FINAL SCORE: Michigan St. 3, Vermont 1
 
East Lansing, Mich. – Skylar Santucci and Jillian Bonczewski each scored five minutes apart, helping Michigan State (2-1) defeat Vermont (0-3) on Friday afternoon.
 
RELATED LINKS
Box Score

COACH'S QUOTE
"Core skills need to be sharper and we need to execute in both circles," said head coach Kate Pfeifer. "This team has potential and has shown a lot of growth over the first 3 matches, but the attack production is simply not enough right now, and we made two critical defensive errors that came at a high cost today."

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Lauren Schellhamer and Marie Dijkstra had the Catamount's top chances of the first half as they forced Michigan State into two saves.
• Santucci opened the scoring, scoring a 21st-minute goal with an assist from Brynn Shaffer to give the Spartans the lead.
• Bonczewski scored in the 26th minute to double Michigan State's lead off an assist from Emma O'Neill.
• Vermont had two chances in the last minute of the first half, but Sophia Drees and Sophia Lefranc had opportunities saved.
• Carmen Pucheta scored in the 35th minute to extend the Spartans' lead to three, with assists from Ellie Wheatly and O'Neil.
• Dijkstra cut the Catamount's deficit to two when she intercepted a pass and took it herself in the 41st minute on a breakaway.

 INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Ila Gunner had four saves in the loss.
• Drees and Dijkstra led Vermont in shooting with two shots each, and Dijsktra had both shots hit the target.

UP NEXT
The Catamounts finish the weekend by taking on Ohio in a neutral-site contest that will also be played at Michigan State. The game begins at 1:00 p.m. and will stream live on B1G+.
 
FIELD HOCKEY BSN NIKE STORE OPEN UNTIL 9/16
University of Vermont Athletics and the University Licensing Department are proud to announce a partnership with Nike and BSN Sports to make sport-specific gear available to our fans at the start of the 2023-24 season! As online stores, access to the sport-specific sites is open 24/7 from today through Monday, Sept. 16. All varsity programs will receive a portion of sales to benefit their specific program enhancement fund. This provides the unique opportunity for the perfect balance between supporting UVM athletics and purchasing quality athletic apparel. Visit the field hockey sport-specific store to view and buy their gear!
 
For news and updates about the Vermont Field Hockey program, follow @UVMfieldhky on Instagram, X, and Facebook, and visit UVMathletics.com.