EAST LANSING – No. 14 Michigan State women’s soccer are the Big Ten champions for the second-straight season, after a dominant 3-0 win over Iowa on Sunday afternoon at DeMartin Stadium.
MSU’s 3-0 win clinched a share of the Big Ten regular season title with Nebraska, after No. 4 Penn State fell to No. 21 Wisconsin 1-0, dropping the Nittany Lions to No. 4 in the Big Ten standings.
The Spartans also clinched the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, where they will rematch with the No. 8 seed Iowa Hawkeyes on Oct. 29.
“It’s pretty amazing,” said Michigan State head coach Jeff Hosler. “I mean, everybody’s got to play 10 games, we all play 10 games, we all play a tough, competitive schedule in the Big Ten and to be on the top of it says a lot about the quality of soccer we’re playing,”. “The grit and toughness this group has, the resilience they had to bounce back from an earlier tough result, I just couldn’t be more proud of this group.”
The new standard. BACK-TO-BACK BIG TEN CHAMPS 💍#GoGreen pic.twitter.com/pIxX5jSy76
— Michigan State Soccer (@MSU_wsoccer) October 22, 2023
Despite the Spartans losing two of their most impactful players from last season in forward Lauren DeBeau and goalkeeper Lauren Kozal to the 2023 NWSL Draft, Jeff Hosler loaded up his 2023 roster in the offseason.
Hosler’s 2023 squad has many contributors that have shared the wealth this season, with five players recording double-digit points.
Freshman forward Bella Najera surprised many in her first season, scoring seven goals and recording 17 points, good for second on the team.
Senior midfielder Justina Gaynor led the way with four goals and 11 assists while leading the team with 19 points. Gaynor was a starter on last season’s Big Ten championship team, but has made significant strides in the Spartan midfield, and has become a key player for this squad.
Jeff Hosler also went into the NCAA transfer portal in the offseason, bringing in Mackenzie Anthony and Gabby Mueller from Baylor, who combined for 21 points in their first season as Spartans. In goal, graduate student Kaitlyn Parks had big shoes to fill with Lauren Kozal’s departure. The transfer from Wake Forest tallied 38 saves while recording a 0.93 goals against average. Hosler has shown the ability to replace high-level talent with fresh newcomers that can contribute right away, and it is a big reason why his squad is the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
Going into the Big Ten tournament, Michigan State’s path to Columbus does not come easy, with a rematch against Iowa, and the winner of No. 4 Penn State and No. 19 Indiana in the semifinals. The Spartans fell 3-1 to Penn State on Oct. 4, and settled for a draw against Indiana on Oct. 12.
With today's win and by virtue of a tiebreaker, we've earned the No. 1 seed in the 2023 Big Ten Women's Soccer Tournament!
We'll play No. 8-seeded Iowa on Sunday, Oct. 29 in the quarterfinals at DeMartin. Start time TBA.#GoGreen pic.twitter.com/Te5qBRgt0t
— Michigan State Soccer (@MSU_wsoccer) October 22, 2023
After last year’s heartbreaking loss to Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament final in Columbus, Michigan State women’s soccer is eager to earn more hardware and capture a Big Ten Tournament Title.
In three seasons, Jeff Hosler is now 39-11-9 in his tenure at Michigan State with two Big Ten championships.
Michigan State women’s soccer kicks off the Big Ten tournament against Iowa on Oct. 29 at 1 p.m. at DeMartin Stadium. The match can be seen on Big Ten Plus.
