Lansing Sun

Michigan State's Kaleigh McPherson has been recognized as the Big Ten Women's Soccer Freshman of the Week, according to an announcement by the conference on Tuesday. This marks the first time a Spartan player has received this honor during the current season. McPherson joins fellow Spartans Justina Gaynor and Kaitlyn Parks, who have also earned weekly conference awards this year.

McPherson, hailing from St. Charles, Missouri, played a crucial role in Michigan State's 3-1 victory over Purdue on October 27 by scoring the decisive goal. This marked her first goal for the team. As a defensive midfielder, she contributed significantly to limiting Purdue to just five shots on target during the match.

Throughout the season, McPherson has participated in all 18 games for Michigan State and has started in their last ten matches. Earlier this season, she was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Top 100 Freshmen list.

The Spartans are set to compete as a No. 4 seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament and will face Rutgers, seeded fifth, on November 2 in the quarterfinals. The initial rounds will be hosted by the University of Minnesota, with subsequent semifinals and championship matches scheduled at CITYPARK in St. Louis on November 7 and November 10.