COLUMBUS, Ohio – Michigan State’s historic run through the 2022 Big Ten Women’s Soccer Tournament came to a close in the championship game, as Penn State defeated MSU by a 3-2 margin on Sunday at Lower.com Field.
In recognition of their superlative performances throughout the tournament, senior forward Lauren DeBeau and junior midfielder Justina Gaynor both landed a spot on the B1G All-Tournament Team. For the Nittany Lions, senior forward Ally Schlegel and senior goalkeeper Katherine Asman were named the tournament’s Offensive and Defensive Most Outstanding Player, respectively. Senior midfielder Cori Dyke also earned a selection to the All-Tournament Team.
The Spartans yielded just their second defeat in the 2022 campaign, with both losses coming against opponents that were nationally ranked by United Soccer Coaches. MSU holds a 16-2-3 overall record on the year and took home the Big Ten’s regular season championship following a 9-0-1 campaign against league opponents. Penn State improves to 13-4-3 overall and collected its ninth Big Ten Tournament title in program history.
Despite the final score, Michigan State outplayed Penn State for the vast majority of the match, out-shooting the Nittany Lions by a 12-9 margin and nearly matching their total shots on goal, 4-3. PSU tallied one more corner kick attempt than the Green & White, amassing a 7-6 edge in the category. The Spartans maintained possession of the ball for 62 percent of the match. DeBeau led MSU in the box score, sending in the only Spartan offensive score and racking up five total shots.
The Nittany Lions booked the opening shot, but the Spartans roared back down the field with a vengeance moments later. In the fifth minute, MSU worked for an aggressive attacking opportunity that was cleared by Penn State to the right. DeBeau collected the clearance and bent a magnificent cross over to the left side of the field. Gardiner headed it towards a Spartan attacker, but a Penn State player headed it into the back of their own net for the opening score.
Troubled by the defensive lapse, PSU responded on the other end of the field later on in the period, as the Nittany…
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