Janz's Buzzer Beater Draws Notre Dame, 2-2

East Lansing, Mich. – Senior Ella Janz headed the game-tying goal past keeper Sonoma Kasica with four seconds remaining to earn Michigan State a 2-2 draw on the road at [RV] Notre Dame on Thursday night.

The final sequence saw defender Samantha Maroni push it ahead for freshman Lacey Kindel on the right side. She went right and then cut back toward the middle as she eluded a defender. Her service found Spartans at the top left corner of the penalty area, where Kayla Briggs headed the ball netward. Janz was racing in and tipped it, scoring her first goal of the season with 89:56 elapsed in the game.

Janz' goal was her first of the season and capped a flurry of offensive activity for MSU as the seconds ticked off the clock. MSU had fallen behind 2-1 on a goal by Charlie Codd in the 84^th minute, and things got more dicey for the Spartans after a penalty kick was awarded to Irish All-American Izzy Engle in the 89^th minute – but her shot was wide, allowing MSU to counter with a wild final minute of play. MSU had a pair of shots by Briggs and Renee Watson blocked by defenders as the clock wound down under 30 seconds, but the Spartans finally broke through with the equalizer just in the nick of time.

The a scoreless first half, Briggs gave MSU a 1-0 lead in the 59^th minute, her third of the season. The lead was short-lived, as Reese Canada's impeccable free kick from the right side found the perfect sliver of light to elude Bella Schopp to tie the game at 61:35. The teams continued their physical battle, with Notre Dame getting a lift from the Codd goal and the PK attempt by Engle, who was making her season debut. Kasica had five saves for Notre Dame, while Schopp made three stops – including two particularly impressive ones as the game entered its late stages.

Michigan State finishes its non-conference season at 4-0-2, taking on four teams that were either ranked in the top 12 of the United Soccer Coaches national poll at the time of the game – the most of any team in the nation. Notre Dame falls to 1-0-5 despite its All-American Engle giving the team a lift with her return.

The Spartans came out fast and assertive from the opening whistle – MSU had a 6-0 edge in shot attempts in the opening 22 minutes, forcing keeper Sonoma Kasica to make three saves. The Irish found their footing and managed five shot attempts over the next 23 minutes, but MSU's defense kept any from reaching keeper Bella Schopp.

After the intermission, Notre Dame rallied for 16 shot attempts (six that were on net). The Spartans thought they had found a goal in the 57^th minute, when Emerson Sargeant broke free in the box and found her target. It was called back on a whistle for offsides, and the teams played on. Just two minutes later, Kaleigh McPherson was taken down at the cusp of the offensive third. Bella Najera took the free kick and her offering went to the middle of the box, where a scramble ensued –Briggs got her right foot on it and found the bottom right corner of the net.

The home team tied the game AT 1-1 on a long shot by Reese Canada in the 62nd minute. After a foul on the far side near the Notre Dame bench, Canada took the free kick and put a shot in a perfect spot, into the upper right corner out of the reach of Schopp. With just under 25 minutes left, Canada made her bid for a second goal in the game and hit the crossbar. Gabrielle Poretto gathered the rebound and put it back on net, and Schopp punched it over the net to keep her team in the game.

SCORING

59' – MSU 1, ND 0 | Bella Najera launched a long free kick into the middle of the box. Kayla Briggs got her right foot on it and found the bottom right corner of the net.
61' – MSU 1, ND 1 |    Reese Canada took a long free kick from the right side, and her shot tucked perfectly inside the left upper 90 for the equalizing goal.
84' – MSU 1, ND 2 |   Charlie Codd sent a shot from 12 yards out into the right side netting.
90' - MSU2, ND 2 | Ella Janz finished off a header from Kayla Briggs with just four seconds remaining in regulation.

Notables

Today's result puts Michigan State's non-conference record at 4-0-2, with two wins against top-12 teams (at No. 7 North Carolina, home vs. No. 12 Colorado) and two wins over teams receiving votes in the IWSOC national polls (vs. Xavier, at Notre Dame).
Kayla Briggs scored her third goal of the season and assisted on Janz' game-tying tally. She now has a 3-1-7 scoring line, tied with Kennedy Bell for the team lead in goals and second to her classmate in points.
Ella Janz' tying score was her first goal of the season, and she now has four points on the year. She has surpassed her junior year total of three points and also has a career best with two assists. She has started all six games this season, and is close to surpassing the 402 minutes she played as a junior (she has 325 through six games)
Briggs is one of four Spartans to go all 90 minutes against Notre Dame. She was joined by Faith George, Kennedy Bell, and Renee Watson.
Bella Schopp finished with three saves, one shy of her season-best four she recorded against Colorado last Sunday. She is now 1-0-2 in three starts, with four goals allowed (1.33 GAA).

UP NEXT
Michigan State begins Big Ten play next weekend with its longest road trip of the regular season. The Spartans open on Thursday (Sept. 10, 9 pm ET/6 pm PT) at Southern Cal, a game which will air live on the Big Ten Network. The trip concludes with a showdown against No. 18 UCLA three days later in Westwood (4 pm ET/1 pm PT). Michigan State returns home on Sunday, Sept. 20 against Michigan at DeMartin Stadium.
Single-game tickets and season memberships for MSU Women's Soccer are available by visiting sprtns.co/WSOC26tix.