The MSU field hockey team will get a double dose of Ohio this weekend as they welcome Ohio University and Ohio State to the Field Hockey Complex on Saturday and Sunday.
This is the first time in more than a month that the Spartans (10-7 overall, 1-4 Big Ten) will play two games in two days. Despite the more hectic schedule, senior midfielder Maggie Giddens said the team will be ready for the physical demands.
"(Head coach Michele Madison) makes sure to keep us active on the weekend whether we have one game or two," she said.
The Buckeyes (14-4 overall, 3-2 Big Ten) are riding a hot streak, having won 13 of their last 15 games. They are also first in the Big Ten in shots and assists. Madison said the Spartans will have to be sharp defensively.
"We can't allow them to have that many looks at the goal," she said. "We have to have strong individual and team defense."
She said another way to counteract their potent offense is to beat them to the punch and create their own opportunities with pressure.
"The best defense is an attack — we have to try and stay in our mode first," she said. "If we attack, attack, attack, then they will have to chase us too."
Last year, the Buckeyes finished the season with a 10-10 record, vastly worse than this year's mark. Madison said they are as improved as their record indicates.
"They are playing together better," she said. "They are finding each other too often and too easily."
After the Buckeyes on Saturday, the Spartans will host the Bobcats (8-9 overall, 6-3 MAC) on Sunday.
The Bobcats are right in the thick of the MAC title race, trailing Kent State by just one loss. The Spartans have dominated the Bobcats in the past three meetings, outscoring them 15-2. Madison said that will be different now because of Ohio's new head coach, Neil Macmillan, who was an assistant coach for defending national champion Wake Forest.
"They will be different and skilled — they will be able to move the ball around well," Madison said.
These are the last two games of the season for the Spartans before the Big Ten Tournament.
