No. 15 Michigan State to host Indiana

Ruby Diodati keeps the ball away from a Michigan defender during the Spartans’ 2-0 victory over the Wolverines on October 9, 2022. Photo Credit: Sarah Smith/WDBM

Jay DeCoster, Soccer Beat Reporter

EAST LANSING – The Michigan State women’s soccer team continues its homestand on Thursday, where the Spartans (10-1-3) will face off against the Indiana Hoosiers (2-5-6) for the last regular season home night game.

Earlier this week, MSU earned the No.15 spot in the NCAA national rankings for the first time since Sept. 29, 2009. 

“We really appreciate all the recognition that our program has been receiving of late, but at the end of the day, this a group that has always been process-driven,” head coach Jeff Hosler said. “I was really pleased with the way that we approached training for this game against Indiana. We were really sharp, very intense and completely focused.”

MSU is continuing its best start to conference play in program history, with a record of 5-0-1.

The Spartans are coming off a 2-0 victory over rival Michigan, in front of a program-record crowd of 3,022. 

Indiana currently leads the series 19-8-2 all-time and is 3-10-1 at DeMartin Stadium. Last year’s matchup resulted in a 1-0 Spartan victory in Bloomington, led by a Camryn Evans’ goal on Sept. 19, 2021. 

Senior forward Lauren DeBeau will look to continue her red-hot run as of late. DeBeau currently ranks second in goals scored in the Big Ten.

For the Hoosiers, they are looking to snap a five-game losing skid, with the most recent loss coming against Rutgers on the road. Sophomore forward Jordyn Levy leads Indiana in total points and goals scored this season. 

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m and will be streamed on Big Ten Network Plus.