Michigan State Set for Road Test at Cincinnati

CINCINNATI – Michigan State women's soccer continues its season-opening road trip on Sunday, Aug. 21, as the Spartans challenge the Cincinnati Bearcats in a 1 p.m. kick at Gettler Stadium.

HEAD COACH JEFF HOSLER SAID…
"Cincinnati is a well-coached side," Hosler said. "They return an experienced group from last year, including two standout players. It's a team that has a lot of confidence, and they played really well in their opener. So, we have to be really good in executing our style of play, moving the ball effectively. I think we're playing well defensively right now. We've been really disciplined for the most part early in the season. We have to start taking more chances and play a bit better in the final third, and Sunday is another opportunity for that."

KICKIN' IT
The Green & White return to action following a steady 2-0 victory over Bowling Green on Thursday. Senior forward Lauren DeBeau logged the icebreaker in the 12th minute on a ricochet off the Falcon goalkeeper's glove, with freshman forward Maggie Illig earning credit for the assist. An insurance goal added by graduate forward Camryn Evans on a penalty kick in the 52nd minute iced the scoring and MSU rode its back line to the program's first shutout of the year.

KEEPING KOZAL
Senior goalkeeper Lauren Kozal opened the season with a complete-game shutout at BGSU coupled with a trio of impressive saves. The Ada, Michigan, native moved into sole possession of fifth place in the Spartan record book for career shutouts after earning her 14th. Kozal also earned the winning decision and rose to ninth place at MSU with 19 career victories. Before the game, Kozal garnered national recognition as only the second Spartan to be named a MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List member, joining program legend Laura Heyboer.

BATTLING THE BEARCATS
Head Coach Neil Stafford leads Cincinnati into its second game of the 2022 campaign, having dispatched Northern Kentucky in a 2-0 contest in the season opener. Vyviene Spaulding and Brandi Thomsen both notched a goal apiece in the win. The Bearcats return to action following a 7-7-3 campaign in 2021 that included a 2-4-2 ledger in American Athletic Conference games, placing them seventh in the league table. The team returns its leading scorer and goal-getter from a year ago in graduate forward Vanessa DiNardo, who amassed 19 points on the year split between nine goals and a single assist.

STORY OF THE SERIES: CINCINNATI
Michigan State will look to even the all-time series with Cincinnati in the 16th meeting between the two programs. The Bearcats currently maintain an 8-7-0 edge on MSU, with their last victory coming on Aug. 28 of the 2005 campaign. MSU trails Cincinnati in games played at Gettler Stadium, with UC sporting a narrow 4-3-0 edge over the Spartans all time. The Green & White recorded a 2-0 victory in the most recent meeting on Sept. 7, 2006, at DeMartin Stadium. An offensive onslaught brought on by 22 Spartan shot attempts culminated in two goals by then-freshman Lauren Hill, booking the icebreaker in the 10th.

FOLLOW THE ACTION
Sunday's tilt will be broadcast to a worldwide audience via ESPN+ with Matt Sexton on the call. Authenticated subscribers can access the live simulcast of the game via the ESPN app on their computers, mobile phones, tablets, smart TVs and other connected devices.

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.

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Players Mentioned

Lauren DeBeau

Camryn Evans

Maggie Illig

Lauren Kozal