The MSU field hockey team’s season likely ended abruptly Thursday in University Park, Penn., when it fell to No. 2 seed Ohio State in the first round of the Big Ten tournament, 2-1.
Once again, the Spartans (7-12 overall, 1-6 Big Ten) struggled to find their groove, being outshot by the Buckeyes, 20-7. Sophomore goaltender Molly Cassidy did all she could to keep the ball out of the net, tallying 10 saves, but the constant onslaught of shots was too much to overcome.
The Spartans held with the Buckeyes for quite some time, going into halftime deadlocked in a 0-0 tie. But then, less than five minutes into the second half, the Buckeyes found the back of the net and jumped out to a 1-0 lead.
However, the Spartans answered quickly, as freshman forward Abby Barker received a pass from junior midfielder Adelle Lever scored to tie the match at one. Both Barker and Lever were named to the Second Team All-Big Ten earlier in the day.
MSU appeared to be heading towards a rehash of what happened the last time it played Ohio State, when the Spartans prevailed 2-1 after penalty strokes, but the Buckeyes broke the dead heat on a penalty corner goal from defensive back Jenn Sciulli, eventually coming away with the victory.
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