MSU Heads to Cincinnati for Showdown With Xavier

No. 20 Michigan State (3-0-2) at Xavier (2-2-0 )
Dates/Location	Sunday, August 31 \| 1 pm Corcoran Field , Cincinnati, Ohio
Television	none
Webstream	Watch on ESPN+
Live Statistics	Click Here
Game Notes	Michigan State \| Xavier
Social Media	Facebook X Instagram

The Particulars
• Michigan State takes to the road for a Sunday road game at Xavier. The Musketeers were picked second in the BIG EAST preseason poll, and are 2-2 on the season, falling to Pittsburgh and No. 17 Virginia and earning victories against Cincinnati (3-0) and Murray State (8-0).

• The game will air live on ESPN+. Links for webstreams, live statistics, game previews and more can be found on the schedule page at MSUSpartans.com.

• Michigan State and Xavier rekindled their series in 2024, with a 2-2 draw at DeMartin Stadium. The teams met every year from 1986-92, and MSU holds a 3-2-2 advantage. Bella Najera and Maggie Illig had the Spartan goals in last year's meeting.

Team Notes
• MSU's most recent result was a 2-1 win over Buffalo at DeMartin Stadium on Thursday. Bella Najera had both goals for the Spartans, while Kennedy Zorn made her second straight start and made one save.

• Michigan State earned a 9-0 victory over Milwaukee last Sunday (8/24). The win was the 400th victory for the women's program, which began in the fall of 1986 under the tutelage of Joe Baum. Baum, MSU's legendary men's head coach, guided both teams from 1986-90 before Tom Saxton took the reins and held the position for the next 30 years, retiring after the 2020 season. The program boasts more than 300 alumni and is now in its 40th season of women's soccer.

• In all Division I games this season, only three teams have scored more than MSU's nine goals vs. Milwaukee - Indiana State (13, 8/17), Bellarmine (11, 8/23) and Western Kentucky (10, 8/16).

• At 3-0-2, the Spartans have begun their fourth season 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.

• With 15 goals through five games, MSU ranks tied for 11th nationally in total goals (first in the Big Ten) and goal differential (13, +2.60 per game). The Spartans average 16.60 shots per game, (third, B1G) and lead the league in corner kicks (39).

• The Spartans have scored 14 goals in their last three games compared to just one score in the first two contests of the season. 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.

• The defense recorded three consecutive clean sheets before Buffalo scored in the 33rd minute on Thursday, a stretch of 390:27 without a goal allowed over all or part of five games. MSU's team defense (0.40 goals per game) is third in the Conference and 24th nationally. The Spartans have allowed the fourth fewest goals in the B1G (2), MSU is allowing just 7.8 shots per game, and 2.8 on goal per contest.

• The Spartans have scored five first-half goals this season, and 10 in the second. MSU's seven second-half tallies against Milwaukee were a DeMartin Stadium record.

• Michigan State moved up to No. 17 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 38-12-12 record (.710) through the first two weeks of non-conference play. The SEC leads the way with 41-11-6 (.758), followed by the ACC at 42-14-5 (.729).

• 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 first four years of Jeff Hosler's tenure at MSU, the Spartans own 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 have enjoyed three straight games with attendance of 1,200+ fans - all before classes have started. The Spartans rank third nationally in overall attendance (6,419) and 10th in average attendance (2,140).
   MSU ranked fifth nationally in overall (28,397) and sixth in average (2,184) attendance last season.

Player Notes - Field Players
• Michigan State has seven players who have started all five games this season.

• Against Milwaukee (8/24), five Spartans had their first career goals: junior Renee Watson, redshirt sophomore Adelle Francis, sophomore Grace Jackson, redshirt freshman Shelby Vaughn and freshman Emily Graham. Vaughn was appearing in her first career game.

• MSU has 10 different goal scorers of its 15 goals on the season.

• Bella Najera had her second and third goals of the season on Thursday against Buffalo, and all three of her goals have come in the last two games. She notched her first goal of the season against Milwaukee after assists in two of the first three MSU games.

• Najera is now atop the Spartan stat sheet with eight points, which ranks second in the Big Ten. She is tied for second in the Big Ten in total goals (3), and her 1.60 points per game is eighth in the conference.

• Najera's goals on Thursday pushed her career total to 20, which puts her alone in 17th place on MSU's list of all-time goal scorers. Her 51 points ranks in a tie for 19th all-time in program history. She will likely make her 45th career start in her 50th career game against Xavier.

• The 2023 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Najera forced her way into the single-season record books at MSU, with a 9-6-24 scoring line - the 21st most points and 24th most points in a season.

• 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.

• Renee 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. She is now tied with Kennedy Bell for second on MSU's stat sheet with seven points (2-3-7)

• Watson and Najera gave MSU its first occurrence of braces in back-to-back games under Jeff Hosler. The Spartans posted four, two-goal games in 2024, two in 2023, and one each in 2021 - but this was the first time it happened in consecutive games.

• Watson is tied for sixth in the Big Ten in points (7), second in assists (3) and sixth in assists per game (0.60).

• 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. She has started all four games this season and leads the team in shots (10).

• Kennedy Bell netted her third goal of the season against Milwaukee. She shares the team lead in goals with Najera (3, second B1G) and is tied with Renee Watson in points (7), which is tied for sixth in the Big Ten.

• Bell came to MSU with three career scores in her two seasons at Maryland, where she was a defensive player.

• Bell, Najera, and Maggie Illig have MSU's three game-winning goals this season.

•   Maggie Illig scored her first goal of the season just minutes into the Milwaukee game. It was the fourth of her career - she had one goal in each of her first three collegiate seasons.

• 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.

• Kayla Briggs had a goal against NC State and an assist against Milwaukee to get into the Spartan scoring column. She joined the Spartans after two seasons at Providence, where she combined for five goals, three game-winners, and seven assists over those two years.

• Briggs has played all 90 minutes against both Colorado and Buffalo; Maggie Illig played all 90 vs. both Colorado and Dayton, and Bella Najera logged 90 vs. Buffalo.

• Adelle Francis also had a goal and an assist in last week's two games vs. NC State and Milwaukee, giving her three points on the year. She contributed a pair of assists in 19 games last year as a redshirt freshman.

• Mimi Hallier had her first career point on Thursday, when she set up Najera for the game-winner. Hallier has started all five games this season and has played 36 career contests.

• The Spartans returned 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.
   Sargeant was injured five games into last season, and has played 308 minutes this year - she played in 384 a year ago.

• 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.

Player Notes - Keepers
• Kennedy Zorn posted a second consecutive shutout last Sunday against Milwaukee, and earned the win against Buffalo with one save. She also manned the MSU net against Dayton (four saves) 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.

• In three starts, Zorn has five saves (.833 Sv%, sixth B1G) and a 0.33 GAA (second B1G, 24th nationally). She ranks in a tie for third in the Big Ten in shutouts (2) behind Izzy Lee of Illinois (4) and Faith Luickey of Maryland (3).

• Until Thursday, the Spartans had alternated keepers, with Noelle Henning getting the Thursday games and Zorn the Sunday contests. Zorn played against both Milwaukee (8/24) and Buffalo (8/28).

• Henning earned her first career victory and shutout against NC State (8/21), making five saves. She made her collegiate debut as the Spartan keeper vs. Colorado (8/14), and made two saves - one in each half. She has a personal shutout streak of 176:30, dating back to her debut in Boulder. She owns a .875 save percentage and 0.50 GAA, which both rank fourth among B1G keepers.

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Players Mentioned

Sofia Beerworth

Kennedy Bell

Julia Belli

Kayla Briggs

Regan Dalton

Adelle Francis

Emily Graham

Mimi Hallier

Noelle Henning

Maggie Illig

Grace Jackson

Kaleigh McPherson

Bella Najera

Emerson Sargeant

Shelby Vaughn

Renee Watson

Kennedy Zorn