Lansing Sun

Michigan State University's women's soccer team is set to host Western Michigan in the first round of the NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament. The match will take place on Saturday, November 16, at DeMartin Stadium in East Lansing. The game marks Michigan State's third consecutive appearance in the tournament and will be streamed live on ESPN+.

Fans attending the match are advised to park in Lot 62 (IM West) and the Kellogg Center ramp.

The Spartans come into this game with a record of 12-2-5, having last played against Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, where they lost 2-1 after an overtime goal by Rutgers. Graduate forward Meg Hughes leads Michigan State with 19 points and seven goals for the season. Midfielder Justina Gaynor leads with six assists, while goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks has maintained a goals-against average of 0.82.

Western Michigan enters the tournament with a strong record of 13-1-6 and claimed both the Mid-American Conference regular season title and tournament championship. This will be their fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament and their first since 2015. Forward Jen Blitchok stands out for WMU with a leading score of 45 points from 17 goals and 11 assists this season.

Historically, Michigan State holds an advantage over Western Michigan with an all-time record of 11-2 against them. Their most recent encounter was on September 7, 2014, resulting in a win for MSU.

For Michigan State, this is their seventh overall NCAA Tournament appearance and marks a historic achievement as it is their first time qualifying for three consecutive tournaments. Last year, they advanced to the third round before being defeated by BYU.

The winner of this weekend's matchup will face either Texas or Boston University in the second round. The second and third rounds are scheduled for November 22 and November 24 respectively, hosted by the highest remaining seed in their region.