Irish Close out No. 4 MSU's Non-Con Slate on Thursday

No. 4/7 Michigan State (4-0-1) at [RV] Notre Dame (1-0-4)
Dates/Location	Thursday, Sept. 3 \| 7 pm A lumni Stadium, South Bend, Ind. \| Gameday Information
Tickets	Admission is free
Webstream	ACCNX (watch on ESPN+)
Live Statistics	Click Here
Press Conference	Jeff Hosler Media Availability
Game Notes	Michigan State \| Notre Dame
Social Media	Facebook X Instagram

The Starting XI
What you need to know about Michigan State women's soccer

• No. 4/7 Michigan State plays its final non-conference game of the season on Thursday at [RV] Notre Dame.

• The series between MSU and Notre Dame sits in favor of the Irish (14-3-0), which includes a 3-0 win in East Lansing last season. MSU snapped a 13-game Notre Dame winning streak in the series with a 2-1 victory in South Bend in 2024. Jeff Hosler is 1-2 against the Irish in his time at MSU.

• [RV] Notre Dame was No. 2 in the preseason national polls, but fell out of the Top 25 and is receiving votes this week. The Irish come into Thursday's game with a 1-0-4 record this season.

• MSU enters the game at 4-0-1, most recently a 3-2 home win over No. 12/7 Colorado last Sunday. With previous wins over No. 7 and No. 12 this season (as well as a team receiving votes), Michigan State can lay claim to the most and the best non-conference wins of any team in the nation.

* The Spartans have allowed just four goals in 2026 - two each against No. 7 North Carolina and No. 12 Colorado. The tie against Eastern Michigan last Thursday was MSU's third blank slate of the season.

• The Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List contains Spartans Kennedy Bell, Kayla Briggs, and Emerson Sargeant, and the trio are MSU's top scorers this season. Sargeant scored twice against Colorado last Sunday, her first two goals of the year. With two goals and an assist on the season, Sargeant now boasts a 14-17-45 career scoring line: 25th all-time at MSU in points and 14th in assists.

• After a brace at North Carolina, assisted on both of Emerson Sargeant's scores against Colorado, pushing her season scoring line to 3-2-8. She owns or shares the team lead in all three categories, is currently tied for sixth in the B1G in goals (3), 10th in assists (2) and fifth in points (8).

• Kayla Briggs scored in each of MSU's first two games this season and had one called back early in the opening minute of the Colorado game. She has the game-winner in two games this year to rank second in the Big Ten and eighth nationally. She led the squad in that category a year ago with five (fourth all-time in a single season at MSU).

• Bella Najera's free kick from 19 yards was the game-winner at North Carolina. It was the 26th score of her career, moving her into a tie for 11th all time at MSU. She now has 66 career points (12th) and 14 assists (22nd), and her nine career game-winning goals is eighth all-time.

• Bella Schopp earned her first shutout as a Spartan (and the 12th of her career) against Eastern Michigan (8/27), and backstopped MSU to the Sunday win over No. 12 Colorado (3-2) with four saves. Schopp was a four-year letterwinner at Brown before enrolling at MSU. She played 42 games over four seasons, with a 0.97 career GAA and .737 save percentage.

• Sophomore keeper Noelle Henning will play in the upcoming 2026 U20 Women's World Cup Sept. 5-27 in Poland. She was named Best Goalkeeper last summer when Canada captured gold at the 2025 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship in Costa Rica. She departed for the pre-tournament camp after MSU's game at North Carolina. Henning is playing in her second U20 World Cup - and was teammates with Spartans Kayla Briggs and Renee Watson on Team Canada in 2024.

The Starting XI
What you need to know about Michigan State women's soccer

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Players Mentioned

Kennedy Bell

Kayla Briggs

Noelle Henning

Bella Najera

Emerson Sargeant

Bella Schopp

Renee Watson

Michigan State University Athletics