Lansing Sun

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Fifth-ranked Michigan State women's soccer (6-0-2, 1-0-0 B1G) will host its first Big Ten home game of the season on Thursday, Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. against its 2023 Big Ten co-champion Nebraska (3-4-0, 0-1-0 B1G) at DeMartin Stadium.

Thursday's game will be broadcast nationally on Big Ten Network.

MSU (6-0-2, 1-0-0 B1G) began conference play last Thursday, Sept. 12, with a decisive 5-0 victory at Maryland. This win extended the Spartans' unbeaten streak in league road matches to 11 games, with their last away loss occurring at the end of the fall 2021 regular season. Five different Spartans scored in the match against Maryland: Bella Najera, Emily Mathews, and Allie Mairn netted first-half goals, while Julia Belli and Ella Janz added second-half goals. Mairn, Belli, and Janz each scored their first career goals during this match. Mathews' goal brought her total for the season to a team-leading five.

MSU is ranked fifth in the United Soccer Coaches Poll for the third consecutive week after achieving a program-high ranking of No. 4 on Aug. 27. The Spartans faced three top-15 opponents in non-conference play and secured the top spot in the first NCAA RPI of the season released earlier this week.

Nebraska is led by head coach John Walker, who has a record of 368-197-61 over his 31 seasons with the Huskers. Walker was named Big Ten Coach of the Year after leading Nebraska to a 17-4-3 record and an NCAA Elite Eight appearance in 2023. MSU and Nebraska shared the Big Ten regular-season title last year with identical league records of 7-1-2. This season, Nebraska stands at 3-4-0 (0-1-0 B1G), having recently lost its conference opener to then-No.17 Iowa by a score of 2-0 on Sept.12.

Senior midfielder/forward Sarah Weber leads Nebraska in goals (6) and points (14) this season; her point total ranks fifth in the conference for 2024. Weber earned First Team All-Big Ten honors last season while returners Haley Peterson and Jordan Zade received Second Team accolades.

Thursday's matchup will be the twelfth all-time meeting between MSU and Nebraska and their first encounter since MSU's victory in the semifinals of the 2022 Big Ten tournament which ended with a score of 2–1 propelling MSU to advance to the championship game. It also marks their first regular-season meeting since a draw in Lincoln on Sept.30,2021 that ended with a scoreline of two apiece.The Spartans lead overall series against Nebraska holding a record standing at five wins four losses two draws; including three wins one loss one draw when playing home fixtures.MSU triumphed over Nebraska winning two-nil during their most recent home clash held February twenty-fifth twenty-twenty-one whereas Nebraska last won East Lansing September twenty-ninth twenty-seventeen scoring three unanswered goals securing victory.

MSU's next fixture sees them travel to face ninth-ranked Penn State on Sunday Sept22 scheduled kick-off time being set as two pm airing live via coverage provided courtesy BigTenNetwork