Claire Sporer Associate Director of Athletic Peformance | Michigan State Spartan Athletics Website
Claire Sporer Associate Director of Athletic Peformance | Michigan State Spartan Athletics Website
Michigan State University's women's soccer team, ranked No. 21, is set to host two key matches at DeMartin Stadium this week. The Spartans will face Wisconsin on Thursday, October 17, at 7 p.m., followed by a game against Northwestern on Sunday, October 20, at 1 p.m. These games are part of the team's final three regular-season matches and will be available for streaming on B1G+.
The Spartans currently hold a record of 9-1-5 (4-1-3 in the Big Ten Conference) after their recent defeat to Washington, which ended their program-record unbeaten streak. They also drew with Oregon in a scoreless match last week. Michigan State shares seventh place in the league standings with Washington, each having accumulated 15 points. The top ten teams will qualify for the Big Ten tournament later this month.
Graduate forward Meg Hughes leads Michigan State's scoring efforts this season with six goals and four assists totaling 16 points. Graduate midfielder Emily Mathews has matched Hughes' goal tally, while graduate midfielder Justina Gaynor leads in assists with six. In defense, graduate goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks maintains a goals-against average of 0.86 and an impressive save percentage of 82 percent, ranking her fourth among Big Ten goalkeepers who have played at least ten games.
Wisconsin enters the matchup under the guidance of head coach Paula Wilkins in her 18th year. The Badgers boast a record of 7-3-4 (3-2-3 B1G), following victories over Iowa and Indiana last week. Graduate midfielder Aryssa Mahrt stands out as Wisconsin's top scorer with nine goals and two assists.
Historically, Wisconsin holds a significant advantage over Michigan State with a series lead of 31-5-2. However, MSU broke a long-standing losing streak against Wisconsin last season with a victory in Madison.
Northwestern's team is led by head coach Michael Moynihan in his 13th year and currently holds a record of 5-8-3 (0-6-2 B1G). Freshman forward Kennedy Roesch leads the Wildcats' scoring efforts.
The upcoming match between Michigan State and Northwestern marks their 29th encounter, where MSU narrowly leads the series. Their most recent meeting resulted in an MSU victory last year.
Following these matches, Michigan State will conclude its regular season against Purdue on October 27 at DeMartin Stadium.
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