17th-Ranked Spartans Host Cincinnati in Season Opener Thursday

EAST LANSING, Mich. - 17th-ranked Michigan State women's soccer returns to action for its 38th season in 2023 with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff against Cincinnati on Thursday, Aug. 17 at DeMartin Stadium.

Streaming will be available on B1G+ with live stats on MSUSpartans.com.

KICKING OFF 2023
The Spartans are coming off a historic 2022 season that saw MSU post a 17-3-3 overall record and 9-0-1 league record en route to the program's first Big Ten title. MSU qualified for its first NCAA Tournament since 2009 and fifth all-time, matching its best NCAA finish with a second-round exit to TCU. The Spartans also advanced to the Big Ten Tournament championship game for the first time in program history, dropping a narrow 3-2 decision to Penn State.

Jeff Hosler, the 2022 Big Ten Coach of the Year, enters his third season at the helm in East Lansing with an impressive 27-8-6 record with the Green & White. Assistant coaches Gabe Romo and Megan Link also enter their third season with the Spartans, while Casey Derkacz, who spent 10 years as an assistant at Buffalo, including six as associate head coach, joins the Spartan coaching staff as an assistant coach.

The Spartans are led by a trio of All-B1G honorees from 2022 - graduate defender Raegan Cox, senior midfielder Justina Gaynor and sophomore midfielder Emerson Sargeant. Both Cox and Gaynor were named to United Soccer Coaches Preseason Players to Watch Lists earlier this month, while all three Spartans were also named Big Ten Players to Watch.

The Spartans earned national rankings in both the United Soccer Coaches and TopDrawerSoccer preseason polls, ranking 17th and 19th, respectively. MSU's No. 17 ranking in the United Soccer Coaches poll marks its first preseason national ranking in program history. MSU was picked to finish fourth in the league standings in the preseason Big Ten Coaches Poll.

SCOUTING CINCINNATI
The Bearcats are led by first-year head coach Erica Demers, who previously spent six seasons as the head coach at UAB, leading the Blazers to a 50-38-19 record during her tenure. Cincinnati earned a 7-3-7 overall record and 3-1-4 record in the American Athletic Conference last season, ending the season with a 1-0 loss to SMU in the AAC quarterfinals. The Bearcats enter their first year in the Big 12 conference in 2023 and are the first of four Power 5 programs the Spartans are set to face in the non-conference season. Cincinnati is led by junior forward Paige Miller and sophomore forward/midfielder Megan Smith, who both totaled 9 points from four goals and an assist in 2022 and return as the Bearcats' leading scorers.

STORY OF THE SERIES
The Spartans and Bearcats meet for the 17th time in program history Thursday, with Cincinnati owning an 8-7-1 all-time edge over MSU. The series also includes a 4-4-0 record in East Lansing. The two squads last faced each other at DeMartin Stadium on Sept. 7, 2006. MSU and Cincinnati battled to a 0-0 draw last season in Cincinnati in the Spartans' second game of the season.

I have so much respect for Erica (Demers) and this new staff. I know that Cincinnati will come in with a clear plan and a lot of belief," said head coach Jeff Hosler. "We are going to have to be very sharp from the opening whistle and sustain it to come away with a win. Preseason is so short, but our group has put in a ton of work and we have seen some rapid growth in some key areas. They are very excited to get out and compete against someone else in a meaningful match. There's nothing better than a match at DeMartin and we can't wait to see the incredible game environment for a big time season opener."

UP NEXT
The Spartans continue their season-opening homestand against Bowling Green on Sunday, August 20 at 1 p.m. at DeMartin Stadium. The match will also serve as the Spartans' Senior Day.

17th-Ranked Spartans Host Cincinnati in Season Opener Thursday

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Players Mentioned

Raegan Cox

Justina Gaynor

Emerson Sargeant