MSU Lands Five on United Soccer Coaches All-Region Team, Kozal named First Team All-American
MSU goaltender Lauren Kozal makes a leaping save in the Spartans’ 1-0 loss vs. Wisconsin on Sept. 23, 2021/ Photo Credit: Sarah Smith/WDM
December 5, 2022
EAST LANSING —The awards list continues to grow for Michigan State women’s soccer as it set a new school record for most United Soccer Coaches All-Region player selections on Dec. 2. Senior goalkeeper Lauren Kozal earned First Team All-American distinction and senior forward Lauren DeBeau landed as a Second Team All-American.
The Spartans had five this year, topping the previous record of three reached in 2003, 2009 and 2010.
The record setters included three first-team All-North members in DeBeau, Kozal and graduate left back Ruby Diodati. Raegan Cox senior right back and junior midfielder Justina Gaynor took home second team All-North honors.
This is the second All-North selection for Kozal after being honored in 2021. She recorded 61 saves and set a single-season goalkeeper wins record at MSU with 17 individual wins.
She’s a semi-finalist for the 2022 MAC Hermann trophy and won the Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year award for the second-consecutive year.
Michigan State never had two All-Americans in a single season… until now.
CONGRATULATIONS to Kozal and DeBeau on earning some of the highest honors in our game🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸#GoGreen pic.twitter.com/Owm9wUFRsN
— Michigan State Soccer (@MSU_wsoccer) December 2, 2022
DeBeau continues to add to her already impressive resume with her First Team All-North selection, building on her previous selections of Big Ten Forward of the Year and a unanimous selection to the All-Big Ten First-Team. She led the Spartans with 11 goals and four assists this season.
Cox was awarded Second Team All-North honors after her fearless defensive campaign, leading the defense of Michigan State. Head coach Jeff Hosler said Cox would regularly mark the opposing team’s best-attacking player.
Spartans finished the year with a 0.522 shutout percentage (second in the Big Ten) and had one of the country’s best defenses.
After the winningest season in program history, the coaching staff of the Spartans received recognition following their 17-3-3 finish and undefeated 9-0-1 regular season record.
The MSU women’s soccer staff received All-North Region Staff of the Year honors. In their second season in charge, Hosler, assistant coaches Gabe Romo, Megan Link and Tara Lierman led the Spartans to their most decorated season.
The Spartans defeated five ranked teams in 2022. The season ended abruptly after the Spartans lost 1-0 against No. 17 TCU in the second round of the DI NCAA tournament. The Spartans were undefeated in the conference, boasting a 9-0-1 record in the Big ten.
Kozal, DeBeau, and all of this year’s All-Americans will be recognized at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia in conjunction with the United Soccer Coaches Convention on Jan. 14, 2023.
