzer each tallied goals on Sunday, and freshman midfielder Jennifer Beeuwkes and junior transfer Veerle Goudswaard added an assist apiece to give Spartan fans a taste of up-and-coming talent.
"I think they can handle it," Kirkaldy said of the newcomers' acclimation. "They've improved a lot since the preseason, and coming back from a 3-0 loss they really stepped it up."
Pernicano also added two assists in the victory.
