Michigan State University
13-2-5, 7-1-3
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Western Michigan
13-2-6, 8-0-3
No. 5 Michigan State Downs Western Michigan, 3-1, in NCAA First Round
11/16/2024 5:43:00 PM | Women's Soccer
EAST LANSING, Mich. -Â Fifth-seeded Michigan State women's soccer punched its third-consecutive ticket to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 3-1 first-round victory over Western Michigan on Saturday at DeMartin Stadium.Â
MSU moves to 13-2-5 with the win, while Western Michigan ends its season at 13-2-6. The Spartans advance to play No. 4 seed and SEC champion Texas on Friday, Nov. 22 at 4 p.m. in the second round at Duke.Â
Graduate midfielder Emily Mathews opened the scoring for the Spartans in the 16th minute before graduate midfielder Justina Gaynor added another in the 18th minute. Sophomore midfielder Bella Najera sealed MSU's victory with her seventh goal of the season late in the second half. In goal, MSU graduate goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks secured her 11th win of the season, making one save.Â
The Spartans held an 11-9 advantage in shots, including a 9-2 edge in shots on goal and held the Broncos without a corner kick for the game while registering nine of their own.Â
"It's a race to one in this game because if they score first, then they would sit much deeper and make it more challenging on us," said head coach Jeff Hosler. "To score first, to keep the game wide open made a world of difference, not just in the first half, but carried onto the second half. It is important to keep your foot on the gas. We talked about that as a team the last few weeks, if you get a goal, have a little bit more urgency to go forward. Go get that next goal. It's important for us to keep our foot on the gas, and we did that today."Â
MSU controlled possession throughout the opening minutes but was unable to record a shot. In the ninth minute, WMU's Jen Blitchok registered the Broncos' only on-target look of the game, but her shot was easily corralled by Parks.Â
The Spartans' first two shots of the game resulted in a pair of goals. Mathews opened up the scoring in the 16th minute after graduate forward Meg Hughes found her just outside the box. Mathews dribbled into the box and shot into the bottom left corner for her seventh goal of the season and first since Sept. 19 against Nebraska. Hughes was credited with the assist, recording her team-leading 20th point of the season. Â
Still lethal on the attack, MSU doubled its lead a minute later with Gaynor's fifth goal of the season. Gaynor found junior defender Sofia Beerworth's cross in front of the WMU goalkeeper and shot through a group of Bronco defenders for the 2-0 MSU lead.Â
The Broncos found their offensive footing after the MSU goals while holding the Spartans without a shot for the following 10 minutes. After an MSU turnover, Blitchok capitalized on a loose ball and shot past Parks to get the Broncos within a goal in the 32nd minute. Â
Neither side was able to get off any quality looks for the remaining 15 minutes, heading to the break with a 2-1 Spartan lead.Â
WMU's Brielle Gomez was issued a red card early in the second half, forcing the Broncos to play with 10 players for the remainder of the game. MSU took advantage, recording five-straight on-target shots throughtout the opening 15 minutes of the half.Â
MSU continued to dominate possession throughout the second half. Despite an offensive push from WMU with 25 to go, the Broncos could not get off any quality looks. Â
Najera added the insurance goal for the Spartans in the 83rd minute, sending graduate forward Mackenzie Anthony's cross to the top right corner of the net for her team-leading seventh goal of the season.Â
WMU could not get any shots off in the final minutes as the Spartans secured the 3-1 win.Â
Duke hosts the NCAA Second and Third Rounds, scheduled for Friday, Nov. 22 and Sunday, Nov. 24, respectively. The winner of Friday's Michigan State/Texas match will play the winner of top-seeded Duke and No. 8 seed Texas Tech in the third round.Â
Team Stats
Emily Mathews (7)
Assisted By: Meg Hughes
GOAL by MSU Mathews, Emily Assist by Hughes, Meg.
15:47
Justina Gaynor (5)
Assisted By: Sofia Beerworth
GOAL by MSU Gaynor, Justina Assist by Beerworth, Sofia.
17:34
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Jen Blitchok (18)
GOAL by WMU Blitchok, Jen.
31:16
Bella Najera (7)
Assisted By: Mackenzie Anthony
GOAL by MSU Najera, Bella Assist by Anthony, Mackenzie.
82:45
