No. 2 MSU Hosts No. 18 Washington In B1G Showdown

No. 2/7 Michigan State (7-1-2, 3-0-1 B1G) vs. No. 18/17 Washington (8-0-2, 3-0-1 B1G)
Dates/Location	Sunday, Sept. 27 \| 1 pm DeMartin Stadium, East Lansing, Mich. \| Gameday Information
Tickets	Spartan Ticket Office
Promotions	Alumni Day \| Postgame Autographs \| See all Promotions
Webstream	B1G+
Live Statistics	Click Here
Game Notes	M ichigan State \| Washington
Social Media	Facebook X Instagram

With a multiple events on campus Sunday, we encourage fans to purchase tickets in advance and add them to their digital wallet,
and also plan on arriving early to park and get into the stadium.

Parking will fill quickly at Jenison Field House, so please consider parking lots at Kellogg Center or IM West
Interactive Campus Map

What you need to know about Spartan women's soccer

• Michigan State concludes a three-game B1G homestand when it hosts No. 18/17 Washington for a Sunday matinee.   Washington is 4-0-2 against MSU all-time, and 1-0-1 since joining the Big Ten for the 2024 season. The Huskies have been a nemesis for MSU since joining the league - in 2024, a 2-1 win in Seattle snapped MSU's 14-game unbeaten streak to start the season. A year ago, the teams met in the Big Ten Tournament title game, which Washington won on penalty kicks after a 1-1 regulation and two OT periods.

• The Spartans will welcome back their program alumni on Sunday, and the former players will be honored during halftime. In addition, all players will be available to sign post-game autographs outside of Pentecost Plaza.

• Nicole Van Dyke is in her seventh season at the helm in Seattle and guided the Huskies to the double (Big Ten regular-season and tournament championships) a year ago. Washington entered the week as one of 16 unbeaten teams in the country, and earned a 1-0 victory at Michigan on Thursday. The Huskies are 8-0-2 overall and sit at 3-0-1 in the Big Ten with victories over Maryland, Rutgers, and Michigan and a 2-2 draw last Sunday at Nebraska.

•   Emerson Sargeant broke a 2-2 tie with a goal in the 87th minute to propel MSU over Nebraska on Thursday night. Kennedy Bell and Shelby Vaughn also had goals, Bella Najera had a pair of assists, and Bella Schopp made two saves.

• After a loss to Michigan last Sunday, Michigan State fell one spot in the IWSOC/United Soccer Coaches national poll this week and now sits at No. 2. MSU has been among the top five in that poll in every playing week this season. The first RPI rankings of 2026 were released on Monday, and the Spartans hold down the No. 1 spot. MSU owns a 2-1-1 record against teams with an RPI among the top 25 and are 4-1-1 against those in the top 50.

• MSU (7-1-2) is one of four teams in the Big Ten with just one loss this season (overall). Washington is the only unbeaten at 8-0-2. In B1G play, only Washington and Wisconsin (3-0-1) are without a loss, and MSU is one of four schools to also have three victories.

• Michigan State has scored 15 goals over its last six games, as compared to six in its first four of the season. The Spartan defense has five shutouts but has surrendered five goals over the last two games (and nine of its 11 total allowed) in the last six contests.

• MSU mentor Jeff Hosler owns a 38-8-10 record in Big Ten games. In his first season (2021), the Spartans went 5-4-1 in conference play, and are 33-4-9 in the four-plus years since. He is 77-21-22 at MSU overall, and 310-88-40 in his head coaching career (21st season)

• MSU's defense has held opponents to just 104 shot attempts in nine games, with 35 on target. With 85 corners this season (8.5 per game), MSU leads the Big Ten and ranks sixth nationally behind Harvard (9.56). MSU's doubles up opponents in this category (38, 3.8/game).

•   MSU is averaging 9.5 fouls per contest (10th, B1G). The Spartans have had fewer fouls than their opponent in eight of 10 games, including a 21-4 margin on Thursday vs. Nebraska. MSU's four fouls in the game were a season low.

• Emerson Sargeant played the role of hero on Thursday, scoring the game-winner with just over three minutes remaining to deflate Nebraska's comeback bid. She has goals in back-to-back games and a 4-2-10 scoring line, good for third on the team. She now boasts career totals of 16 goals and 18 assists and has become the 23rd player in program history to achieve 50 points. She is tied for 22nd in points and 12th all-time in assists.

• Bella Najera contributed assists on two of MSU's three goals against Nebraska - Bell's opener, and Sargeant's game-winner. She shares the team lead in assists (4) with Kayla Briggs. She has 70 career points, moving her into 10th place among MSU's all-time leading scorers. Her two Thursday assists pushed her to 18, tied with Sargeant for 12th in the record book, and her 26 career goals rank 11th. She is the most prolific scorer of any player in the Jeff Hosler era.

• Kennedy Bell opened the scoring for MSU vs. Nebraska. It was her team-best sixth goal of the season. She was set up by Briggs and Najera, a beautiful exhibition of pinpoint passing. The defending Big Ten scoring champion both overall and in conference games, Bell leads the Spartans with six goals (fourth B1G, 42nd NCAA) and points (15, fourth B1G, 44th NCAA).
• Kayla Briggs owns 14 points on five goals and four assists. She and Najera are tied for the team lead in assists, which is third in the Big Ten. She has the game-winning goal in four of MSU's seven wins this year to lead the Big Ten (second nationally). With nine game-winners in her 32 games as a Spartan, Briggs is tied with Najera for eighth all-time in MSU history.

• Renee Watson scored her first goal of the season at USC, then set up Briggs' game-winner at UCLA (9/10-13). She contributed career bests of four goals and five assists a year ago when playing in the midfield but has played all 10 games on MSU's back line in 2026. She is third on the team with 787 minutes played this season, including 346 of 360 minutes of MSU's four Big Ten games.

• Shelby Vaughn scored her second goal of the season last Thursday vs. Nebraska (9/20), where she played a season high 31 minutes. She scored three goals in 2025.

• Keeper Bella Schopp has started each of the last seven games for MSU, going 4-1-2 and posting three shutouts. She posted consecutive clean sheets to open Big Ten play, and her stat line is a .591 save percentage and 1.29 GAA. She now owns 25 wins and 14 shutouts in her career.