Bell Earns Weekly Honors from B1G

East Lansing, Mich. -- Senior Kennedy Bell (Charlotte, North Carolina) has been named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, as announced by the conference office on Tuesday, Aug. 25. In addition, she was also named to the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week.

Bell played her first-ever collegiate soccer game in her home state on Sunday, scoring twice in a 3-2 victory over No. 7 North Carolina. She made sure that MSU never trailed in the contest, scoring in the 21^st minute as an interception and well-placed pass on the counterattack by Ella Janz sent Bell in for the first of the game and her second score of the season. With the score tied at 1-1, Bell put the Spartans back on top in the 53^rd minute. Mackenzie Kruer corralled a UNC clearing attempt just over the midfield line inside the circle. She sent it forward for Emerson Sargeant, who got her toe on it and flipped the ball back over her head to Bell on the right side of the top of the box. Bell took a touch and found her mark on the left side.

Bell's brace was the second of her career. She now has three goals in three MSU games and is currently tied for fourth in the B1G and tied for seventh in points (6). She had a goal in the season opener against [RV] Xavier, making all three of her scores this season against teams in the top 25 or receiving votes.

Bell was named to the Hermann Trophy Forwards to Watch list (Aug. 10) and was also named a Big Ten Player to Watch in 2026.

A year ago, she was a unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selection and Third Team United Soccer Coaches All-America. Bell was the Big Ten regular-season scoring champion both overall (29 points, 34th NCAA) and in Big Ten games (16 points). She led all league players in goals (11, first, B1G/39th nationally) and points, and shared the team lead in assists (7, T-second, B1G).

Bell and the Spartans have two games this week at DeMartin Stadum. The first comes Thursday (5 pm) against in-state rival Eastern Michigan, and the second on Sunday morning at 11 am vs. No. 12 Colorado, a game which will air live on the Big Ten Network. MSU and the Buffs faced off twice in 2025 – a 1-1 tie on the season's opening night, and a 2-1 MSU victory in the NCAA Sweet 16 at DeMartin Stadium.

Both games this weekend are women's-men's doubleheaders. Single-game tickets and season memberships for MSU Women's Soccer are available by visiting sprtns.co/WSOC26tix.

Michigan State University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Kennedy Bell

Ella Janz

Mackenzie Kruer

Emerson Sargeant

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