Michigan State University
5-2-0, 0-0-0
NC State
1-3-2, 0-0-0
Sargeant's Late Goal Lifts Spartans to 2-1 Victory at NC State
9/7/2023 10:07:00 PM | Women's Soccer
RALEIGH, N.C. - Behind a late goal from Emerson Sargeant in the 89th minute, Michigan State women's soccer knocked off NC State, 2-1, on the road Thursday night at NC State's Dail Soccer Complex in front of a record crowd of 2,506 fans.Â
Michigan State moves to 5-2-0 (0-0-0 B1G) with the win, while NC State drops to 1-3-2 (0-0-0 ACC). Thursday's win marks the first win against an ACC opponent for Michigan State since a 2-1 neutral site win over Virginia on Oct. 17, 1993, and first-ever true road win against an ACC opponent.Â
MSU led the shot count, 23-13, including a 10-4 shots on goal advantage, and led the corner kick battle 9-5. Sargeant's goal was her second of the season, while freshman Bella Najera also notched her second score of the 2023 in the 12th minute. Senior defender Zivana Labovic added her first assist of the season on Sargeant's game winner and seniors Gabby Mueller and Mackenzie Anthony earned assists on Najera's goal.Â
A quick start highlighted the opening minutes of the match with both teams recording early chances. Mueller sent a shot to the upper left corner of the net in the second minute of the match to force an NC State save before MSU goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks made her first save of the match after the Wolfpack launched a shot from long distance less than two minutes later.Â
Najera applied the offensive pressure early, recording the second MSU shot of the match in the ninth minute. Minutes later, after MSU regained possession at midfield, Najera broke the ice, finishing in front of the goal after passes from Anthony and Mueller for a 1-0 Spartan lead.Â
A back-and-forth possession battle ensued after the MSU goal. Mueller and junior forward Jordyn Wickes recorded shots before Parks recorded another save after an on-target NC State shot. Anthony then recorded a pair of shots in the 20th and 21st minutes before a trio of NC State shots in the following minutes. The Wolfpack's Jameese Joseph netted the equalizer in the 24th minute, scoring past Parks to tie the match at 1-1.Â
Both offenses slowed following the Wolfpack goal, with each squad registering only one shot in the remaining 20 minutes to maintain the 1-1 tie through the end of the half.Â
MSU dominated the possession battle in the second half, recording a pair of on-target shots in the opening 10 minutes while also outshooting the Wolfpack 10-2 in the first 20 minutes. Despite its dominating attack, MSU was unable to convert any chances as the match remained tied throughout the second half of the period. Labovic recorded a heroic save in net after Parks got tangled up with an NC State player keep the match even in the 76th minute. The Spartans continued to threaten with a slew of shots in the following 10 minutes, but still were unable to retake the lead as the closing minutes approached.Â
The Spartans broke through in the 89th minute when Sargeant scored on a pass from Labovic in a one-on-one scenario with the Wolfpack goalkeeper. Originally called offsides, the call was soon overturned, giving the Spartans a 2-1 with less than two minutes remaining.Â
Sargeant's goal proved to be the game winner as the NC State was unable to respond for an equalizer in the final moments of the match.Â
Team Stats
Bella Najera (2)
Assisted By: Mackenzie Anthony , Gabby Mueller
GOAL by MICHST Najera, Bella Assist by Anthony, Mackenzie and Mueller, Gabby.
11:23
Jameese Joseph (2)
Assisted By: Brianna Weber
GOAL by NCSU Joseph, Jameese Assist by Weber, Brianna.
23:17
Emerson Sargeant (2)
Assisted By: Zivana Labovic
GOAL by MICHST Sargeant, Emerson Assist by Labovic, Zivana.
88:02
