Michigan State University
14-3-5, 7-1-3
Duke
17-2-1, 9-0-1
No. 5 Michigan State Falls to Top-Seeded Duke in NCAA Sweet 16
11/24/2024 8:45:00 PM | Women's Soccer
DURHAM, N.C. - Playing in its second-straight Sweet 16, fifth-seeded Michigan State women's soccer fell to No. 1 overall seed Duke, 2-0, Sunday evening at Duke's Koskinen Stadium.Â
MSU finishes its 2024 campaign at 14-3-5, concluding its historic season that included the program's first No. 1 ranking in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and the nation's longest unbeaten streak from Aug. 15 to Oct. 13. Sunday marked MSU's second all-time appearance in the NCAA Third Round in as many years after earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament in three-straight seasons for the first time in program history.Â
The Blue Devils, who move to 17-2-1, advance to next week's NCAA quarterfinals and will face the winner of No. 3 seed Iowa and No. 7 Virginia Tech.Â
"I couldn't be more proud of the way they (the team) dealt with a lot of adversity over the course of the season," said head coach Jeff Hosler. "In the first game of the year, and a big win at Notre Dame, to lose one of our team leaders for the year, to lose another one of our players in the Xavier game. But, my players kept stepping up and into new roles, redefining themselves over and over again this year, all while finding tremendous results in what's been a very good Big Ten conference season. I'm just thrilled with the group, so happy with the effort they gave us. And to get back to the Sweet 16 in consecutive years, and only our fourth year here from where we found this, I just couldn't be more proud of the continued growth we show in our program. I have a lot of debt to these players that just played their last game for us."
The first 10 minutes of the match proved to be a defensive battle. Duke recorded the first three shots of the game, but none were on target. Parks registered her first save of the game after the Blue Devils were awarded the first corner opportunity of the match in the 18th minute to keep the game scoreless.Â
Parks and the MSU defense continued to hold strong throughout the following minutes, blocking a pair of Duke shots in the 23rd minute before Parks made another diving save to hold off the Blue Devil attack. MSU got its first chance of the game after being awarded a free kick just outside the 18-yard box in the 32nd minute, but sophomore Bella Najera's shot was blocked.Â
After a flurry of Blue Devil shots in the following minutes, Duke took a 1-0 lead with a goal from Carina Lageyre. Neither team was able to generate any attacking opportunities after the Duke goal, leaving the Blue Devils with a 1-0 advantage as the teams headed to the break.Â
The Spartans had an early spell of possession in the opening minutes of the second half but could not create any scoring chances. After MSU and Parks held off a pair of shots off Blue Devil corner kicks, Duke's Devin Lynch found the back of the net in the 54th minute to double the Duke lead.Â
MSU got its first corner opportunity of the match in the 57th minute and put up a pair of shots from junior defender Maggie Illig and freshman midfielder Maggie Illig, but could not convert.Â
Duke continued to put up a number of shots throughout the remainder of the game, but MSU defense held strong, holding off all Blue Devil chances as the match came to a close. Parks ended the game with 10 saves, coming just one short of her career high. She ends her MSU career as the fifth-winningest goalkeeper in the MSU record books with 26 wins in just two seasons in Green and White. Â
The game also marked the final outing for MSU's 10-player senior class, who combined for a total of five All-Big Ten honors during their time as Spartans.Â
"The way our team continues to bring our athletic department, our campus, and the community together through their support is super cool, and it's a lot to do with how they carry themselves in the community and the interactions that they have," said Hosler. "We have really high character kids that have incredible work ethics, and they're committed to this, and they're loyal Spartans."
Team Stats
Carina Lageyre (2)
Assisted By: Ella Hase , Mary Long
GOAL by DUKE Lageyre, Carina Assist by Hase, Ella and Long, Mary.
42:01
Devin Lynch (7)
Assisted By: Mia Oliaro
GOAL by DUKE Lynch, Devin Assist by Oliaro, Mia.
53:37
