Spartans ‘Back in Black’ for Home Opener Against Central Michigan

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State women's soccer prepares for its home opener and the first leg of a three-game homestand on Thursday, Aug. 25, as the Spartans play host to the Central Michigan Chippewas in a 7 p.m. kick at DeMartin Stadium. Thursday night's game under the lights features the debut appearance of MSU's all-black kit ensemble.

HEAD COACH JEFF HOSLER SAID…
"We are excited to get back to DeMartin," Hosler said. "Opening the season on the road is good in some ways, because you have the group together and focused. It's also really challenging on your team, and I think we handled it well. We have a good opponent coming in on Thursday in Central Michigan, and we have great opportunities to work through some things in game three that will help prepare us for the rest of the season."

KICKIN' IT
The Spartans open the 2022 home slate following a successful road trip through the state of Ohio. MSU collected a 2-0 victory over the Bowling Green Falcons before battling to a scoreless draw at Cincinnati. Senior goalkeeper Lauren Kozal established a commanding presence in the goal, collecting a pair of shutouts that placed her in sole possession of fifth in the Spartan record book for career clean sheets with 15.

CHALLENGING THE CHIPPEWAS
Head Coach Jeremy Groves leads Central Michigan into its third game of the season having dropped each of its first two contests. CMU fell by a 1-0 margin to Morehead State before yielding a 2-1 result to Marquette in its home opener. The Chippewas hit the pitch in 2022 following a 9-8-1 season last year highlighted by a 6-4-1 ledger in Mid-American Conference games. The squad returns its leading scorer from the 2021 campaign in junior forward Jaelyn Dobrowolski, who notched 10 points a year ago split between a pair of goals and six assists. The Traverse City, Michigan, native was responsible for 75% of all Chippewa assists last season.

STORY OF THE SERIES: CMU
Michigan State looks to extend its lead on Central Michigan in the 12th all-time meeting between the two programs. The Spartans hold an 8-2-1 lead over the Chippewas in the series and own a slim 3-2-1 edge on Central Michigan in games played at DeMartin Stadium. In the most recent meeting of the two programs, Michigan State took home a hard-fought 1-0 win on the road during the 2021 season. Ava Cook logged the game-winning goal in the 51st minute of the game, while senior goalkeeper Lauren Kozal anchored the shutout.

DEMARTIN GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Click the link here to be redirected to the ticket purchasing page for Thursday evening's contest against Central Michigan. General admission tickets are available now online and at the gate beginning one hour before kick. Tickets for individual adults are available for $5, while individual youth and senior tickets are available for $3. All Michigan State students will be granted free admission to the game with a valid MSU ID. Children under the age of 8 will be admitted for free. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 1-800-GO-STATE. Gates will open one hour before the start of the game.

FOLLOW THE ACTION
Thursday's home opener will be streamed live to a worldwide audience via B1G+, with Zach Surdenik, Owen Oszust and Bryan Rector calling the action. Authenticated subscribers can access the live simulcast of each game via the B1G+ app on their computers, mobile phones, tablets, smart TVs and other connected devices. Live stats via StatBroadcast 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.

Spartans ‘Back in Black’ for Home Opener Against Central Michigan

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Players Mentioned

Ava Cook

Lauren Kozal