No. 21 Michigan State Downs Wisconsin, 2-0
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Playing its first home game in two weeks, No. 21 Michigan State women's soccer used a goal in each half to defeat Wisconsin, 2-0, Thursday night at DeMartin Stadium.
MSU moves to 10-1-5 (5-1-3 B1G) with the win, securing a double-digit win season for the fourth straight year, while Wisconsin drops to 7-4-4 (3-3-3 B1G). The win was MSU's first home win over the Badgers since Oct. 19, 2007.
The Spartans also clinched a spot in this year's Big Ten tournament with the win.
"We got the response (after last week) with the result," said head coach Jeff Hosler. "It's hard to really gauge how much and when people got their legs back after being in the Pacific Northwest last week. Wisconsin looks very fluid against other teams and tonight I thought we made them look one-dimensional. I'm thrilled we got the result and the shutout."
Junior defender Sofia Beerworth and sophomore midfielder Bella Najera scored goals in the victory. Beerworth also added an assist on Najera's second-half score for a three-point night. In goal, graduate goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks earned her seventh clean sheet and eighth win of the season, making 10 saves in 90 minutes between the posts.
Wisconsin held a narrow 18-17 advantage in shots, including a 10-9 edge in shots on goal. MSU led the corner kick battle, 3-2.
Graduate forward Meg Hughes got the Spartans going early, forcing a save from Wisconsin goalkeeper Drew Stover in the third minute after sending a shot to the bottom right corner of the net. Parks recorded her first save of the game minutes later after Wisconsin's Aryssa Mahrt responded with the Badgers' first on-target look of the night.
Just two minutes later, Beerworth sent a ball from the far right of the box that curved to hit the left post. The ball rattled off the post and past Stover into the back of the net, giving the Spartans a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute. The goal was Beerworth's first as a Spartan.
Looking to equalize, Wisconsin forced back-to-back saves from Parks following the Beerworth goal. The Spartans and Badgers then traded possession back-and-forth over the next 10 minutes, registering a pair of shots each. In a physical 15 minutes that followed, Wisconsin was issued two yellow cards, while Parks and Stover each recorded another save.
Neither team was able to register a long spell of possession as the half continued. The Badgers put up two more chances in the final five minutes, but Parks and the Spartan defense held off both threats to keep MSU ahead at the break.
Hughes got off to a quick start again in the second half, forcing another shot into the gloves of Stover just 30 seconds in. In the 50th minute, the Badgers got their first corner opportunity of the game, but the Spartans blocked Wisconsin's only shot on the set-piece chance to hold the edge.
After a flurry of shots and stretches of possession from both sides, redshirt freshman forward Adelle Francis had a breakaway opportunity in the 66th minute, charging down the field towards Stover in what looked like a chance for a 2-0 lead for the Spartans. Stover was able to corral the ball in time, but less than a minute later, Beerworth found Najera, who sent a right-footed strike to the bottom left of the net for her fifth goal of the season to double the Spartan lead.
The Badgers put up six more shots in the final 25 minutes, but MSU's defense continued to hold strong in the closing stages. Parks recorded three more saves to preserve the shutout, marking her second double-digit save outing of the season.
Up next, MSU hosts Northwestern on Sunday, Oct. 20 at 1 p.m. at DeMartin Stadium. The game will stream on B1G+.
Recap courtesy of MSU Athletics.
