Michigan State beats Western Michigan in NCAA Tournament, advances to face No. 4 seed Texas
EAST LANSING, Mich. – A ‘win and move on’ mentality overtook the Michigan State women’s soccer scene on Saturday when the No. 5 seeded Spartans beat Western Michigan 3-1 in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament before 2,152 fans at DeMartin Stadium.
Michigan State advances to face No. 4 seed Texas at 4 p.m. on Friday in Koskinen Stadium at Duke University.
Emily Mathews (Gr., midfielder, Macomb, Mich.), Justina Gaynor (Gr., Shelby Township, Mich.) and Bella Najera (Soph., midfielder, St. Charles, Ill.) scored for Michigan State.
Meg Hughes (Gr., forward, Rochester, Mass.), Sofia Beerworth (Jr., defender, Montreal) and Mackenzie Anthony (Gr., forward, Wheaton, Ill.) assisted on those goals.
Michigan State’s maturity and patience outshined the Broncos on the pitch, Saturday. The Spartans, playing against a strong Bronco defense, were able to shoot out to an early 2-0 lead in the first half on goals by Matthews (her seventh of the season) and Gaynor (her fifth). The Spartans saw that lead cut in half after Western Michigan’s Jen Blitchok scored 31:16 into the first half.
Despite the multiple goal-denying saves from Bronco keeper Lauren Boafo, who was named the MAC Goalkeeper of the Year, Najera was able to place one in the back of the net late in the second half, securing the win for MSU.
Michigan State improved to 13-2-5. Western Michigan, the Mid-American Conference champion, ended its season at 13-2-6.
HOW IT WENT DOWN
Michigan State had been off for 14 days after losing early to Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament.
“It was a long two weeks before playing this game,” said Michigan State head coach Jeff Hosler. “The first week was about getting our team right, getting back into the game mentality, giving our players an opportunity to recover. Once we knew who our opponent was, we could get specific about our game plan as we went through meetings and training.”
Hosler celebrated the victory, but was bothered by a Michigan State turnover which led to Blitchok’s unassisted goal for Western Michigan.
“Jen is quality in front of the goal, she’s lethal,” Hosler said. “I think we played a little sloppy after scoring our second goal, but we didn’t let that one mistake turn into a series of bigger mistakes. We had to keep a foot on the gas and keep going.”
TURNING POINT
Only five minutes into the second half, Western Michigan’s Brielle Gomez received a red card, leaving her ineligible for the rest of the game. This allowed an 11-on-10 advantage for Michigan State for the rest of the match.
Seconds later, a shot from MSU’s Mackenzie Anthony led to an improbable save by Boafa. With momentum swinging the Spartans’ way, their offensive possession became more controlled and their decision making smarter. Chance after chance came to Michigan State, with multiple opportunities coming in the 18- and 6-yard box, but finishing around Boafo proved to be a problem. In the 82nd minute, Bella Najera finally found the back of the net. The play was built by great connecting passes through the mid-field and a pass out wide to Anthony.
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One-on-one with the keeper, Anthony took the ball across her body and dribbled to the near post, trying to get a shot off. However, Boafo was covering the post well and Anthony was able to find Najera making a run into the box and cross it into her. Najera opened her body up and placed the ball in the far right side of the goal, giving Michigan State a 3-1 lead.
“The goal was massive, giving us back a two-goal difference,” Hosler said. “Bella is one of those players that has that clutch ability, she tends to come up in those big time plays, and find big goals for us,” Hosler said.
WHAT’S NEXT
In the Second Round, Michigan State will face a strong Texas offense, which includes arguably the best player in college soccer right now, midfielder Lexi Missimo, who led the nation in assists last year. Forwards Amalia Villarreal and Holly Ward are two other dangerous attackers, who are capable of finishing plays in the final third. Ward scored all four of the Longhorn goals against Boston University on Thursday.
“Texas is a little more comfortable playing out of possession then other teams we have seen,” Hosler said. “They don’t need many tries on goal to capitalize.
“We’re going to have to be very good in the back with our defensive assignments and meet them higher up the field. But we’re also a team that is willing to mix it up. If we are at our best, we’re going to have a lot of chances, and as long as we are organized, then I like our opportunity on Friday.”
MICHIGAN STATE TOURNAMENT HISTORY
This game marked the Spartans’ seventh NCAA Tournament appearance and third consecutive, the longest streak in school history.
It is also the third straight year Michigan State has played host to an NCAA Tournament match as a Top 32 seed. Michigan State had never hosted an NCAA Tournament game until 2022.
The Spartans achieved their highest-ever NCAA finish last season. At the 2023 NCAA Tournament in Provo, Utah, MSU defeated No. 4 seed Harvard 1-0 to clinch its first Second Round victory in program history. In the Third Round, the Spartans lost to No. 1 seed Brigham Young, which went on to advance to the College Cup final four. Michigan State will need another upset on Friday against Texas in order to match last year’s run.
