EAST LANSING – After being upset in the first round of the Big Ten tournament, the Michigan State women’s soccer team bounced back in dominating fashion, beating Ohio University in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, 3-0.
This was Ohio’s first ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, as well as their first time matching up against MSU. Unfortunately, their tournament run came to a quick, daunting end.
“I thought our ball movement…some of our combination play might have been at the peak we have had all season,” MSU head coach Jeff Hosler said. “To have a shutout, those make me smile.”
MSU came out fast and strong to start the first half, as their offense quickly started attacking Ohio’s defense. Pressing has become Michigan State’s identity, and they put it to good use. It wouldn’t be long before MSU got on the board, as freshman forward Bella Najera found the back of the net to spark MSU’s offense in only the third minute.
The scoring would not stop there, as senior midfielder Justina Gaynor slipped the ball into the top right of the goal, propelling Michigan State even further in the 26th minute.
At halftime, the box score was completely in the Spartans’ favor, as they had 16 shots opposed to the Bobcats’ zero, along with seven shots on goal for Michigan State who went into halftime with a two goal lead.
The second half saw much of the same, as MSU mustered nine more shots, including another goal that was netted yet again by Bella Najera. The freshman has shown up for the big moments so far this season, quickly becoming a leader of this soccer team.
“Bella has had an incredible start, but I think she will be the one to tell you that she’s just getting started,” Hosler said. “To show up today, like she did with the stats she put up in her first NCAA Tournament game is very incredible.”
A 3-0 dominating win against Ohio in the first round will give this team a nice boost moving forward, and Hosler thinks this team has what it takes to go far.
“I think this group’s built for a run. They’re hungry. We’re in a pretty good spot, we’re playing some good soccer,” Hosler said.
Michigan State will wait until Saturday, Nov. 11 to find out if they play either Harvard or Maine, who match up at 5:00 P.M. ET in Boston, Mass.
