Elliott Daniels Senior Associate AD/Student-Athlete Engagement | Michigan State Spartan Athletics Website
Elliott Daniels Senior Associate AD/Student-Athlete Engagement | Michigan State Spartan Athletics Website
Michigan State University's women's soccer team, ranked 16th and seeded fourth, was defeated by Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. The match took place on Saturday afternoon in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and ended with a 2-1 victory for Rutgers after overtime.
With this win, Rutgers advances to face the winner of the match between No. 1 USC and No. 8 Ohio State in the semifinals next week. This loss marks only the second defeat for Michigan State this season, bringing their record to 12-2-5 for 2024.
Both teams had an equal number of shots at 17 each, but Rutgers held an advantage with eight shots on goal compared to Michigan State's three. The Spartans led in corner kicks with five against four from Rutgers. Graduate forward Mackenzie Anthony recorded a game-high seven shots.
The game's first goal came just over 30 seconds into play when sophomore defender Renee Watson sent a cross that resulted in a Scarlet Knights own goal after video review confirmed it crossed the line. This gave Michigan State an early lead.
Despite efforts to extend their lead with several attempts in the fourth minute, Michigan State faced strong offensive pressure from Rutgers over the next 25 minutes. However, goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks and the Spartan defense managed to maintain their lead until Gia Girman equalized for Rutgers in the 31st minute.
In the second half, Michigan State dominated possession and territory but failed to convert their opportunities into goals despite generating eleven shots compared to Rutgers' three. Notable attempts included blocked shots by Anthony and graduate midfielder Gabby Mueller as well as two more blocked attempts by Anthony and graduate forward Meg Hughes ten minutes later.
As regulation time concluded without further scoring opportunities from either side, sudden-death overtime ensued. Senior forward Jordyn Wickes forced a save from Rutgers goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer early in overtime before Ashley Baran scored off an assist from Riley Tiernan to secure a win for Rutgers.
Michigan State now awaits its NCAA Tournament seed announcement during the NCAA selection show scheduled for Monday, November 11 at 4 p.m., which will be streamed on NCAA.com.
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