MSU Heads to Ann Arbor for Thursday Showdown with Michigan

Michigan State (6-2-5, 3-0-3 B1G) at Michigan (5-6-2, 2-2-2 B1G)
Dates/Location	Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025 \| 7 pm UM Soccer Stadium, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Television	none
Webstream	Watch on BTN+
Live Statistics	Click Here
Game Notes	Michigan State \| Michigan
Social Media	Facebook X Instagram

The Particulars
• Michigan State heads out on the road for a pair of games this week - a short trip on Thursday starts it off as MSU goes to Ann Arbor for a game vs. Michigan (7 pm).

• The series against the Wolverines is tied at 16-16-7 all time, with each team holding a significant edge in home games - the Wolverines are 10-5-3 against MSU on their home pitch. MSU has won three straight games in the rivalry, including a 3-2 decision in its last game in Ann Arbor and home shutouts in 2022 (2-0) and 2024 (1-0). Jeff Hosler is 3-1-0 against the Wolverines.

• Through six games, only three teams remain unbeaten in Conference play: Washington (4-0-2) sits at the top of the table with 14 points, while MSU is tied for third place with USC (12 points, 3-0-3), and Ohio State is tied for ninth place with Michigan (eight points, 1-0-5).

Team Notes
• Through games of Oct. 6, MSU's schedule has been rated the toughest in the nation, with opponents boasting a 91-33-22 record (.699). When accounting for the full regular-season slate, MSU's opposition (past and upcoming) owns a .671 winning percentage, which is also the most difficult in the country. Penn State owns the second-highest rank strength of schedule among B1G teams, (.636, 13th nationally).

• Among MSU's seven non-conference opponents, Notre Dame (ACC), Dayton (A10) and Milwaukee (Horizon) are all leading their leagues, while Xavier (Big East) and Buffalo (MAC) are 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 three in the top 10 (Notre Dame, Iowa, and UCLA).

• MSU secured its program-high fifth tie of the season when it played to a 1-1 decision with No. 21 Ohio State on Sunday. MSU set the school record with five ties in 2005 and matched that total in 2024.
   MSU started the 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 has conceded the first score in seven matches, including Sunday's game vs. Ohio State. The Spartans have won or tied each of the last two games in which it allowed its opponent to score first. MSU is 4-0-1 when scoring the first goal of the game.

• All three of MSU's draws in Big Ten play were 1-1 draws - 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 12-1 in its three Conference wins.

• With 32 goals through 13 games, MSU is first in the Big Ten in both total goals (12th nationally) and goals per game (2.46, 15th nationally).

• The Spartans have outshot their opponents 196-129, with a commanding 122-63 edge in the second half. MSU did not allow the Buckeyes a shot attempt in the second half last Sunday, and only one shot on target in the entire game.

• Of MSU's 32 goals on the season, 21 of them have come in the second half, compared to just three goals for Spartan opponents.

• The Spartans rank second in the Big Ten and rank 37th nationally in corner kicks per game (6.23). MSU has 81 corners to just 37 allowed and have a 44-17 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 sit at No. 18 this week, down 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 2024 Spartans set the school record with a 14-game unbeaten streak to start the year, surpassing the previous record of 10 set in 2009. The 2023 MSU squad won three straight to open the year.

• The Spartans scored 45 goals in 22 games in 2004, (2.05 per game), and are on pace to surpass that with 32 through 13 games in 2025 (2.46). With a seasoned corps of keepers a year ago, MSU owned a 0.861 team GAA; with a pair of freshmen, MSU owns a 1.077 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 2,214 vs. Notre Dame and a doubleheader total of 4,025 on Aug. 21 vs. NC State. MSU ranks fifth nationally in overall attendance (15,722, first B1G) and seventh in average attendance (1,972, second 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 five players who have started every game this season, and 10 who have played in all 13.

• MSU has 14 different goal scorers of its 32 goals on the season. Six have multiple goals.

• 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, 14th NCAA), and her 22 points leads the B1G and is ninth nationally. She is first in the Big Ten in goals per game (0.075, 25th NCAA) and second in points per game (1.69, 24th NCAA.) Her 22 points is tied for 26th all-time in a single season at MSU.

• Bell leads the Spartans with 13 points in Big Ten games only (6 GP, 5-3-13), and is also first in points per game (2.17). Her three assists ranks in a tie for fifth. She leads the B1G in points in conference games and is second in goals.

• On Sept. 22-23, Bell was named the Top Drawer Soccer and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week She scored MSU's lone goal against No. 4 UCLA (9/18), and then had a hand in every MSU goal scored in the run of play in a win over USC (9/21). She followed that up with two goals and two assists in the road trip to Minnesota and Wisconsin.

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

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

• Najera ranks second on the team with 14 points, which is tied for sixth among B1G players, while her five goals is the fifth-highest total in the league.

• Najera's score vs. Ohio State gives her points in eight of MSU's 13 games, tied for the team lead with Kennedy Bell (8).

• Najera's score the Buckeyes is the 22nd of her career, which puts her alone in 14th place among the Spartan goal scorers. Her 57 career points puts her in a tie for 15th all-time in Spartan history (Cindy Wass, 23-11-57 in 1987). Her most recent start vs.Ohio State was the 52nd in her career, in her 57th 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.

• Junior Kayla Briggs had an assist on Najera's game-tying goal vs. Ohio State, and now owns team lead in assists (6, second B1G). Her six assists and 10 points are both career bests. Her two assists vs. Wisconsin (9/28) tied her single-game career high.

• Briggs (983 minutes) leads the Spartans for the most minutes played this season, with Maggie Illig (981) second and Najera third (934). Illig has played all 90 minutes five times, Briggs four, and Najera three.

• 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 7-13-27, which is fourth on the team in career scoring behind Bella Najera (21-13-57), Kennedy Bell (12-7-31), and Emerson Sargeant (7-14-28).

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

• Renee Watson also had an assist on Najera's goal against the Buckeyes, and now has at least a point in each of MSU's last three games. (0-4-4). It is the longest point-scoring streak of her career.

• Watson's 11 points on three goals and five assists is career bests in all three categories. She ranks third on the team in points and 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.

• Watson missed a month of the Spartan season in 2024 with the Canadian Women's National Team at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. She returned in mid-September and started 13 of her 15 games on the year. She has started all eight games this season.

• Redshirt junior Emerson Sargeant was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week and also earned a spot on the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week (Honorable Mention) on Sept. 30. She had three goals total (and both game-winners) in MSU's two wins at Minnesota and Wisconsin.

• Sargeant got her first goal of the year on at Minnesota (9/25), and then added a pair of scores in the win at Wisconsin (9/28). The goal against the Gophers was her first since Oct. 29, 2023 vs. Iowa - she suffered a season-ending injury five games into the 2024 season. Her two goals at Wisconsin was her first career brace.

• Sargeant has started all 13 games, ranks fourth on the team in minutes played (892). In her four seasons at MSU, she has a 7-14-28 career scoring line, which is third among active players.

• Sargeant is the fourth 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 scored her first goal of the season just minutes into the Milwaukee game (8/24). It was the fourth of her career - she had one goal in each of her first three collegiate seasons. She has one goal and one assist on the season, getting the helper on Sargeant's first goal at Wisconsin (9/30).

• 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.

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

• Senior Remini Tillotson had 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 13 games.

• Freshman Ava Lutke earned her first career start vs. Notre Dame (9/4) and has started six total, which includes five of MSU's six B1G games. She has appeared in all 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 Kennedy Bell's game-winner vs. USC (9/21).

• Kaleigh McPherson scored her first goal of the season at Wisconsin (9/28), opening the second-half scoring. She has started each of the last seven games (and eight overall). She was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team in 2024.

• 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 11 of MSU's 13 games this season.

• Redshirt sophomore Shelby Vaughn is one of four Spartans with multiple goals this season (2). 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), the first time she played more than 17 minutes in a game. She has appeared in four of MSU's five Big Ten games, with 24 minutes or more in each.

• Samantha Maroni has started each of MSU's six Big Ten games, including going all 90 against the Gophers (9/25). She's played in 11 games after appearing in just three as a freshman.

• Junior Ella Janz started MSU's Big Ten opener at Rutgers, after missing three games with an injury. Janz had her first point of the year on an assist on Kennedy Bell's second goal against USC (9/21), and nearly had a goal of her own on a header attempt. She has played in 34 games over her three collegiate seasons.

• Adelle Francis has played in 12 of MSU's 13 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), when she set up Najera for the game-winner, and then teamed up with Najera to set up Kennedy Bell's score at Wisconsin (9/28). Hallier has started 11 of the 12 games she has played this season and has played 43 career contests.

• Regan Dalton missed nearly all of the 2024 season after being injured just 30 minutes into the opener. She has played in all 13 games this year, starting six.

• Sophomore centerback Julia Belli was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team in 2024, but she has not been active for a game yet this season due to injury. Belli started every game as a freshman and has one goal in 22 career games.

• Senior fullbacks Allie Mairn and Sofia Beerworth have played 11 and 12 MSU games, respectively, and each started six.

Player Notes - Keepers
• Noelle Henning has started each of the last five Big Ten games after she and Kennedy Zorn shared the net in the pre-conference schedule.

• Henning has started the last five B1G games, and in Conference games only she is fourth among keepers in save percentage (.842) and fifth in GAA (0.60) with a 3-0-2 record. Overall, she has started nine MSU games, and owns a 1.41 GAA and .707 save percentage.

• Henning only faced one shot on net in the tie with Ohio State, a header off a restart that went as the Buckeyes' only goal.

• 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 saves in the 1-1 tie against No. 4 UCLA. It was her first weekly honor from the B1G.

• Henning recorded her third career shutout against Wisconsin (9/28), making two saves.

• 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%, sixth in the Big Ten) and two goals against (0.44 GAA, fourth B1G),

•    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.

MSU Heads to Ann Arbor for Thursday Showdown with Michigan

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sofia Beerworth

Kennedy Bell

Julia Belli

Kayla Briggs

Regan Dalton

Adelle Francis

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