Nov. 6, 2007

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State will play the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday Nov. 10. With a 16-5 overall record, Michigan State was one of eight teams to earn an at-large bid to the 2007 NCAA Tournament field, which was announced on Tuesday evening at 8 p.m. ET. Host Michigan will take on Ohio in the first round on Saturday at 2 p.m., immediately following the MSU-Wake Forest game, which begins at 11 a.m. The winners will meet on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Ann Arbor.

MSU is 6-4 all-time in NCAA Tournament history and advanced to the semifinal round in 2004, where it fell to Duke University, 5-2. MSU has made the NCAA Tournament in five of the last seven seasons, including four years straight, from 2001-2004. MSU was ousted in the second round in 2001 and 2003 by intrastate rival Michigan.

This season, MSU fell to Wake Forest, 2-0, in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Sept. 30. Wake Forest, which has won seven of the eight all-time meetings of the schools, is the only team this season to hold the Spartans scoreless. The teams have met just once in the post-season: MSU fell to Wake, 3-0, in the 2002 NCAA semifinals.

MSU has been a force on offense this season, finishing the season second in the nation in points per game (11.74), goals per game (4.26), scoring average (4.21), scoring margin (3.07), and assists per game (3.21).

"Our quest for a great season started this past spring with all the returners. They did a great job improving, and we were joined by a young group of Spartans in August," said head coach Rolf van de Kerkhof. "Thoughout the season our squad has experienced, improved, and learned a lot about field hockey and what it takes to be a successful team. Our 16-5 record shows that we have been improving, and have created a foundation from which we can play even better in the NCAA Tournament."