No. 4 Fresno State University Stops No. 10 Michigan State University, 14-9, to Make 2019 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship Ninth Place Game

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Shelby Vidmar (Fr., Clovis, Calif.) scored five times and goalie Shelby Sturgeon (Sr., Clovis, Calif.) turned aside nine shots to share Player of the Game accolades as Sierra Pacific Division runner-up/No. 4-ranked Fresno State University pulled away from Big Ten Division Champion/No. 10 Michigan State University for a 14-9 win at the 2019 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship hosted by the University of Notre Dame at the Rolfs Aquatic Center.  Courtesy the win, the Bulldogs earn a spot in the Ninth Place game on Sunday, May 5, at 2:15 p.m. against the host Irish.

• Fresno State never trailed against the Spartans as the 2007 Women’s National Collegiate Club Champion Bulldogs pulled out to leads of 2-0 and 3-1 in the first quarter before outscoring Michigan State 2-1 and 6-3 in the second and third quarters, respectively, to snag an 11-5 lead heading into the fourth quarter.  MSU chipped its final deficit down to five in the fourth quarter as the Spartans held a 4-3 scoring advantage over the final seven minutes to close within 14-9 before the clock expired.
• For Fresno State, Vidmar (five) and Shannon Crow (So., Fresno, Calif.) (four) both posted hat-tricks, while Taylor Rice (Jr., Clovis, Calif.) and Ceily Hepner (Fr., Holister, Calif.) chipped in pairs of markers.  Erin Hepner (Sr., Hollister, Calif.) accounted for a single tally to round out Fresno State’s offensive stars.
• Sarah Williams (So., Okemos, Mich.) tied Vidmar for game high-scorer notice as she pumped in five goals for Michigan State.  Jilian Eiken (Sr., Naperville, Ill.) dropped in a pair and Alexa Fabrizio (Jr., Los Angeles, Calif.) added a single tally to complete the Spartans’ scorers.
• In cage, Sturgeon picked up the win with nine saves, while Leslie Schuchardt (So., Rockford, Mich.) filed away eight shots in taking the loss.
• Due to the loss, Michigan State falls into the 11th Place game as the Spartans will take on Rocky Mountain Division Champion the Colorado School of Mines at 3:30 p.m. in the 30th and final game of the 2019 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship on Sunday, May 5.
• A three-time National Champion (2001, 2002, 2006) and two-time runner-up (2000, 2003) who is making its first appearance at the Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship since the 2008 season, MSU will finish either 11th or 12th in this year’s tournament to add onto a legacy of prior First, Second, Third (2005), Fourth (2007), Sixth (2004) and Ninth (2008) Place marks.
• Following a 12-year gap, the Bulldogs of Fresno State returned to the Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship this year for the first time since capturing the 2007 National Championship at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. That year, Fresno State downed Notre Dame (8-3 W), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (11-3 W), Michigan State (8-4 W) and finally California Polytechnic State University by a 4-3 score before electing not  to compete on the national level for an extended period of time.

• Historically, Frenso State previously finished 10th (2005), third (2006) and first (2007) at the Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship and will aim to add a Ninth Place notch onto its record board against Notre Dame on May 5.

Michigan State University goalie Leslie Schuchardt (#1)

Michigan State University’s Sarah Williams (#2) guards Fresno State University’s Shelby Vidmar (#12)

Fresno State University’s Shelby Vidmar (#12) rises to shoot as Michigan State University’s Sarah Williams (#2) ascends for a field block attempt