Lansing Sun

Michigan State University's field hockey team will travel to Muncie, Indiana, for a Sunday matchup against Ball State. The game is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Briner Sports Complex.

MSU has had a challenging start to its season, beginning 0-2 in conference play with losses to No. 6 Ohio State and No. 9 Michigan. The team will face three non-conference opponents next, starting with Ball State.

Ball State will play Miami on Friday before facing the Spartans on Sunday. The Cardinals have a 1-5 record this season and are led by Emma VanHal with four goals and an assist. Caitlin Walsh is in her third season as head coach of Ball State.

Helen Knull recently achieved her 100th career victory as MSU's head coach. In her 14th season, she is the longest-tenured coach in program history.

The Spartans have matched their win total from last year with four victories and have scored 19 goals through eight games this season. Both of MSU's non-conference losses this season were in overtime, while their Big Ten losses were shutouts.

Freshmen Carmen Pucheta, Mora Cavazza, Lilian Knorr, Carmen Maudlin, and Caro Schafer have each appeared in all eight MSU contests this season.

Sophomore Lyra Gavino made 11 saves in the first two Big Ten games and owns a 2.20 GAA and .622 save percentage for the season. She earned her first career shutout against Colgate on September 15.

Ashley Herbert debuted in goal for MSU against Michigan on Monday, making four saves and allowing one goal in 30 minutes of action.

Bianca Pizano leads the Spartans with five goals this season, surpassing any player's total from last year when she scored twice as a freshman.

Emma O'Neill leads the team in assists with a scoring line of 2-4-8 and is close to matching her career-best points total from last year.

Maddie Lawlor returned after missing the previous season due to injury and is tied for third on the team with seven points alongside Ellie Rutherford. Rutherford's three assists are a career high, while Lawlor has set personal bests across all offensive categories this season.

Senior Jillian Bonczewski has achieved career highs with three goals and points over her tenure spanning 41 games.

Ellie Wheatley serves as one of the team's captains along with O'Neill and Rutherford. Wheatley has appeared in 66 Spartan games while O'Neill has played in 70 games; both are fifth-year players contributing significantly to the team's performance this year.

MSU will host Miami on October 1st and Kent State on October 6th at Ralph Young Field following their match against Ball State.