EAST LANSING- On the heels of a staggering start to the season, the No. 21 Michigan State women’s soccer team’s strenuous schedule finally began to take its toll. Since their Sept. 22 victory over No. 9 Penn State, MSU has obtained a record of 2-1-2, as fatigue started to show for one of the Big Ten’s heaviest hitters.
Following a West Coast road trip in which they dropped their first match of the season in Washington, the 10-1-5 Spartans are slated to host Big Ten foe Northwestern on Sunday afternoon in their second to last match of the regular season.
Upon their return to East Lansing, MSU persevered past the jet lag to prevail 2-0 over the visiting Wisconsin Badgers on Thursday night. The triumph spurred the Spartans to clinch a berth in the Big Ten Tournament and marked their first win over Wisconsin at DeMartin Stadium since Oct. 19, 2007.
In the victory, sophomore defender Sofia Beerworth netted her first goal in the green and white while tallying an assist on a surgical strike from sophomore midfielder Bella Najera.
Mere weeks removed from earning Big Ten Goaltender of the Week honors, graduate goalie Kaitlyn Parks continued her dominance in net for MSU. Parks tallied ten saves en route to tallying her seventh clean sheet and tenth win on the year despite the Badgers winning the shot battle.
Michigan State is 7-0-3 when playing in East Lansing in 2024, as DeMartin Stadium has become one of the most raucous home environments in the Big Ten as of late.
Spurred by a stupendous header goal from senior defender Emma Phillips and a three-point night from freshman phenom Kennedy Roesch, the Wildcats are buzzing on the heels of a dominant 3-0 victory in Ann Arbor.
Roesch scored her team-leading sixth goal of the season against the Wolverines, the most by a Northwestern freshman since 2010. Roesch is second in scoring among all active Big Ten freshmen in a dazzling display in her inaugural campaign at the collegiate level.
In net for Northwestern, junior goalie Reiley Fitzpatrick shut down the Michigan offense. The Ashburn, Virginia native accrued a season-high six saves and racked up her sixth clean sheet of the season while lowering her goals against average (GAA) to 1.01 in 2024.
Despite the recent victory, it has been a season to forget in Evanston at 6-8-3. Thursday night’s victory over Michigan marked their first Big Ten win of 2024, snapping nearly a two-month winless skid for Northwestern.
The Wildcats are 1-3 in ranked matchups this season, with their lone ranked win of the season coming on Sept. 8, against No. 21 Virginia Tech.
Michigan State and Northwestern are set to square off for the 29th time on Sunday, with the Spartans leading the series, 14-12-2. MSU also possesses a 6-5-1 edge over the Wildcats in front of the Red Cedar Rowdies, though Michigan State has not defeated Northwestern in East Lansing since Oct. 2010.
No. 21 Michigan State and Northwestern will face off at DeMartin Stadium at 1:00 p.m., ET on B1G+.
