No. 5 Spartans Head West to Take on Oregon, Washington
EAST LANSING, Mich. - No. 5 Michigan State women's soccer makes its first Big Ten West Coast road trip this week, traveling to Oregon on Thursday, Oct. 10 at 9:30 p.m. ET before visiting Washington on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 4 p.m. ET.
Thursday's game will air nationally on Big Ten Network, while Sunday's game will stream on B1G+.
FIRST TOUCH
MSU (9-0-4, 4-0-2 B1G) extended its best start in program history to 13 games unbeaten last week with a 1-0 win over rival-Michigan on Oct. 5 at DeMartin Stadium. The Spartans broke the program attendance record for the second time this season in that match with 5,145 fans, shattering the previous record of 3,180 set on Aug. 22 vs. Arkansas.
Graduate midfielder Justina Gaynor netted a 76th-minute penalty kick against Michigan to secure MSU's third-straight win over the Wolverines. The goal was Gaynor's fourth of the season, all of which have been game winners. The second-half score brought her 2024 point total to 14, which ranks second on the team. She also leads MSU in assists this season with six. In goal, graduate goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks recorded her seventh win and fifth clean sheet of the season against Michigan. She holds a 0.82 goals-against average this season and 83.9 save percentage.
Saturday's win over the Wolverines also marked head coach Jeff Hosler's 50th win at MSU. He now holds a 50-13-13 overall record in four seasons with the Spartans.
The Spartans' 13-game unbeaten streak is tied for the second-longest in the NCAA in 2024. MSU shares the streak with 10-0-3 Iowa, while Utah State leads with an 12-0-2 record. The three schools are the only remaining undefeated teams in Division I women's soccer this season.
The Spartans are ranked fifth in the United Soccer Coaches Poll this week for the fifth time this season. MSU has earned a top-five ranking in the poll for seven-straight weeks.
SCOUTING OREGON
Oregon head coach Graeme Abel holds a 24-41-21 record in five seasons in Eugene. The Ducks are 5-8 overall and 1-5 in the league this season after most recently falling at then-No. 21 USC, 2-0, on Oct. 5.
Senior midfielder Haley McWhirter leads the Ducks in scoring this season with nine points and is one of three Oregon players to score three goals this season. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Maddy Goldberg has started every game in goal for the Ducks this season and ranks second in the conference in saves with 56.
Thursday's meeting will be the first all-time between the two schools.
SCOUTING WASHINGTON
Washington is led by fifth-year head coach Nicole Van Dyke, who is 41-27-18 during her time with the Huskies. Washington is 6-4-2 (3-3 B1G) this season after 1-0 loss on the road against UCLA on Oct. 5.
Forwards Ioanna Papatheodorou and Samiah Shell lead the Huskies in scoring with eight points each. Shell leads in goals with four, while Papatheodorou and forward Kalea Eichenberger each have two assists. Junior goalkeeper Mia Hamant has made 31 saves this season.
Saturday's match will be the fifth all-time between the Spartans and Huskies, having previously met in 1992, 1995, 2017 and 2018. Washington holds a 3-0-1 edge in the series, including a 1-0-1 advantage in Seattle. The teams battled to a 1-1 draw in the last meeting on Sept. 2, 2018, at Husky Soccer Stadium after Washington won the first three matches in the series.
UP NEXT
MSU hosts Wisconsin at DeMartin Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 17 for a 7 p.m. contest.
Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.
