Thursday, October 20
Columbus, Ohio
7 PM
Michigan State University
at
Ohio State
Photo by: Matthew Mitchell
No. 6 Spartans Face No. 17 Ohio State in Pivotal B1G Matchup
10/19/2022 5:03:00 PM | Women's Soccer
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Big Ten-leading and sixth-ranked Michigan State women's soccer team prepares for a crucial road test Thursday night, as the Spartans take on No. 17 Ohio State in a 7 p.m. start at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
HEAD COACH JEFF HOSLER SAID…
"We've had a couple of really good days of training and we're locked in right now. We know we have an incredible opponent in front of us on Thursday, but I also think this team has a lot of confidence given the way we've been able to go on the road twice in the last three weeks and knock off some of the top teams in our league and in the country. I'm excited for the opportunities that Thursday will present, but this team has always been process-driven first and foremost, so we will take this one step at a time."
KICKIN' IT
The Green & White once again set a program record national ranking in the most recent United Soccer Coaches Poll, climbing to the No. 6 spot on Oct. 18. The Spartans return to work following their highest ranked victory in program history on Sunday, Oct. 16, as the Green & White took down No. 5 Northwestern on the road by a 2-1 margin. Michigan State's 12-1-3 record in 2022 has already surpassed last year's win total by two games. Michigan State has seen six players land a total of eight Big Ten women's soccer weekly honors, an MSU program record for a single season. Samantha White took home Defensive Player of the Week accolades most recently on Oct. 18 in addition to landing a spot as a TopDrawerSoccer National Team of the Week member and SoccerAmerica Star of the Week.
BATTLING THE BUCKEYES
Three-time Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year and 26-year Buckeye veteran coach Lori Walker-Hock guides No. 17 Ohio State into the fray boasting a 10-2-3 overall record with a 5-1-2 mark in Big Ten Conference play. Picked to finish fifth in a preseason poll of Big Ten coaches, the Buckeyes remain mathematically in position to contend for the league's regular season title. OSU sits five points back from the conference-leading Spartans with 17 points thus far. Senior forward Emma Sears leads the Buckeyes in points (21) and is tied in both goals scored (8) and assists (5) with two of her teammates. In goal for OSU, Molly Pritchard has played in 14 contests and owns 36 saves compared to only seven goals allowed. Pritchard holds a save percentage of .837.
STORY OF THE SERIES: OHIO STATE
Michigan State and Ohio State get set for the 28th all-time meeting between the two programs on Thursday in Columbus. The Buckeyes and Spartans have never tied in women's soccer, with Ohio State building a 16-11 edge in prior contests. Before hiring Jeff Hosler, the Spartans had dropped five-straight meetings in a stretch from 2015 to the spring of 2021. In games played at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, OSU owns a 13-2 edge all-time. Last season's contest in East Lansing resulted in a 1-0 victory for MSU, as Lauren DeBeau's clutch goal in the 83rd proved to be the game-winner.
WINDY CITY WORK
The Spartans continued their tear through Big Ten Conference play on Sunday, Oct. 16, as MSU recorded its highest ranked win in program history over the fifth-ranked Northwestern Wildcats on the road at Lanny and Sharon Martin StadiumMSU improved to 3-1 against opponents nationally ranked in the top 25, the most ranked wins in a single season in program history. Michigan State took sole possession of the top spot in the Big Ten standings, as Northwestern was tied with the Green & White for the league lead entering the contest with a 6-0-1 mark in the conference. Graduate defender Samantha White booked the icebreaker in the 13th minute, while Celia Gaynor earned the game-winning goal in the 21st. MSU withstood Northwestern's second-half push and a PK goal to earn the win.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Thursday night's critical Big Ten test will be streamed to a worldwide audience via B1G+, with Brendan Gulick and Keith Kokinda calling the action. Authenticated subscribers can access the live simulcast of the game via the B1G+ app on their computers, mobile phones, tablets, smart TVs and other connected devices. Live stats via StatBroadcast provided by Ohio State University are available here.
FOLLOW THE SPARTANS
Visit MSUSpartans.com for more information on Michigan State women's soccer. Fans can keep up to date with the Spartan women's soccer team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter by following @MSU_WSoccer.
HEAD COACH JEFF HOSLER SAID…
"We've had a couple of really good days of training and we're locked in right now. We know we have an incredible opponent in front of us on Thursday, but I also think this team has a lot of confidence given the way we've been able to go on the road twice in the last three weeks and knock off some of the top teams in our league and in the country. I'm excited for the opportunities that Thursday will present, but this team has always been process-driven first and foremost, so we will take this one step at a time."
KICKIN' IT
The Green & White once again set a program record national ranking in the most recent United Soccer Coaches Poll, climbing to the No. 6 spot on Oct. 18. The Spartans return to work following their highest ranked victory in program history on Sunday, Oct. 16, as the Green & White took down No. 5 Northwestern on the road by a 2-1 margin. Michigan State's 12-1-3 record in 2022 has already surpassed last year's win total by two games. Michigan State has seen six players land a total of eight Big Ten women's soccer weekly honors, an MSU program record for a single season. Samantha White took home Defensive Player of the Week accolades most recently on Oct. 18 in addition to landing a spot as a TopDrawerSoccer National Team of the Week member and SoccerAmerica Star of the Week.
BATTLING THE BUCKEYES
Three-time Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year and 26-year Buckeye veteran coach Lori Walker-Hock guides No. 17 Ohio State into the fray boasting a 10-2-3 overall record with a 5-1-2 mark in Big Ten Conference play. Picked to finish fifth in a preseason poll of Big Ten coaches, the Buckeyes remain mathematically in position to contend for the league's regular season title. OSU sits five points back from the conference-leading Spartans with 17 points thus far. Senior forward Emma Sears leads the Buckeyes in points (21) and is tied in both goals scored (8) and assists (5) with two of her teammates. In goal for OSU, Molly Pritchard has played in 14 contests and owns 36 saves compared to only seven goals allowed. Pritchard holds a save percentage of .837.
STORY OF THE SERIES: OHIO STATE
Michigan State and Ohio State get set for the 28th all-time meeting between the two programs on Thursday in Columbus. The Buckeyes and Spartans have never tied in women's soccer, with Ohio State building a 16-11 edge in prior contests. Before hiring Jeff Hosler, the Spartans had dropped five-straight meetings in a stretch from 2015 to the spring of 2021. In games played at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, OSU owns a 13-2 edge all-time. Last season's contest in East Lansing resulted in a 1-0 victory for MSU, as Lauren DeBeau's clutch goal in the 83rd proved to be the game-winner.
WINDY CITY WORK
The Spartans continued their tear through Big Ten Conference play on Sunday, Oct. 16, as MSU recorded its highest ranked win in program history over the fifth-ranked Northwestern Wildcats on the road at Lanny and Sharon Martin StadiumMSU improved to 3-1 against opponents nationally ranked in the top 25, the most ranked wins in a single season in program history. Michigan State took sole possession of the top spot in the Big Ten standings, as Northwestern was tied with the Green & White for the league lead entering the contest with a 6-0-1 mark in the conference. Graduate defender Samantha White booked the icebreaker in the 13th minute, while Celia Gaynor earned the game-winning goal in the 21st. MSU withstood Northwestern's second-half push and a PK goal to earn the win.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Thursday night's critical Big Ten test will be streamed to a worldwide audience via B1G+, with Brendan Gulick and Keith Kokinda calling the action. Authenticated subscribers can access the live simulcast of the game via the B1G+ app on their computers, mobile phones, tablets, smart TVs and other connected devices. Live stats via StatBroadcast provided by Ohio State University are available here.
FOLLOW THE SPARTANS
Visit MSUSpartans.com for more information on Michigan State women's soccer. Fans can keep up to date with the Spartan women's soccer team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter by following @MSU_WSoccer.
Players Mentioned
Jeff Hosler | Women's Soccer Press Conference | Sep. 01 2025
Monday, September 01
Jeff Hosler | Women's Soccer Press Conference | Aug. 25 2025
Monday, August 25
Jeff Hosler Post Game Comments | Milwaukee
Sunday, August 24
Jeff Hosler Post Game Comments | NC State
Thursday, August 21