Wolverines Sweep Rivalry Series at Michigan State

Sunday, April 4

East Lansing, Mich.

1:00 PM

Michigan

(7-2)

Michigan State

(1-10)

Michigan

Michigan State

Emma Tamer (Michigan Photography)

4/4/2021 3:25:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

By: Leah Howard

» No. 4 Michigan earned its second straight 3-0 win to claim a weekend series sweep at Michigan State.
» Sarah Pyrtek early game-winner for the second straight game at the 1:54 mark, while Halle O'Neill and Emma Tamer scored their first goals of the season in the third quarter.
» Michigan held MSU without a shot; goalkeeper Anna Spieker earned her fourth straight shutout win.

Site: East Lansing, Mich. (Ralph Young Field)
Score: #4 Michigan 3, Michigan State 0
Records: U-M (7-2, 5-0 Big Ten), MSU (1-10, 1-5 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, April 10 -- at Maryland (College Park, Md.), Noon

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The No. 4-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team earned its second straight series sweep, blanking in-state rival Michigan State, 3-0, to push its win streak to four straight games on Sunday afternoon (April 4) at the Spartans' Ralph Young Field.

The Wolverines' victory mirrored their Friday win over Michigan State, with sophomore Sarah Pyrtek scoring in the opening minutes in the contest before U-M added a pair of goals to pull away in the second half. After allowing just one shot in the series opener, Michigan held the Spartans without a single attempt today, outshooting them, 26-0, and outcornering them, 9-0.

Pyrtek scored the first and game-winning goal at the 1:54 mark -- her second game-winner of the weekend and third of the season -- with a shot from in front of the MSU cage. Senior Kate Burney carried the ball in on the baseline and junior Katie Anderson tipped it in front, where Pyrtek volleyed it into the cage. It was her team-best fourth goal of the season.

Senior Halle O'Neill and senior/junior Emma Tamer scored early and late in the third quarter to ice the Wolverine win -- the first goal for each this season. O'Neill used a stellar solo effort to find the board at the 31:57 mark, receiving the ball off a restart, maneuvering it through a MSU defender at the top of the circle and ripping it to the lower-left corner.

Tamer, who ranked among U-M's scoring leaders with seven goals last season, buried the direct shot on a penalty corner with time expired in the quarter, at 45:00. She took the insert from junior Kathryn Peterson on the left side of the arc, bobbled the stop but corralled the ball and hammered it through traffic to the left side of the cage.

It was the first time since 2017 that U-M held an opponent without a shot. Junior goalkeeper Anna Spieker earned her fourth straight complete-game shutout and fifth of the season, while MSU's Jade Arundell stopped two of five Wolverines shots on goal.

The Wolverines (7-2, 5-0 Big Ten) will return to the road next weekend, traveling to College Park, Maryland, for a two-game set at Maryland on Saturday and Sunday (April 10-11). Both games are scheduled for noon at the Maryland Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex.