Spartans Host Iowa in Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals Sunday

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's soccer hosts Iowa in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Sunday, Oct. 31. The Spartans are the fourth-seed and earned the right to host fifth-seeded Iowa in the quarterfinals of the tournament. The match is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start at DeMartin Stadium.

B1G TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
The Spartans make their first Big Ten Tournament appearance since 2011 this Sunday, and are the host of their quarterfinal match, the first tournament game in East Lansing since 2002.

Michigan State drew a No. 4 seed in the tournament, ending its regular season with a 10-4-3 mark and going 5-4-1 in Big Ten play. After being predicted to finish 13^th in the league, the Green & White have improved by leaps and bounds to finish within the top five. The Spartans boast the most decorated goalkeeper in the league in Lauren Kozal, and have had a dramatic offensive turnaround compared to last season's 1-10-1 showing. It was the first ten-win season for the team since 2011, the year of their last postseason appearance.

Michigan State will play fifth-seed Iowa for a chance to advance to the semifinal round of the tournament. Wisconsin and Rutgers battle on Oct. 31 to determine who would be the Spartans' next foe.

LAST TIME OUT
Michigan State split its final matches of the regular season, shutting out Maryland 2-0 at home before falling 2-1 to No. 24 Penn State on Oct. 24.

The Spartans earned a clean sheet against the Terrapins on Oct. 21 and scored two goals, both in the first half of play. Ava Cook was credited with both goals for the Green & White, both scored within ten minutes of each other. Lauren Kozal kept the net guarded with four saves.

Against Penn State, Michigan State drew first with a goal by Camryn Evans in the 38^th minute. The score stayed 1-0 in MSU's favor heading into the break. The Spartans kept the 1-0 lead through most of the second half but struggled with Penn State's advantage in possession. The Nittany Lions were finally able to capitalize on that posession and came up with the equalizer in the 78th minute. Five minutes later the Nittany Lions team scored again to pull ahead 2-1 and take home the win.

ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS
Four Spartans earned postseason honors from the Big Ten, with Lauren Kozal being named the league's Goalkeeper of the Year.

Kozal was named First Team All-Big Ten and Goalkeeper of the Year. She had a momentous junior season in net for the Green & White. She ranked second in the Big Ten with a goals against average of .0495, a mark which is also on track to be among single-season and career records for a Spartan goalkeeper. She has totaled 1,590 minutes in goal and has collected 75 saves, holding the highest save percentage in the Big Ten (.862). Her seven regular-season shutouts was the third-most in the conference, and she was second in saves per game with 4.41.

Fifth-year Ava Cook was named a Second Team forward. She led the team in the regular season in goals (7), assists (3), points (17), and game-winning goals (3). She ranks second in the Big Ten in shot attempts with 70, good for an average of 4.38 per game, and is on track to become fourth in school history in single-season shot attempts.

Samantha White was a Second Team defensive selection. She has started every game of her Green & White career and totaled 1,452 minutes on the field this regular season. She is part of a Spartan backfield that has allowed just 12 goals to score from opponents, the third-least in the league and 29^th in the NCAA.

QUOTING COACH HOSLER
"This is a great opportunity for us to showcase our progress in the postseason. Our back half of the Big Ten schedule was a gauntlet and we were right there on either side of a result in every match. Those moments have prepared us for this weekend's contest."

"Iowa is always organized defensively and tough to break down so we will have to be effective with the ball and capitalize on the chances we create. I think transition will play a vital role in the match and we have to be committed to the physical demands the match will require."

SCOUTING THE HAWKEYES
Iowa wrapped up the regular season with an 11-5-2 record and a 5-4-1 mark in league competition, landing in fifth place in the Big Ten. Alyssa Walker leads the Hawkeyes this season with eight goals, a tie for the third-most in the Big Ten, while Kenzie Roling has totaled six goals. The squad is coached by Dave Dianni in his eighth season.

Michigan State has a 12-8-5 advantage in playing history against Iowa. They have gone 4-1 in their last five meetings and ended a two-game losing streak with this season's earlier win over the Hawkeyes. Both teams have had a strong offense so far this season with over 50 goals scored. Iowa has allowed 18 opponent scores while the Spartans have held rivals to 12 total goals.

LAST TIME VS IOWA
The Spartans, propelled by a second-half offensive charge, came back from behind on the road at Iowa and won 2-1 on Oct. 3.
Down 1-0 after the first half of the match. Ava Cook came up with the Spartan equalizer in the 70^th minute. Cook charged toward the Iowa goal, winning a battle for the ball against Hawkeye goalkeeper Mona Wilhelm. The net was wide open for Cook to take the strike.

It only took nine minutes for the Spartans to score again, this time with the game-winner. Jordyn Wickes found the net to give Michigan State the 2-1 lead. The Hawkeyes were kept scoreless for the final ten minutes to give the Spartans another conference win.

Spartans Host Iowa in Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals Sunday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ava Cook

Camryn Evans

Lauren Kozal

Samantha White

Jordyn Wickes

Michigan State University Athletics