Spartans Host Defending B1G Champ USC Sunday

Michigan State (3-2-4, 0-0-2) vs USC (5-2-0, 1-0 B1G )
Dates/Location	Sunday, Sept. 21 \| 1 pm DeMartin Stadium , East Lansing \| Gameday Information
Tickets	Spartan Ticket Office
Promotions	Jr. Spartans Day & Post-Game Autographs \| Promotional Information
Television	none
Webstream	BTN+
Live Statistics	Click Here
Game Notes	Michigan State \| USC
Social Media	Facebook X Instagram

The Particulars
• Michigan State completes its weekend of B1G action with a visit from defending Big Ten champion USC. The teams will face off on Sunday at 1 pm at DeMartin Stadium.

• Sunday's game have a webstream on BTN+, with Jack Vohwinkle and Jordan Cyprian on the call, with Mikayla Mazza on sideline duties. Links for webstreams, live statistics, game previews and more can be found on the schedule page at MSUSpartans.com.

• USC is coming off a 2-1 win on Thursday night at Michigan, while MSU settled on a 1-1 tie with No. 4 UCLA.

• Seventeen of 18 schools have earned at least one point in the Big Ten standings through two games. No school has started 2-0, and only one (Oregon) has lost both.

Team Notes
• MSU and No. 4 UCLA battled through an even, back-and-forth game on Thursday night at DeMartin Stadium. UCLA held a 13-12 edge in shots (7-6 in shots on goal), with each team awarded three corner kicks. The Bruins had 15 fouls to MSU's five. The recorded possession total was 51%-49% in the favor of UCLA.

• The tie was MSU's fourth of the season, one shy of the school record of five set in 2005 and matched last year.

• 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 this is the first time in school history that MSU has opened the B1G season with consecutive draws.

• MSU scored the first goal of the game against UCLA, and it was just the third time this season (2-0-1). MSU has conceded the first score in five matches. Two opponents have had players with hat tricks (vs. Xavier and vs. Notre Dame), accounting for six of the 12 goals MSU has allowed this season.

• With 19 goals through eight games, MSU is second in the Big Ten in total goals (45th nationally) and tied for third in the league in goals per game (2.11).

• The Spartans have outshot their opponents 134-95, with a commanding 83-49 edge in the second half. Of MSU's 19 goals on the season, 12 of them have come in the second 45. MSU holds a 59-43 edge in shots on goal.

• On the season, MSU has 65 corners to just 29 allowed and have a 37-14 edge in corners in the second stanza. The Spartans lead the Big Ten and rank 14th nationally in corner kicks per game (7.22).

• 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.

• Michigan State is not ranked in either national poll this week, just the second time this season that MSU has not been included. In fact, the Sept. 8 poll was the first time since Sept. 19, 2023 that the Spartans were not in the top 25 or receiving votes in the 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 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).

• 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 returned 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 owned 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 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 welcomed home crowds of 1,200+ fans for all six 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 fourth nationally in overall attendance (12,259) and seventh in average attendance (2,043).
   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 nine.

• MSU has 10 different goal scorers of its 18 goals on the season. Four have multiple goals.

• Kennedy Bell scored MSU's lone goal against UCLA, regaining the team lead in that category (5). She ranks in a tie for fourth in the Big Ten in total goals, and tied for sixth in goals per game (0.56).

• Bell's 11 points is tied for seventh for in the Big Ten.

• Through nine games this season, Bell has nearly doubled the three career goals she had in her two seasons at Maryland, where she was a defensive player.

• Bella Najera is second on the team with 10 points, which is also tied for ninth among B1G players; Her four goals ranks eighth in the league.She has 27 shots in nine game, and averages 3.0 shots per contest, which both rank fifth in the league.

• Najera has a point in five of MSU's nine games, the most of any player on the team.

• Najera's marker against Rutgers (9/12) was the 21st of her career, which puts her in a tie for 14th in the Spartan annals with Camryn Evans (2018-22), Jennifer Huegli (1988-89) and Jamie Cheslik (2014-17). Her 53 career points moves her into a tie for 17th all-tme with Erin Konheim (15-23-53, 2002-05). She played in her 50th career collegiate game against Xavier (8/31).

• The 2023 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Najera made her way into the single-season record books that year at MSU, with a 9-6-24 scoring line - the 21st most total 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.

• Junior Kayla Briggs set up Bell for her goal against UCLA, her second assist of the season. She now has a goal and two helpers for four points.

• Briggs has played the most minutes of any player on the team, (687), which included going all 90 minutes against Colorado, Buffalo, Rutgers and UCLA; Maggie Illig (669 minutes) played all 90 vs. Colorado, Dayton, Rutgers, and UCLA. Najera (668 minutes) logged 90 at Rutgers and vs. Buffalo.

• 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 had a team-high four shots against Notre Dame (9/4), and was one of three with multiple shots on goal at Rutgers.

• 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. It is also the third-highest point total in a single game for any B1G player this season.

• Watson (8/24 vs. Milwaukee) and Najera (8/28 vs. Buffalo) 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 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 eight games this season.

• Redshirt junior Emerson Sargeant suffered a season-ending injury five games into the 2024 season. She has started all nine games, played all 90 minutes against UCLA, and is one of four players to contribute 600 minutes or more this season. In her four seasons at MSU, she has a 4-14-22 career scoring line, second only to Bella Najera.

• 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), the first time she played more than 17 minutes in a game. She did not play in the game vs. UCLA but appeared in each of MSU's previous five games, and played in nearly 40 minutes in three.

• Vaughn's blocked shot attempt at Rutgers (set up by Kayla Briggs) directly led to the Najera equalizer in the 66th minute.

• Bell, Najera, and Maggie Illig have MSU's three game-winning goals this season, with Najera and Bell each notching game-tying scores.

•   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.

• 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.

• Kaleigh McPherson earned her third straight start and fourth of the season in the B1G home opener against UCLA. She was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team in 2024.

• Freshman Ava Lutke earned her first career start vs. Notre Dame (9/4), and also started each of the first two B1G games. She has appeared in all nine Spartan games and her 477 total minutes leads all freshmen. She has one goal on the year, scored against NC State (8/21).

• Adelle Francis started vs. Notre Dame and the season opener at Colorado, and has played in eight of MSU's nine games overall. She contributed a pair of assists in 19 games last year as a redshirt freshman.

• Samantha Maroni has played in seven games, with her role and time on the field increasing as the season has worn on. She has started both of MSU's two Big Ten games vs. Rutgers and UCLA.

• Mimi Hallier had her first career point against Buffalo (8/28), when she set up Najera for the game-winner. Hallier has started seven games this season and has played 38 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.

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

• Senior Remini Tillotson has been an important piece off the bench for MSU, and has played in all nine games, posting one assist. She came up with a huge save on the goal line in the game at Rutgers (9/12).

• 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. Belli started every game as a freshman and has one goal in 22 career games.

Player Notes - Keepers
• MSU has platooned its two freshmen keepers - through nine games, each has played 405 minutes. Noelle Henning started the game at Xavier, and Kennedy Zorn came in to play the second half.

• Henning earned the result on Thursday vs. UCLA, making a career-best six saves in the 1-1 tie. She previously had five saves against NC State (8/21).

• Henning made a pair of impressive saves late in the game vs. the Bruins, punching the ball out of harm's way on a corner kick with seven minutes left and then a huge stop with 51 seconds remaining on the clock to preserve the tie.

• Henning's 3.80 saves per game ranks fourth in the Big Ten. She owns a 2.22 GAA and .655 save percentage in five games, all starts. She owns a 1-2-2 record.

• Freshman Kennedy Zorn started the Big Ten opener at Rutgers, credited with three saves and one goal against.

• In four starts and five appearances (405 MP), Zorn has 10 saves (.833 Sv%, fifth in the Big Ten) and two goals against (0.44 GAA, fourth B1G/21st nationally), She ranks in a tie for 12th in the Big Ten in shutouts (2).

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

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Players Mentioned

Sofia Beerworth

Kennedy Bell

Julia Belli

Kayla Briggs

Regan Dalton

Adelle Francis

Mimi Hallier

Noelle Henning

Maggie Illig

Ava Lutke

Samantha Maroni

Kaleigh McPherson

Bella Najera

Emerson Sargeant

Remini Tillotson

Shelby Vaughn

Renee Watson

Kennedy Zorn