EAST LANSING- In the wake of a 1-0 victory over No. 9 Penn State in Happy Valley, the Michigan State women’s soccer team won their fifth match heading into tonight’s tilt in Columbus.
For the first time in program history, the Spartans were the top-ranked team in the country and their 8-0-2 record through ten games was the most prolific start in program history. In Jeff Hosler’s third season in green and white.
Graduate goalie Kaitlyn Parks was awarded Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week honors behind a career-high 11 saves in MSU’s shutout victory over Penn State.
On the heels of her sizzling performance as of late, Parks has allowed just one goal across three conference wins, decreasing her goals allowed on average (GAA) to 0.75.
Following Sunday’s victory, DeMartin Stadium is home to four players with ten or more points; graduate transfers Meg Hughes and Emily Mathews, sophomore midfielder Bella Najera, and graduate student midfielder Justina Gaynor.
Gaynor leads Michigan State with six assists in 2024, though scored the lone goal of the contest in the third minute last weekend, a strike that was the driving force behind MSU’s standing atop the United Soccer Coaches Poll.
Gaynor’s game-winner was her third of the season, tying her with three other players for third among all Big Ten scorers.
In the case of Hughes and Mathews, both women quickly made their presence felt in East Lansing upon their arrival through the transfer portal, leading Michigan State in goals and points.
The duo have been key to MSU’s success early on, as the Spartans lead the Big Ten in goals, assists, and goal differential due to a potent offense led by the transfer tandem of Hughes and Matthews.
Ohio State is sitting at 7-1-2 early on in the season, and is unbeaten in front of the home crowd at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, fresh off a 2-1 win over Northwestern in their last outing on Sunday.
On the offensive end, the Buckeyes have dazzled early on in large part due to their dynamic duo of Amanda Schuleter and Kailyn Dudkovich up front. Dudkovich, an all-Big Ten Second Team honoree in 2023 has only built upon her 2023 standout campaign in her senior season.
Dudukovich and Schuleter have ushered the Ohio State offense to new heights, with both players among the top five in the Big Ten in both goals scored and points.
However, the duo are the only two members of head coach Lori Walker-Hock’s unit who have eclipsed the ten-point plateau to date.
Minding the net for OSU is junior Molly Pritchard, whose 36 saves place sixth among all Big Ten goalkeepers. Pritchard has allowed just four goals for the Buckeyes this season in over 800 minutes in net, tallying just a 0.44 GAA.
Historically, Michigan State has been subpar when suiting up in Columbus, losing 13 of the 16 contests that took place when visiting Ohio State.
Ahead of their 30th meeting of all time, MSU holds a 2-0-1 advantage across their last three meetings, though the Spartans clinched the Big Ten regular season title at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in October of 2022.
Michigan State and Ohio State will face off tonight at 7:00 p.m. before the Spartans return home to East Lansing to host Rutgers on Sunday at noon for MSU’s Alumni Day.
