MSU Completes Road Week at Iowa Sunday

No. 18 Michigan State (7-2-5, 4-0-3 B1G) at No. 7 Iowa (9-2-3, 4-1-2 B1G)
Dates/Location	Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025 \| 2 pm ET / 1 pm CT UI Soccer Complex, Iowa City, Iowa \| GameDay Information
Television	none
Webstream	Watch on BTN+
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Game Notes	Michigan State \| Iowa
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The Particulars
• Michigan State will take on No. 7 Iowa on Sunday afternoon in Iowa City. MSU downed in-state rival Michigan (1-0) on Thursday in Ann Arbor, while Iowa defeated Maryland (2-0) at home. Sunday will be the final regular-season game for the Hawkeyes on their home field.

• MSU holds a 13-10-6 all-time advantage in the series with Iowa, and the teams will meet in the regular season for the first time since 2023. MSU's last game in Iowa City came in November of 2021, a 2-1 Spartan victory.

• The coaches in Sunday's matchup both took their current positions after highly successful runs at Grand Valley State. Dave DiIanni guided the Lakers from 2003-2013, never failing to make the NCAA Tournament and winning three Division II National Championships, as well as winning seven GLIAC Tournament titles. Hosler was DiIanni's replacement when he departed for Iowa City, and coached GVSU from 2014-21. Hosler built upon the Lakers' success with three NCAA titles, five Championship game appearances, at least the Elite Eight in six seasons (there was no Division II NCAA Tournament in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and captured seven GLIAC Tournament titles.

• Through seven games, only three teams remain unbeaten in Conference play: Washington (5-0-2) sits at the top of the table with 17 points, MSU is second with 15, and Ohio State is in eighth place with a 2-0-5 mark. Iowa is in third place as the league's only one-loss team (4-1-2, 14 points).

Team Notes
• Through games of Oct. 6, MSU's schedule has been rated the toughest in the nation, with opponents boasting a 91-33-22 record (.699). When accounting for the full regular-season slate, MSU's opposition (past and upcoming) owns a .671 winning percentage, which is also the most difficult in the country. Penn State owns the second-highest rank strength of schedule among B1G teams, (.636, 13th nationally).

• Among MSU's seven non-conference opponents, Notre Dame (ACC), Dayton (A10) and Milwaukee (Horizon) are all leading their leagues, while Xavier (Big East) and Buffalo (MAC) are each second. Seven Spartan opponents appear in the top 25 (or receiving votes ) in either the United Soccer Coaches or Top Drawer Soccer national polls, including three in the top 10 (Notre Dame, Iowa, and UCLA).

• MSU secured its program-high fifth tie of the season when it played to a 1-1 decision with No. 21 Ohio State (10/5). MSU set the school record with five ties in 2005 and matched that total in 2024.
   MSU started the campaign with back-to-back ties: a 1-1 decision at Colorado and 0-0 against Dayton at home. This was the first time in program history that MSU started the season with ties in its first two games, and is now is the first time in school history that MSU has opened the B1G season with consecutive draws (1-1 vs. both Rutgers and UCLA).

• MSU is 5-0-1 when scoring the first goal of the game, which it did on Thursday at Michigan. MSU has conceded the first score in seven matches, including last Sunday's game vs. Ohio State. The Spartans have won or tied each of the last two games in which it allowed its opponent to score first.
• All three of MSU's draws in Big Ten play were 1-1 finals - at Rutgers (9/12) and at home against No. 4 UCLA (9/18) and No. 21 Ohio State (10/5). MSU has outscored its Big Ten opponents 13-1 in its four Conference wins.

• With 33 goals through 13 games, MSU is first in the Big Ten in both total goals (12th nationally) and goals per game (2.36, 20th nationally).

• The Spartans have outshot their opponents 204-138, with a commanding 127-66 edge in the second half. MSU limited Michigan to three second-half attempts and nine total in the game. MSU had eight shot attempts against the Wolverines, the lowest for the MSU offense in a game this season.

• Of MSU's 33 goals on the season, 21 of them have come in the second half, compared to just three goals for Spartan opponents.

• The Spartans rank second in the Big Ten in corner kicks per game (5.93). MSU has 83 corners to just 44 allowed and have a 45-21 edge in corners in the second stanza.

• Michigan State returned to the United Soccer Coaches national poll on Sept. 30 after a three-week absence, and sit at No. 18 this week, down two spots from last Tuesday. In the preseason, MSU came in at No. 12 - its highest preseason ranking in program history. The Spartans completed the 2024 season at No. 14 after advancing to the NCAA Round of 16.

• Starting off the season at 3-0-2, the Spartans were ranked as high as No. 12 and opened their fourth season in five under Hosler with a five-game unbeaten streak or more. The 2024 Spartans set the school record with a 14-game unbeaten streak to start the year, surpassing the previous record of 10 set in 2009. The 2023 MSU squad won three straight to open the year.

• The Spartans scored 45 goals in 22 games in 2004, (2.05 per game), and are on pace to surpass that with 32 through 13 games in 2025 (2.46). With a seasoned corps of keepers a year ago, MSU owned a 0.861 team GAA; with a pair of freshmen, MSU owns a 1.077 GAA (and the toughest schedule in the country).

• The Big Ten owned a 69-30-20 record (.663) through non-conference play. The ACC has the most victories of any conference at 76-21-24 (.727), the SEC posted 72-27-14 (.699), and Big 12 narrowly leads in winning percentage (66-19-18, .728).

• The Spartans have welcomed home crowds of 1,200+ fans for all seven of their home games this fall, with a single-match high of 2,214 vs. Notre Dame and a doubleheader total of 4,025 on Aug. 21 vs. NC State. MSU ranks fifth nationally in overall attendance (15,722, first B1G) and seventh in average attendance (1,972, second B1G).
   MSU ranked fifth nationally in overall (28,397) and sixth in average (2,184) attendance last season.

Player Notes - Field Players
• Michigan State has five players who have started every game this season, and 10 who have played in all 14.

• MSU has 14 different goal scorers of its 33 goals on the season. Six have multiple goals.

• Kennedy Bell has been named to the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List. This is the first time that the award, which honors the top men's and women's soccer player in the nation, has released a midseason watch list.

• Bell is the Big Ten leader in goals (9, 18th NCAA), and her 22 points leads the B1G and is 20th nationally. She is first in the Big Ten in goals per game (0.075, 25th NCAA) and second in points per game (1.69, 24th NCAA.) Her 22 points is tied for 26th all-time in a single season at MSU.

• Bell leads the Spartans and the B1G with 13 points in Conference games only (7 GP, 5-3-13), and is also first in points per game (1.86). Her five goals ranks second among B1G players, and three assists ranks in a tie for fifth.

• On Sept. 22-23, Bell was named the Top Drawer Soccer and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week She scored MSU's lone goal against No. 4 UCLA (9/18), and then had a hand in every MSU goal scored in the run of play in a win over USC (9/21). She followed that up with two goals and two assists in the road trip to Minnesota and Wisconsin.

• Bell's brace against USC (9/21) was her first as a Spartan and the second of her career. She had a two-goal game in 2024 at Maryland against VCU.

• Through 14 games, Bell has tripled her three career goals that she scored in two seasons at Maryland, where her role was primarily as a defensive player. With 22 points, she is also approaching tripling her career total entering 2025 (9).

• Renee Watson opened the scoring - and also closed it - with her goal 1:50 into Thursday night's game at Michigan, which was the game-winner and only score of the game.
• Watson is riding a career-best four-game point streak, with two goals and two assists over the last four games.

• Watson's 13 points on four goals and five assists is career bests in all three categories. She ranks third on the team in points and second in assists.

• Watson had a career day against Milwaukee (8/24) with two goals and two assists - it was her first collegiate goal, brace, and multi-point game. It remains the third-highest point total in a single game for any B1G player this season.

• Redshirt junior Emerson Sargeant set up Watson for the goal at Michigan, her second assist of the season. She has a 3-2-8 scoring line, and has started all 14 games. She has a 8-14-30 career scoring line, which is third among active players.

• Sargeant was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week and also earned a spot on the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week (Honorable Mention) on Sept. 30. She had three goals total (and both game-winners) in MSU's two wins at Minnesota and Wisconsin: her first goal of the came against the Gophers (9/25), and then added a pair of scores in the win at Wisconsin (9/28). The goal against Minnesota was her first since Oct. 29, 2023 vs. Iowa - she suffered a season-ending injury five games into the 2024 season. Her two goals at Wisconsin was her first career brace.

• Sargeant is the fourth Spartan player to record a brace this season - Kennedy Bell recorded hers against USC, while Renee Watson (8/24 vs. Milwaukee) and Bella Najera (8/28 vs. Buffalo) gave MSU its first occurrence of braces in back-to-back games under Jeff Hosler. The Spartans also posted four, two-goal games in 2024.

• Bella Najera had MSU's score in the 1-1 deadlock vs Ohio State (10/5). Of her five goals on the year, two have stood as game-tying tallies and one as a game-winner.

• Najera ranks second on the team with 14 points, which is tied for eighth among B1G players, while her five goals is the fifth-highest total in the league.

• Najera's score vs. Ohio State gives her points in eight of MSU's 14 games, tied for the team lead with Kennedy Bell (8).

• Najera's score the Buckeyes was the 22nd of her career, which puts her alone in 14th place among the Spartan goal scorers. Her 57 career points puts her in a tie for 15th all-time in Spartan history (Cindy Wass, 23-11-57 in 1987). Najera's start vs. Ohio State was the 52nd in her career, in her 57th game.

• Najera was a Big Ten Player to Watch and a United Soccer Coaches Midfielder to Watch in the pre-season. The 2023 Big Ten Freshman of the Year has earned Third Team All-Big Ten honors in each of the last two seasons.

• Junior Kayla Briggs owns team lead in assists (6, second B1G). Her six assists and 10 points are both career bests. Her two assists vs. Wisconsin (9/28) tied her single-game career high.

• Briggs (1073 minutes) leads the Spartans for the most minutes played this season, with centerback Maggie Illig (1071) second and Najera third (1018). Illig has played all 90 minutes six times, Briggs five, and Najera three.

• Briggs joined the Spartans after two seasons at Providence, where she combined for five goals, three game-winners, and seven assists over those two years. She now has a career scoring line of 7-13-27, which is fourth on the team in career scoring behind Najera (21-13-57), Bell (12-7-31), and Sargeant (7-14-28).

• Briggs and Bell each have two multiple-point games in Big Ten contests - the only two players in the league to have two-multi-point games in conference play.

•   Maggie Illig scored her first goal of the season just minutes into the Milwaukee game (8/24). It was the fourth of her career - she had one goal in each of her first three collegiate seasons. She has one goal and one assist on the season, getting the helper on Sargeant's first goal at Wisconsin (9/30).

• Illig was the most decorated Spartan in the pre-season, earning a spot on the Hermann Trophy Watch List, the United Soccer Coaches Defenders to Watch, and also is among the Big Ten Players to Watch. She was a Second Team All-Big Ten pick a year ago and was also a United Soccer Coaches All-Region pick.

• Bell (2), Sargeant (2), Najera, Watson, and Illig have MSU's seven game-winning goals this season, with Najera (2) and Bell each notching game-tying scores.

• Samantha Maroni has started each of MSU's seven Big Ten games, including going all 90 against the Gophers (9/25). She's played in 12 games after appearing in just three as a freshman.

• Senior Remini Tillotson had her first goal as a Spartan when she converted a penalty kick against USC (9/21). It was also the first PK for her in her collegiate career. She has appeared in all 14 games.

• Freshman Ava Lutke earned her first career start vs. Notre Dame (9/4) and has started six total, which includes five of MSU's seven B1G games. She has appeared in 13 Spartan games and her 726 total minutes leads all freshmen. She has one goal on the year, scored against NC State (8/21), and had an assist on Bell's game-winner vs. USC (9/21).

• Kaleigh McPherson scored her first goal of the season at Wisconsin (9/28), opening the second-half scoring. She has started each of the last seven games (and eight overall). She was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team in 2024.

• Junior Sophia Piotrowski also netted her first goal of the season at Wisconsin (9/28), and the second of her career. The junior has appeared in 11 of MSU's 14 games this season.

• Redshirt sophomore Shelby Vaughn is one of four Spartans with multiple goals this season (2). She made her collegiate debut on Aug. 24 against Milwaukee, and scored her first collegiate goal in that contest. She added a second goal on the year against Xavier, (8/31).

• Junior Ella Janz started MSU's Big Ten opener at Rutgers, after missing three games with an injury. She has played in 34 games over her three collegiate seasons.

• Adelle Francis has played in 13 of MSU's 14 games and earned three starts, most recently at Minnesota (9/25). She has a goal and an assist after contributing a pair of assists in 19 games last year as a redshirt freshman.

• Mimi Hallier had her first career point against Buffalo (8/28) and has started 12 of the 13 games in which she has played. She has logged time in 43 career contests.

• Regan Dalton missed nearly all of the 2024 season after being injured just 30 minutes into the opener. She has played in all 13 games this year, starting six.

• Sophomore centerback Julia Belli was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team in 2024, but she has not been active for a game yet this season due to injury. Belli started every game as a freshman and has one goal in 22 career games.

• Senior fullbacks Allie Mairn and Sofia Beerworth have played 11 and 13 MSU games, respectively. Mairn has started six games and Beerworth seven - most recently at Michigan.

Player Notes - Keepers
• Noelle Henning has started each of the last six Big Ten games after she and Kennedy Zorn shared the net in the pre-conference schedule.

• Henning has started the last six B1G games, and in Conference games only she is second among keepers in save percentage (.864) and third in GAA (0.50) with a 4-0-2 record. Overall, she has started 10 MSU games, and owns a 1.26 GAA and .727 save percentage.

• Henning only faced one shot on net in the tie with Ohio State (10/5), but made four big saves in the win over Michigan on Thursday. The whitewash of Michigan was her fourth shutout of the season

• Henning was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Sept. 30 after stopping seven of the eight shots she faced in wins at Minnesota (9/25) and Wisconsin (9/28). She made five saves against the Gophers, one behind her career-best six saves in the 1-1 tie against No. 4 UCLA. It was her first weekly honor from the B1G.

• Zorn earned the start in the Big Ten opener at Rutgers, and was credited with three saves and one goal against in her most recent outing.

• In four starts and five appearances (405 MP), Zorn has 10 saves (.833 Sv%, sixth in the Big Ten) and two goals against (0.44 GAA, fourth B1G),

•    All players must appear in 75% of their team's games in order to appear in Big Ten rankings - and overall, neither of MSU's freshman keepers appears in the Conference statistics.

Players Mentioned

Sofia Beerworth

Kennedy Bell

Julia Belli

Kayla Briggs

Regan Dalton

Adelle Francis

Mimi Hallier

Noelle Henning

Maggie Illig

Ella Janz

Ava Lutke

Allie Mairn

Samantha Maroni

Kaleigh McPherson

Bella Najera

Sophia Piotrowski

Emerson Sargeant

Remini Tillotson

Shelby Vaughn

Renee Watson

Kennedy Zorn

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