Senior Stories: Illig is the Heartbeat of the Spartan Defense
11/13/2025 11:01:00 AM | Women's Soccer
By George Cronen, Special to MSUSpartans.com
The saying goes that when the lights are brightest, the stars shine. However, Michigan State star center-back Maggie Illig does not need the spotlight to shine on the soccer pitch.
She has quietly worked her way into not only being the heartbeat of one of the nation's top defenses, but also getting recognized as one of the premier defenders in the nation. Originally from Troy, Missouri, Illig is a senior Kinesiology major and not only excels on the field, but also in the classroom. In addition to being named to the preseason Hermann Trophy watchlist, she is a two-time All-Big Ten selection and will for the third time this fall, earn Academic All-Big Ten honors.
"I think knowing that even though the offense gets the glory sometimes, everyone knows that the defense has a huge role in the game as well. If we as a defense aren't doing our jobs, there's no way for us to win," said Illig. "Keeping in the back of your mind that you are going to make our plays every single practice and every game to the best of our ability helps keep pushing our defense to be the best it can be,".
Illig is a "team first" player, which shows in everything she does. When she was recruited in high school, she was a very good forward, known for being able to score goals.
However, early in her sophomore year at MSU, numerous injuries at the centerback position left the Spartans in need of help. When asked by Head Coach Jeff Hosler if she would be willing to switch positions, she did not hesitate to do whatever she could to help the team.
"It really boiled down to trust and need…we were at the end of our depth chart and needed to find somebody. We had lots of conversations about it and how good of a 1v1 defender she was and what specific game situations it would make sense to put her on the backline," said Hosler. "I think that trust and her ability were a huge part of that decision. Her first game was nationally televised against a ranked Notre Dame team, so that stage was something we had to consider, but we knew she wouldn't flinch."
It is never easy to switch positions at any age or level. However, the ability to switch to a completely different role at a Big Ten school that competes at the highest levels of college soccer was a tall task. Illig was not going to let that be a roadblock, taking what she knew from playing forward and using that to learn her new position.
"You don't realize how much the centerbacks actually do until you are actually doing it. I think that learning all the right things to do back there versus the forward position was definitely the hardest part," recalls Illig. "However, coming from a forward's point of view, I knew what the defenders would do to make it hard on us and make it uncomfortable, so I used that to help add to my learning and decision making."
Illig has become one of the most consistent players, not only on the team, but in the nation. Over the last two years, she has started all but one of the 42 games the Spartans have played, and in 2025 shares the team lead in minutes played, going the full 90 (or more) in nine MSU contests. She works hard on and off the field to keep getting better as a player and to keep up her grades in the classroom – she is an Academic All-America nominee with a 3.97 GPA. Her coaches and teammates know they can count on her day in and day out.
The work ethic and dedication does not go unnoticed by her teammates. She helps set the tone to keep the high standard for her team. Leading by example is something everyone recognizes; her coaches describe her as a tireless and fast learner that wants to be her best.
"She is one of the most hard-working people I know, watching her become one of the strongest leaders of this team and being someone that everyone looks up to has been special," notes classmate Allie Mairn. "We have a high standard, and she makes sure that we are always meeting it. We could have a shutout, and it still probably wouldn't be enough for her. Knowing that you can make mistakes and have someone back there like her to help fix it is huge."
The saying goes that when the lights are brightest, the stars shine. However, Michigan State star center-back Maggie Illig does not need the spotlight to shine on the soccer pitch.
She has quietly worked her way into not only being the heartbeat of one of the nation's top defenses, but also getting recognized as one of the premier defenders in the nation. Originally from Troy, Missouri, Illig is a senior Kinesiology major and not only excels on the field, but also in the classroom. In addition to being named to the preseason Hermann Trophy watchlist, she is a two-time All-Big Ten selection and will for the third time this fall, earn Academic All-Big Ten honors.
"I think knowing that even though the offense gets the glory sometimes, everyone knows that the defense has a huge role in the game as well. If we as a defense aren't doing our jobs, there's no way for us to win," said Illig. "Keeping in the back of your mind that you are going to make our plays every single practice and every game to the best of our ability helps keep pushing our defense to be the best it can be,".
Illig is a "team first" player, which shows in everything she does. When she was recruited in high school, she was a very good forward, known for being able to score goals.
However, early in her sophomore year at MSU, numerous injuries at the centerback position left the Spartans in need of help. When asked by Head Coach Jeff Hosler if she would be willing to switch positions, she did not hesitate to do whatever she could to help the team.
"It really boiled down to trust and need…we were at the end of our depth chart and needed to find somebody. We had lots of conversations about it and how good of a 1v1 defender she was and what specific game situations it would make sense to put her on the backline," said Hosler. "I think that trust and her ability were a huge part of that decision. Her first game was nationally televised against a ranked Notre Dame team, so that stage was something we had to consider, but we knew she wouldn't flinch."
It is never easy to switch positions at any age or level. However, the ability to switch to a completely different role at a Big Ten school that competes at the highest levels of college soccer was a tall task. Illig was not going to let that be a roadblock, taking what she knew from playing forward and using that to learn her new position.
"You don't realize how much the centerbacks actually do until you are actually doing it. I think that learning all the right things to do back there versus the forward position was definitely the hardest part," recalls Illig. "However, coming from a forward's point of view, I knew what the defenders would do to make it hard on us and make it uncomfortable, so I used that to help add to my learning and decision making."
Illig has become one of the most consistent players, not only on the team, but in the nation. Over the last two years, she has started all but one of the 42 games the Spartans have played, and in 2025 shares the team lead in minutes played, going the full 90 (or more) in nine MSU contests. She works hard on and off the field to keep getting better as a player and to keep up her grades in the classroom – she is an Academic All-America nominee with a 3.97 GPA. Her coaches and teammates know they can count on her day in and day out. The work ethic and dedication does not go unnoticed by her teammates. She helps set the tone to keep the high standard for her team. Leading by example is something everyone recognizes; her coaches describe her as a tireless and fast learner that wants to be her best.
"She is one of the most hard-working people I know, watching her become one of the strongest leaders of this team and being someone that everyone looks up to has been special," notes classmate Allie Mairn. "We have a high standard, and she makes sure that we are always meeting it. We could have a shutout, and it still probably wouldn't be enough for her. Knowing that you can make mistakes and have someone back there like her to help fix it is huge."
Players Mentioned
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