EAST LANSING- Michigan State Women’s soccer has officially punched a ticket to the College Cup for the third straight season as the No. 5 seed in the top left bracket.  

The Spartans currently have a record of 12-2-5. Their two losses came to Washington during the regular season and to Rutgers in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.  

“Going out in the Big Ten tournament obviously was pretty upsetting for us,” graduate midfielder Justina Gaynor said. “But having a little bit of time off really allows us to focus on ourselves, get better, get our bodies back, and kind of hone in on some of the things that were a bit of a problem for us over the last couple of games.” 

A 1-2 loss to the Scarlet Knights sent the Spartans home after a hard-fought battle in what seemed to be a revenge match after a 1-1 draw that took place earlier in the season. 

Now, the Spartans will host Western Michigan, a team down the road, in the first round of the NCAA tournament. 

 The Broncos are 13-1-6 overall and were crowned this year’s MAC women’s soccer champions, outscoring their opponents 9-1 in their conference tournament. 

Graduate forward Jen Blitchok leads the Broncos on all ends, totaling 45 points on the season. 

“They’re lethal on the counterattack,” Michigan State’s head coach Jeff Hosler said. “They score lots of goals, and they’re tough to score on, so we’ve got our hands full.”

The home-field advantage will pose a huge threat to the Broncos’ attack as the Spartans remain undefeated on their home turf at DeMartin Field.  

The Spartans face the Broncos on Saturday. The first touch is set for noon.