Oct. 17, 2012
The Missouri State field hockey team (4-9-0 overall, 2-2-0 Mid-American Conference) will take on the Kent State Golden Flashes and the No. 8 Northwestern Wildcats this weekend.
The Bears will close their conference schedule when they challenge Kent State on Friday, Oct. 19 at Plaster Field in a match-up of MAC teams. The game is scheduled to start at 12:30 p.m.
Missouri State will then hit the road to play Northwestern on Sunday, Oct. 21 in Evanston, Ill. The non-conference game against the Wildcats will also start at 12:30 p.m.
The Bears lost to the Ohio Bobcats on Sept. 13 in Athens, Ohio, which squared MSU's conference record at 2-2. Coming into Friday's game against Kent State, Missouri State is in fifth place in the conference, one-half game behind four teams that are 2-1 in conference play. A top-four finish would mean a trip to the MAC Championship next month in Oxford, Ohio.
A Bears win on Friday would give Missouri State the head-to-head tie-breaking advantage over the Golden Flashes, which could prove to be vital in determining whether MSU advances to the Championship.
Series at a Glance
Missouri State is 4-23-1 all-time against Kent State. The teams split their two meetings in 2011, with each winning on the other team's home turf. The Golden Flashes defeated MSU 5-3 in Springfield on Sept. 23, while the Bears won 3-1 in Kent, Ohio on Oct. 16.
Meanwhile, Missouri State is 1-14-0 in its all-time series against Northwestern. The Bears last played Northwestern in 2010, which ended in a 4-0 Wildcats win.
Game Notes
? With Saturday's 13-save performance, Missouri State junior goalkeeper Andrea Bain vaulted into the country's top-30 in saves per game (6.00).
? Senior defender Reiann Stoute scored MSU's goal against Ohio on Saturday, which matched her single-season career high with eight points, which she set last season. With one more goal and one more assist, Stoute will set new single-season career highs in those categories as well.
? In its game against Kent State, the Bears will face a dynamic 1-2 punch in the Golden Flashes' Julia Hofmann and Sabrina Binder. Hofmann leads the MAC in goals (10), while Binder leads in assists (11).
? With three games remaining, Bears forward Hillary Lawless has a chance to challenge for the MAC scoring title. With seven goals, the junior is just three off Hofmann's pace and one behind Central Michigan's Erin Dye.
? Northwestern features one of the country's top players in midfielder Chelsea Armstrong, who leads all Division I players with 24 goals.
