Stanford Awaits in NCAA Elite Eight for MSU

No. 9 Michigan State (14-3-6, 7-1-3 B1G) at No.1 Stanford (19-1-1, 9-0-1 ACC)
Dates/Location	Friday, Nov. 28 \| 5 pm ET / 2 pm PT Cagan Stadium , Palo Alto, Calif. \| Gameday Information
Tickets	Stanford Ticket Office
Tournament Information	NCAA.com Website
Television	None
Webstream	E SPN+
Live Statistics	Click Here
Game Notes	Michigan State \| Stanford
Social Media	Facebook X Instagram

The Starting XI

What you need to know about Spartan women's soccer

• Michigan State is a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Championship, and heads to California to face off with No. 1 Seed Stanford in the NCAA Quarterfinals. Michigan State and Stanford have never before met in the sport of women's soccer.

• MSU has earned its highest-ever seeding in the NCAA Tournament field and is making its first-ever appearance in the quarterfinal (Elite Eight) round. The Spartans are making their eighth NCAA Tournament appearance overall.

• The Spartans are 15-3-6 on the season and advanced into the Elite Eight with a 2-1 victory over 12th-ranked Colorado. Bella Najera had her second brace of the year and freshman keeper Noelle Henning made a career-best seven saves to advance the Spartans.

• At 15-3-6, the 2025 squad has posted the second-most wins in a season in Spartan history. MSU's schedule is rated the toughest in the nation, with opponents boasting a 265-106-85 (.662) record. The Spartans bring a nine-game unbeaten streak into Sunday's match, and have lost just once since the start of Big Ten play on Sept. 12 (12-1-4).

• With 55 goals through 24 games, MSU is first in the B1G in both total goals and scoring offense (2.29). The Spartans also lead the B1G in total points (153), assists (43), points per game (6.38), and goal differential (+31). Stanford's offense is the most potent in the nation - 84 total goals (4.00 per game).

• MSU boasts 17 different players who have scored a goal this season, and seven with three goals or more. In a survey of Division I programs, the 17 different players with at least a goal appears to be the national lead, while only Stanford (with nine 3+ goal scorers) is ahead of MSU in that category.

• MSU boasts four of the Big Ten's top-10 point scorers: Kennedy Bell (28, 1st), Kayla Briggs (23, 3rd), Emerson Sargeant (19, T-8th), and Bella Najera (19, T-8th).

• Bell remains the B1G leader in goals (11, 37th NCAA), and her 28 points leads the B1G and are 38th nationally. She has surpassed Lauren DeBeau (11-4-26) as the highest-scoring player in the Jeff Hosler era and is tied for 13th all-time in single-season points at MSU.

• Najera secured her second brace of the season against Colorado, scoring 46 seconds into the game and converting a second-half PK into the game-winner. She is fourth on the team in goals (7), second in assists (5) and tied for third in points (19). Of her seven goals on the year, two have stood as game-tying tallies and two as game-winners.

• Briggs has two of MSU's game-winning goals in the NCAA Tournament, and two of MSU's four goals in the conference tournament. She owns the team lead in assists (7, T-2nd B1G). Her 8-7-25 scoring line ranks third in the league in points – and is 25th all-time in a single season at MSU. She leads the team with five game-winners.

• Sargeant has three of MSU's 11 goals in six postseason games. She had a goal vs. Milwaukee and both scores in a B1G semifinal win over UCLA - her second brace of the season. She has surpassed her career best with eight goals - and her OT heroics vs. UCLA in the B1G semifinal delivered a fourth game-winning score of the season. She has an 8-3-19 scoring line, tied for third on the team in points.

• Noelle Henning has allowed just three goals in three NCAA Tournament games, making 19 saves. In the combined six games of the postseason, she has stopped 22 of 26 shots against (.847) with two shutouts. On the season, she owns a 1.11 GAA and .766 save percentage.

The Starting XI

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Players Mentioned

Kennedy Bell

Kayla Briggs

Noelle Henning

Bella Najera

Emerson Sargeant