How Michigan State women's soccer can defend its Big Ten title
MSU is poised to clash with new Big Ten opponents from the west coast.
Prior to when Jeff Hosler took over as head coach in 2022, Michigan State women’s soccer wasn’t doing so well. In 2020, MSU went 1-10-1. In 2019, MSU was a more respectable 8-10-1 but still only 1-9-1 in the Big Ten. Before that, MSU was 5-10-3 with zero wins in conference play.
In Hosler’s first season, the Spartans finished 10-5-3 and with a record above .500 in Big Ten play. In 2022, MSU raised the standard and finished 17-3-3, going undefeated in the conference. Its only losses that year came to a solid Arkansas team, Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament final, and TCU in the NCAA Tournament. Last season, MSU was stunned by Iowa in the Big Ten bracket but went further in the big dance, securing wins against Ohio and Harvard before losing to BYU, a No. 1 seed.
It’s safe to say that MSU has turned things around.
Winning the Big Ten won’t be easy, not that it ever was. With UCLA, USC, Washington and Oregon joining the conference this season, the conference is as strong as ever. UCLA’s last conference loss came at the end of 2022 when it lost the finale of the regular season to in-state foe USC. The Bruins went on to win the 2022 NCAA College Cup. Last season, UCLA was upset by UC Irvine after securing a top-seed in their region of the bracket. No doubt that UCLA will be looking for a redemption season.
For Michigan State’s sake, they were able to avoid scheduling UCLA in the Bruins’ first year in the Big Ten. Both could absolutely meet in the Big Ten playoff, though.
In 2024, Michigan State adds another goalie in Belle Okoroafo, center back Taya Hjorth from Kentucky (she was on the Florida State national championship-winning team three years ago), defender Remini Tillotson from TCU, freshman midfielder Grace Jackson, forward Meg Hughes from Providence, midfielder Emily Matthews from Purdue, freshman defender Julia Belli, freshman midfielder Kaleigh McPherson, freshman forward Shelby Vaughn, freshman defender Cassidy Corcione, freshman defender Samantha Maroni, freshman midfielder Gabriella Paonessa, freshman forward Ava Panduren, freshman goalkeeper Lexi Grundler and freshman forward Madelyn Rousseau.
Of the freshman class, the main standouts are Jackson (Internationals SC — No. 63), Belli (Ohio Premier — No. 65), Corcione (PDA — No. 69) and Maroni (Colorado Rapids — No. 160). Top Drawer Soccer ranks MSU’s class at No. 13 in the NCAA with UCLA at the top.
MSU will have two tough tests right at the start, playing Notre Dame and Arkansas back-to-back to open the season. The schedule gets a little easier as MSU works its way into conference play, but the first big test will be against Penn State on Sunday, Sept. 22 in the afternoon. Michigan State plays Michigan on Oct. 5, Wisconsin on Oct. 17 and Northwestern on Oct. 20. Of the newbies joining the Big Ten, MSU is playing two of them, Oregon and Washington, on the road in October. Fans will have to wait another year to see a west-coast school at DeMartin Stadium.