Michigan State University
14-4-3, 7-1-2
Harvard
13-4-2, 5-1-1
No. 20 Women's Soccer Advances to First-Ever NCAA Third Round With 1-0 Win Over Harvard
11/16/2023 10:48:00 PM | Women's Soccer
PROVO, Utah – A second-half penalty kick from Justina Gaynor lifted 20th-ranked and fifth-seeded Michigan State women's soccer past fourth-seeded Harvard, 1-0, Thursday night in the NCAA Second Round at BYU's South Field.
MSU advances to the third round of the NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament for the first time in program history with the win and will play No. 1 seed and host BYU at South Field on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. ET/6 p.m. MT.
The Spartans move to 14-4-3 with the win, while Harvard ends its season at 13-4-2.
""It's just massive for us three years in, to win another Big Ten Championship and now advance to the third round to be one of the last sixteen teams left in this tournament is a pretty amazing feeling," said head coach Jeff Hosler.
In a game that saw Harvard hold a 21-11 advantage in shots, the MSU defense held strong, holding the Crimson to just five shots on goal and three corner kicks. The Spartans registered two shots on goal and six corners.
The Spartans dominated the opening minutes of the game, recording the first three shots of the first 10 minutes while holding the majority of possession. Harvard picked up its attack in the following minutes but was only able to record one shot that was blocked by MSU.
After another shot from the Spartans in the 19th minute, the Crimson responded with an on-target shot from Ava Lung in the 22nd minute, but the shot was saved by MSU goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks to keep the game scoreless. Harvard put another shot on frame in the 28th minute, but was stopped once again by Parks.
MSU and Harvard traded shots in the closing minutes of the half, but neither team was able to generate any threatening chances as the game remained scoreless at the break.
The defensive battle continued through the opening minutes of the second half before the Spartans found themselves with an attacking opportunity in the box in the 50th minute. A foul on Harvard in the penalty area after sophomore forward Emerson Sargeant was taken down awarded the Spartans with a penalty kick, and Gaynor slipped the penalty kick just past the hands of a diving Harvard goalkeeper to the left side of the net to give the Spartans the 1-0 lead early in the second half. The goal was Gaynor's sixth of the season.
Harvard's Gabby DelPico quickly responded with another shot on goal less than a minute later, but Parks was there again to keep the Crimson off the board. MSU responded with another long spell of possession but was unable to generate any scoring chances.
The Crimson responded with an attacking spell of their own over the following 10 minutes before senior midfielder Gabby Mueller sent a shot just over the crossbar in the 72nd minute. Mueller looked to double the MSU lead again in the 73rd minute, but her shot was saved.
Harvard continued to pressure offensively, recording six shots over the final 10 minutes, but the MSU defense and Parks continued to hold strong to hold off any threats to equalize. A shot in the 90th minute from DelPico failed to find the back of the net as Gaynor's penalty kick goal proved to be the game winner.
Mueller and senior midfielder Alex Hargrave each recorded a team-high three shots, while Parks made five saves en route to her 14th win of the season.
Saturday's third round match will stream on ESPN+. The winner of Saturday's match advances to the quarterfinals, set for Nov. 24 and 25 at the highest remaining seed in the region.
Team Stats
Justina Gaynor (5)
MSU Justina Gaynor PENALTY KICK GOAL.
49:12
