Spartans Host Nightcap of Doubleheader Thursday vs. NC State

No. 20 Michigan State (0-0-2) vs NC State (0-1-1 )
Dates/Location	Thursday, August 21 \| 7:30 pm DeMartin Stadium , East Lansing \| Gameday Information
Tickets	Spartan Ticket Office
Promotions	Welcome Back, Students! \| Four Seats, Four Treats
Television	none
Webstream	Watch on B1G+
Live Statistics	Click Here
Game Notes	Michigan State \| NC State
Social Media	Facebook X Instagram

The Particulars
• Michigan State continues a four-match homestand with a Thursday night game against NC State. The game is the nightcap of a men's-women's doubleheader, with the Spartan men hosting UC-Riverside at 5 pm.

• The game will air live on B1G+. Links for live statistics and the webstream can be found on the women's soccer schedule page of MSUSpartans.com.

• Michigan State and NC State have never previously met on the pitch in the sport of women's soccer. The Wolfpack enters Thursday at 0-1-1.

Team Notes
• The Spartans have opened the 2025 season with back-to-back ties - a 1-1 decision at Colorado and 0-0 against Dayton at home in their most recent game. This is the first time in program history that MSU has started the season with ties in its first two games.

• The Spartans had some good looks late in the first half against Dayton (notably from Emerson Sargeant, Kayla Briggs, and Kennedy Bell) , compiling five shots to Dayton's three. In the second half, MSU was dominant on the scoresheet early, but the Flyers orchestrated a late push – including a free kick and an attempt that Kennedy Zorn punched over the crossbar - in the last two minutes. Zorn preserved the shutout and recorded a win in her first collegiate start.

• Michigan State and Colorado played to a 1-1 draw on Thursday night in the season opener for both teams. MSU surrendered a goal just three minutes into the game, but then dominated scoring chances for the balance of the contest, particularly in the second half. MSU outshot the Buffs 20-9 overall, and 15-3 in the second half. The Spartans had 10 corners in the second half and 14 in the game, limiting Colorado to one corner in each stanza.

• MSU has allowed nine shot attempts to each opponent this season, and a total of seven of those 18 were on net. MSU has a total of 31 shot attempts, with seven being on target.

• Four yellow cards were issued in the Dayton game, two per side. MSU's opponents have four yellows this season, two in each game.

• The Spartans have out-cornered their opponents by a 16-7 margin, with 11 of their 16 coming in the second half. MSU also is outshooting opponents 31-18, with 21 shots coming in the second half.

• Michigan State sits at No. 20 in this week's United Soccer Coaches national poll. In the preseason survey, 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.

• The Big Ten owns a 22-2-6 record (.833) over the first week of play in 2025. The ACC also has 22 wins, with a .750 winning percentage (22-6-4).

• Michigan State is coming off a 2024 season in which it compiled a 14-3-5 overall record, and went 7-1-3 in Big Ten games. MSU finished fourth (25 points), one point out of third place and two out of second. The Spartans claimed Big Ten regular-season titles in 2022 and 2023, and advanced to the Sweet 16 in both 2023 and 2024.
• The Spartans lost 28 of 45 total goals and 80 of 134 points from the 2024 team, as well as both keepers who played last season. Michigan State returns 19 players from the 2024 roster, however - and welcome nine freshmen and two junior transfers.

• In the four-year tenure of MSU head coach Jeff Hosler, MSU owns an overall record of 55-16-16, and is 28-6-6 in Big Ten play. In that stretch, the Spartans own the most B1G victories of the 14 teams who played all four years in the league (two ahead of Rutgers' 26) and the second-most overall wins, behind Penn State's 58. The Green & White is also the only team to finish in the top four of the Big Ten in each of those four seasons.
   Two of the newest members of the Big Ten own 71 (UCLA) and 55 (USC) victories over the last four seasons overall.

• The Spartan schedule features 11 home dates and 18 total games, and nine contests against opponents who appeared in the final United Soccer Coaches top 25 poll last December. MSU takes the field against nine teams which qualified for the NCAA Tournament a year ago, including Notre Dame (No. 2 in the preseason poll); season opening opponent Colorado not only qualified for the tournament, but the unseeded Buffs reached the second round and the Irish advanced to the final eight. Of the nine B1G squads that made the NCAA Tournament field a year ago (including MSU), eight won at least one game, six advanced into the round of 16 and two into the quarterfinals. MSU's strength of schedule for 2025 is 13th nationally, with eight of the top 15 in that ranking hailing from the Big Ten.

• MSU's 2025 recruiting class is ranked No. 12 nationally by Top Drawer Soccer, with all nine first-year players earning three-star rankings or higher and five players among the top 200 incoming freshmen per the outlet's individual rankings.

• The Spartans welcomed more than 1,200 fans to the game vs. Dayton last Sunday night, a total which ranked 22nd attendance-wise among opening weekend games.

• MSU ranked fifth nationally in overall (28,397) and sixth in average (2,184) attendance last season. MSU's single-game attendance mark was shattered with 5,145 fans on Oct. 5 against Michigan, making it the sixth-most attended regular-season NCAA women's soccer game in 2024.

Player Notes
• Kennedy Zorn manned the MSU net against Dayton and made two saves in the final two minutes, one particularly dangerous that she was able to punch up over the crossbar to preserve the shutout. It was her first career start, game, and shutout.

• Kennedy Bell broke through with a goal in the 50th minute against Colorado in Thursday's 1-1 draw. She had a good look in the first half, and got the equalizer for MSU in the second frame. It was her first goal as a Spartan and the fourth of her career. Bella Najera set up Bell for the Spartan score, her 10th career helper.

•   Najera, Kayla Briggs, and Renee Watson led the Spartan offense in Colorado with four shots each. Emerson Sargeant led MSU with three against Dayton, with Najera, Watson, and Kennedy Bell each launching two.

• A total of 21 players saw the field for MSU in the Dayton game, and 20 got time at Colorado.

•  Noelle Henning made her collegiate debut as the Spartan keeper vs. Colorado, and made two saves - one in each half.

• In addition to Henning, three other MSU freshmen made their Green & White debut against at Colorado: Abbey Dalton, Addison Baldus, and Ava Lutke. Zorn, Maleeya Martin and Emily Graham saw their first collegiate action vs. Dayton.

• Defensive anchor Maggie Illig played all 90 minutes in each of MSU's first two games, the only Spartan field player to do so. Freshman Ava Lutke played 74 against Dayton and 55 in the opener against Colorado, making her the most "seasoned" freshman.

•   Najera and Illig appear on the United Soccer Coaches Hermann Trophy Watch List, which was released on Thursday (Aug. 14). The Hermann Trophy is presented annually by the Missouri Athletic Club and is the nation's highest individual honor recognizing the National Player of the Year.

• Illig (Second Team) earned a spot on the United Soccer Coaches 2025 Preseason Defenders to Watch list and is a returning USC All-North Region Pick, earning a spot on the second team a year ago. She was one of four All-Region picks for MSU at the conclusion of last season, along with Meg Hughes, Kaitlyn Parks, and Third Team All-American Justina Gaynor.

• Illig and Najera (Third Team) are MSU's returning All-Big Ten players from a year ago. Najera led the 2024 squad in goals (8) and her 19 points ranked second on the team a year ago and leads all returnees. She was also identified as one of the United Soccer Coaches Midfielders to Watch.

• Junior Renee Watson missed a month of the Spartan season in 2024 with the Canadian Women's National Team at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. She returned in mid-September and started 13 of her 15 games on the year.

• The Spartans return six players with 16 or more starts last year: Seniors Sofia Beerworth and Maggie Illig, juniors Bella Najera and Renee Watson, and sophomores Julia Belli and Kaleigh McPherson. A pair of Spartan starters from 2023 lost their 2024 seasons to injury (Regan Dalton and Emerson Sargeant), and returned healthy for the 2025 campaign to provide MSU a solid corps of seasoned veterans with an eye on making a run at their third Big Ten title in three seasons.

• The early-season losses of Regan Dalton and Sargeant a year ago left a hole in the Spartan midfield - Dalton was injured in the first game of the year, and Sargeant in the fifth. Sargeant had a 4-6-14 scoring line as a sophomore and already had four assists to her credit in the first four games of 2024 before suffering the injury.
   Regan Dalton played 70 minutes against Colorado, more than double the minutes she logged before suffering her season-ending injury in the 2024 opener.

• Sophomores Julia Belli and Kaleigh McPherson both garnered spots on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team a year ago. Belli started every game as a freshman and McPherson started 16 of the team's final 17 contests. Each had a goal in 22 games.

Spartans Host Nightcap of Doubleheader Thursday vs. NC State

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Addison Baldus

Sofia Beerworth

Kennedy Bell

Julia Belli

Kayla Briggs

Abbey Dalton

Regan Dalton

Justina Gaynor

Emily Graham

Noelle Henning

Meg Hughes

Maggie Illig

Ava Lutke

Maleeya Martin

Kaleigh McPherson

Bella Najera

Kaitlyn Parks

Emerson Sargeant

Renee Watson

Kennedy Zorn