Regular-Season Home Finale On Tap at DeMartin

No. 16 Michigan State (8-3-5, 6-1-3 B1G) vs (RV) Illinois (12-3-1, 5-3-1 B1G )
Dates/Location	Sunday, Oct. 19 \| 1 pm DeMartin Stadium , East Lansing \| Gameday Information
Tickets	Spartan Ticket Office
Promotions	Fan Appreciation Day \| Promotional Information
Television	None
Webstream	B1G+
Live Statistics	Click Here
Game Notes	Michigan State \| Illinois
Press Conference	Coach Hosler Press Conference (Oct. 13)
Social Media	Facebook X Instagram

The Particulars

• The regular-season home finale is on tap for Michigan State, hosting Illinois at 1 pm at DeMartin Stadium. MSU celebrated its seniors earlier in the year, prior to an eventual 9-0 win over Milwaukee.

• Sunday's game will have a webstream on B1G+. Croix Green (pxp), Matt Guziewicz (analysis) and Renee Marsack (sideline) will be on the call. Links to all broadcasts, webstreams, live stats, and more can be found on the schedule page at MSUSpartans.com.

• Illinois has a commanding 21-5-3 record against the Spartans all-time, with three of MSU's five wins coming in East Lansing. This will be just the third meeting of the teams in the tenure of Jeff Hosler - the Spartans previously earned 3-0 (2022) and 2-1 (2023) wins in the first two.

• Illinois has each of its final three games on the road, which began with a 1-0 loss at Northwestern on Thursday. MSU defeated Indiana (2-0) on Thursday and will play its final regular-season game at home today. The Spartans will wrap the regular season next Sunday at Nebraska.

• Michigan State (5-1-3) and Ohio State (3-1-5) are the league's only one-loss teams in the league behind first-place and undefeated Washington (7-0-2, 23 points). MSU sits in third place with 18 points, one behind Wisconsin (6-2-1).

• Its the second straight Sunday where two former Grand Valley State -to-B1G coaches will face off. Last week it was Iowa's Dave DiIanni vs. Jeff Hosler - the Spartan mentor followed DiIanni at GVSU with each winning three national championships. Illinois' Katie Hultin took over in Champaign after three seasons at GVSU, where she led the Lakers to two NCAA regional titles.

Team Notes
• Through games of Oct. 12, MSU's schedule has been rated the toughest in the nation, with opponents boasting a 117-48-31 record (.676). When accounting for the full regular-season slate, MSU's opposition (past and upcoming) owns a .673 winning percentage, which is also the most difficult in the country. Penn State owns the second-highest rank strength of schedule among B1G teams, (.620, 16th nationally).

• Among MSU's seven non-conference opponents, Notre Dame (ACC), Dayton (A10), Buffalo (MAC) and Milwaukee (Horizon) are all leading their leagues, while Xavier (Big East) is each second. Seven Spartan opponents appear in the top 25 (or receiving votes ) in either the United Soccer Coaches or Top Drawer Soccer national polls, including two in the top five (Notre Dame and Iowa).

•   The NCAA Women's Soccer Committee revealed its top 16 teams as of October 12 last Sunday afternoon. MSU was the highest-ranked team at No. 11. In the latest NCAA Women's soccer RPI ratings on Oct. 17, Iowa (11) and MSU (14) are the two top-rated teams from the Big Ten.

• The Spartans had their seven-game unbeaten streak snapped in a wild 5-3 loss at No. 7 Iowa last Sunday, but got back into the win column on Thursday with the victory over the Hoosiers.

• All three of MSU's losses this season have come to ranked teams – Notre Dame (No. 2), Iowa (No. 7) and Xavier (No. 20).

• MSU secured its program-high fifth tie of the season when it played to a 1-1 decision with No. 21 Ohio State (10/5). MSU set the school record with five ties in 2005 and matched that total in 2024.
•   MSU started the 2025 campaign with back-to-back ties: a 1-1 decision at Colorado and 0-0 against Dayton at home. This was the first time in program history that MSU started the season with ties in its first two games, and is now is the first time in school history that MSU has opened the B1G season with consecutive draws (1-1 vs. both Rutgers and UCLA).

• MSU is 6-1-1 when scoring the first goal of the game, which it did in each of its last three games. MSU has conceded the first score in seven matches, last vs. Ohio State (10/5). The Spartans have won or tied each of the last two games in which it allowed its opponent to score first.

• All three of MSU's draws in Big Ten play were 1-1 finals - at Rutgers (9/12) and at home against No. 4 UCLA (9/18) and No. 21 Ohio State (10/5). MSU has outscored its Big Ten opponents 19-9 in its seven Conference games.

• With 38 goals through 15 games, MSU is first in the Big Ten in both total goals (11th nationally) and goals per game (2.38, 19th nationally).

• The Spartans have outshot their opponents 229-159, and nearly doubling up opponents with a 138-77 edge in the second half.

• Of MSU's 38 goals on the season, 23 of them have come in the second half, compared to just six goals for Spartan opponents. Both of MSU's goals vs. the Hoosiers on Thursday night came in the final five minutes of the first frame.

• The Spartans rank second in the Big Ten in corner kicks per game (5.81). MSU has 93 corners to just 54 allowed and have a 48-27 edge in corners in the second stanza.

• Michigan State returned to the United Soccer Coaches national poll on Sept. 30 after a three-week absence, and is back up to No. 16, up two spots from last Tuesday. In the preseason, MSU came in at No. 12 - its highest preseason ranking in program history. The Spartans completed the 2024 season at No. 14 after advancing to the NCAA Round of 16.

• Starting off the season at 3-0-2, the Spartans were ranked as high as No. 12 and opened their fourth season in five under Hosler with a five-game unbeaten streak or more.

• The Spartans scored 45 goals in 22 games in 2004, (2.05 per game), and are on pace to surpass that with 38 through 16 games in 2025 (2.38). With a seasoned corps of keepers a year ago, MSU owned a 0.861 team GAA; with a pair of freshmen, MSU owns a 1.18 GAA (and the toughest schedule in the country).

• The Big Ten owned a 69-30-20 record (.663) through non-conference play. The ACC has the most victories of any conference at 76-21-24 (.727), the SEC posted 72-27-14 (.699), and Big 12 narrowly leads in winning percentage (66-19-18, .728).

• The Spartans have welcomed home crowds of 1,200+ fans for all seven of their home games this fall, with a single-match high of 2,420 vs. Indiana on Thursday and a doubleheader total of 4,025 on Aug. 21 vs. NC State. MSU ranks sixth nationally in overall attendance (18,192) and seventh in average attendance (2,021), both second in the B1G.
   MSU ranked fifth nationally in overall (28,397) and sixth in average (2,184) attendance last season.

Player Notes - Field Players
• Michigan State has four players who have started every game this season, and eight who have played in all 16.

• MSU has 16 different goal scorers of its 38 goals on the season. Seven have multiple goals.

• Junior Kayla Briggs has a point in six of nine B1G games, most recently her goal vs. Indiana on Thursday. She owns the team lead in assists (7, second B1G). Her seven assists and 13 points are both career bests. Her two assists vs. Wisconsin (9/28) tied her single-game career high.
   In Conference games only, she leads the B1G with six assists (0.67 per game) and her 10 points is tied for third (1.11 per contest).

• Briggs played all 90 minutes at Iowa and leads the Spartans for the most minutes played this season (1234), with centerback Maggie Illig (1227) second and Najera third (1164). Illig and Briggs have each played all 90 minutes six times.

• Briggs joined the Spartans after two seasons at Providence, where she combined for five goals, three game-winners, and seven assists over those two years. She now has a career scoring line of 8-14-29, which is fourth on the team in career scoring behind Najera (21-14-58), Bell (12-7-31), and Sargeant (8-14-30).

• Briggs and Kennedy Bell each have two multiple-point games in Big Ten contests - two of just four players in the league to have two-multi-point games in conference play.

• Junior Ella Janz scored a highlight-reel goal against the Hoosiers, which stood as her first goal of the season. She took a pass from Shelby Vaughn and split three defenders to give the Spartans a 2-0 lead headed into halftime. She has played in 35 games over her three collegiate seasons.

• Redshirt sophomore Vaughn is one of six Spartans with multiple goals this season (2), and her assist on the Janz score was her first of the season. She made her collegiate debut on Aug. 24 against Milwaukee, and scored her first collegiate goal in that contest. She added a second goal on the year against Xavier, (8/31).

• Redshirt junior Emerson Sargeant had a goal and an assist in last week's games - she set up Renee Watson for the goal at Michigan, and then opened the scoring on Sunday at Iowa, putting a goal on the board in the 16th minute.

• Sargeant's Sunday score was her fourth of the season, matching her career-best single-season total she set in 2023. She now has a 4-2-10 scoring line, and has started all 16 games. She has a 9-14-32 career scoring line, which is third among active players.

• With two scores at Wisconsin (9/28), Sargeant is one of four Spartan player to record a brace this season - Kennedy Bell recorded hers against USC, while Renee Watson (8/24 vs. Milwaukee) and Bella Najera (8/28 vs. Buffalo) gave MSU its first occurrence of braces in back-to-back games under Jeff Hosler. The Spartans also posted four, two-goal games in 2024.

•   Maggie Illig had one goal in each of her first three collegiate seasons, and she scored on a header vs. Iowa to give her two this season as a senior. She owns a 2-1-5 scoring line in 2025, which is also her single-season career best.

• Illig was the most decorated Spartan in the pre-season, earning a spot on the Hermann Trophy Watch List, the United Soccer Coaches Defenders to Watch, and also is among the Big Ten Players to Watch. She was a Second Team All-Big Ten pick a year ago and was also a United Soccer Coaches All-Region pick.

• Kennedy Bell has been named to the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List. This is the first time that the award, which honors the top men's and women's soccer player in the nation, has released a midseason watch list.

• Bell is the Big Ten leader in goals (9, 34th NCAA), and her 22 points leads the B1G and is 38th nationally. She is first in the Big Ten in goals per game (0.56) and second in points per game (1.38). Her 22 points is tied for 26th all-time in a single season at MSU.

• Bell leads the Spartans and the B1G with 13 points in Conference games only (9 GP, 5-3-13), and is also first in points per game (1.44). Her five goals ranks second among B1G players, and three assists ranks in a tie for sixth.

• Bell's brace against USC (9/21) was her first as a Spartan and the second of her career. She had a two-goal game in 2024 at Maryland against VCU.

• Through 16 games, Bell has tripled her three career goals that she scored in two seasons at Maryland, where her role was primarily defensive). With 22 points, she is also approaching tripling her career total entering 2025 (9).

• Senior Sofia Beerworth had a goal and an assist in MSU's game at Iowa, starting her second game in a row and eighth overall on the season. It was her second career multiple-point game, her first coming in October 2024 when she had a goal and an assist in a 2-0 win over Wisconsin.

• Renee Watson opened the scoring - and also closed it - with her goal 1:50 into the game at Michigan (10/9), which was the game-winner and only score of the game.

• Watson's career-best four-game point streak was snapped at Iowa (10/12). She had with two goals and two assists over the previous four games.

• Watson's 13 points on four goals and five assists is career bests in all three categories. She ranks third on the team in points and tied for second in assists.

• Watson had a career day against Milwaukee (8/24) with two goals and two assists - it was her first collegiate goal, brace, and multi-point game. It remains the third-highest point total in a single game for any B1G player this season.

• Bella Najera's assist at Iowa (10/12) pushes her to 15 points on the year, good for second on the team and tied for sixth among B1G players.

• Najera had MSU's score in the 1-1 deadlock vs Ohio State (10/5). Of her five goals on the year, two have stood as game-tying tallies and one as a game-winner.

• Najera has points in eight of MSU's 16 games, tied for the team lead with Kennedy Bell.

• Najera is steadily climbing among the all-time scoring leaders in program history. Her assist on Sunday gave her 58 career points, tied with Leasa Klix (1986-88) and Jamie Cheslik (2014-17) for 13th in the Spartan annals. Her 22 career goals finds her alone in 14th place among the Spartan goal scorers. Najera's start vs. Indiana was the 55th in her career, in her 60th game.

• Najera was a Big Ten Player to Watch and a United Soccer Coaches Midfielder to Watch in the pre-season. The 2023 Big Ten Freshman of the Year has earned Third Team All-Big Ten honors in each of the last two seasons.

• Bell (2), Sargeant (2), Najera, Briggs, Watson, and Illig have MSU's eight game-winning goals this season, with Najera (2) and Bell each notching game-tying scores.

• Senior Remini Tillotson has played valuable, increasing minutes over this recent stretch for the Spartans, playing 54 off the bench in the game at Iowa. She scored her first goal as a Spartan when she converted a penalty kick against USC (9/21). It was also the first PK for her in her collegiate career. She has appeared in all 16 games as an important reserve.

• Samantha Maroni has started each of MSU's nine Big Ten games, including going all 90 against Minnesota (9/25). She's played in 14 games after appearing in just three as a freshman.

• Kaleigh McPherson had an assist on Sophia Beerworth's score at Iowa, her first of the season. She scored her first goal of the year at Wisconsin (9/28). She has started each of MSU's eight Big Ten games (and nine overall) She was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team in 2024.

• Regan Dalton missed nearly all of the 2024 season after being injured just 30 minutes into the opener. She has played in all 16 games this year, starting seven - most recently vs. Indiana. She played a team-high 82 minutes vs. the Hoosiers.

• Freshman Ava Lutke earned her first career start vs. Notre Dame (9/4) and has started six total, which includes five of MSU's nine B1G games. She has appeared in 13 Spartan games and her 726 total minutes leads all freshmen. She has one goal on the year, scored against NC State (8/21), and had an assist on Bell's game-winner vs. USC (9/21).

• Junior Sophia Piotrowski also netted her first goal of the season at Wisconsin (9/28), and the second of her career. The junior has appeared in 13 of MSU's 15 games this season.

• Adelle Francis has played in 14 of MSU's 16 games and earned three starts, most recently at Minnesota (9/25). She has a goal and an assist after contributing a pair of assists in 19 games last year as a redshirt freshman.

• Mimi Hallier had her first career point against Buffalo (8/28) and has started 13 of the 14 games in which she has played. She has logged time in 44 career contests.

• Senior fullback Allie Mairn has started six games and played in 13.

• Freshman Emily Graham made her sixth appearance of the year vs. Indiana on Thursday.

Player Notes - Keepers
• Noelle Henning has started each of the last eight games. She and Kennedy Zorn shared the net in the pre-conference schedule, and Zorn played the B1G opener at Rutgers.

• Henning posted her fifth clean sheet of the season in a four-save effort vs. Indiana on Thursday. Last Sunday, she tied her career best with six saves on Iowa. She has made 14 saves over her last three games.

• Henning has started 12 MSU games, and owns a 1.48 GAA and .712 save percentage. Her five shutouts ranks in a tie for seventh in the Big Ten. In Conference games only, her four shutouts and her 1.00 GAA are both tied for fifth. She averages 3.63 saves per game in Conference action, which is 10th among B1G keepers.
• Henning was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Sept. 30 after stopping seven of the eight shots she faced in wins at Minnesota (9/25) and Wisconsin (9/28). She made five saves against the Gophers, one behind her career-best six. It was her first weekly honor from the B1G.

• Zorn earned the start in the Big Ten opener at Rutgers, and was credited with three saves and one goal against in her most recent outing.

• In four starts and five appearances (405 MP), Zorn has 10 saves (.833 Sv%), and two goals against (0.44 GAA).

•    All players must appear in 75% of their team's games in order to appear in Big Ten rankings - and overall, neither of MSU's freshman keepers appears in the Conference statistics.

The Particulars

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Players Mentioned

Sofia Beerworth

Kennedy Bell

Kayla Briggs

Regan Dalton

Adelle Francis

Emily Graham

Mimi Hallier

Noelle Henning

Maggie Illig

Ella Janz

Ava Lutke

Allie Mairn

Samantha Maroni

Kaleigh McPherson

Bella Najera

Sophia Piotrowski

Emerson Sargeant

Remini Tillotson

Shelby Vaughn

Renee Watson

Kennedy Zorn