Michigan State University Athletics

Sargeant, Watson Propel MSU to Road Win at IU
10/16/2026 10:21:00 PM | Women's Soccer
East Lansing, Mich. – Emerson Sargeant and Renee Watson each scored goals and sophomore keeper Noelle Henning recorded her sixth shutout of the season as No. 5 Michigan State earned a 2-0 road victory at Indiana on a rainy, windy night in Bloomington on Friday.
The Spartans (11-2-2, 7-2-0 Big Ten) got back in the win column on Friday, their only game of the week. IU falls to 4-9-2, 1-7-1 in conference play.
The teams battled the elements throughout, as the wind and rain were constants. MSU had decided edges in shots (19-4), shots on target (6-1) and corner kicks (14-0), while holding possession 66% of the time.
Sargeant's goal came at 32:40, after MSU had hit the post or the crossbar no fewer than three times in the opening frame. MSU hit the posts twice more in the second half, and a beautiful pass from Kennedy Bell to Watson gave MSU the insurance it needed to hold on for the win.
With MSU up 1-0 after Sargeant's goal, IU's Jenna Chatterton appeared to have scored the equalizer in the 60th minute. A vocal appeal ensued, and the officials went to the video for another look. The review was brief, and the goal was taken off the board after it was determined that a foul preceded Chatterton's shot.
With time winding down, Bell set up Watson with an exceptional pass in the 83rd minute, patiently waiting until she saw Watson sprinting up the left side, and the perfect senior-to-senior pass found its spot on Watson's foot. Watson launched it from the top left corner of the box for her second goal of the year.
SCORING
33' – MSU 1, IU 0 | Kayla Briggs used a nifty back heel pass to get the ball to Kennedy Bell at the top of the box. Bell dished to Sargeant, whose shot from just above the penalty spot ricocheted off the crossbar and into the back of the net.
83' – MSU 2, IU 0 | Kennedy Bell collected the ball at midfield and patiently waited for Renee Watson's sprint up the left side. Bell placed a perfect ball into space, and Watson's shot from the upper left corner of the box sailed into the left side netting for the senior's second goal of the season.
Notabless
- The Spartans had 14 corners, one short of the season-high 15 it had at UCLA and at home against Eastern Michigan.
- Emerson Sargeant put MSU on the board in the 33rd minute. It was her 18th career goal, moving her into 20th all-time in that category. It was her sixth of the season, tied with Kayla Briggs for second on the team. It was also her ninth career game-winning goal, tied for ninth all-time in school history. Sargeant had three of MSU's six shots on target.
- Renee Watson played all 90 minutes for a team-high sixth time this season. She recorded her second goal of the year,
- Noelle Henning made two saves in recording her seventh victory of the season. It was her 20th career victory, tying her for 10th all-time at MSU. It was her sixth shutout in eight games this season; she now has 14 career clean sheets, which ranks seventh in MSU's career annals.
- Kennedy Bell had the primary assist on each of MSU's goals, pushing her season total to eight. She is second on the team behind Kayla Briggs, who had one assist on Friday and has nine on the season.
- Bell's assists moved her into 20th place all-time in career assists in MSU history (15). She also ranks 19th all-time in career points (53) in an MSU uniform. Briggs has 16 assists as a Spartan in her two seasons and is tied for 17th in that category.
UP NEXT
Michigan State has a pair of home games next week, its final two of the regular season. The Spartans host Penn State on Thursday (6 pm) in a game that will air live on the Big Ten Network. MSU wraps the week with a home game against Maryland on Sunday (1 pm). Single-game tickets for MSU women's soccer are available by visiting sprtns.co/WSOC26tix.
Players Mentioned
Team Stats

Emerson Sargeant (6)
Assisted By: Kayla Briggs , Kennedy Bell
GOAL by MSU Sargeant, Emerson Assist by Briggs, Kayla and Bell, Kennedy.
32:46

Renee Watson (2)
Assisted By: Kennedy Bell
GOAL by MSU Watson, Renee Assist by Bell, Kennedy.
82:50







