EAST LANSING, Mich. – 20th-ranked and fifth-seeded Michigan State women’s soccer hosts Ohio in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament on Friday, Nov. 10 in a 6 p.m. kickoff at DeMartin Stadium.
Friday’s match will stream on ESPN+ with live stats on MSUSpartans.com. Gates will open at 5 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase HERE. Fans are encouraged to park in Ramp 6 (Kellogg Center) or the IM West lot for $5.
FIRST TOUCH
The Spartans enter Friday’s match at 12-4-3 (7-1-2 B1G) after dropping their quarterfinal match to eventual champion Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament, 2-1, on Oct. 29. After MSU took a late first-half 1-0 lead off an Emerson Sargeant goal, Iowa mounted a two-goal, second half comeback to secure the quarterfinal victory.
The Spartans are back in the NCAA Tournament and hosting their first round match for the second-straight year. The selection marks the sixth overall for the Spartans and first in back-to-back seasons since 2008-09. MSU defeated Milwaukee in last’s year first round before falling to TCU in the second round.
BYU is the No. 1 seed in MSU’s region, while Harvard is the No. 4 seed and USC is the No. 8 seed. The winner of Friday’s match will advance to play the winner of Harvard/Maine in the second round. The highest remaining seed in the region after the first round games will host the second and third rounds.
SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio is led by 11th-year head coach Aaron Rodgers, who holds a 83-99-23 record during his time with the Bobcats. The Bobcats enter Friday’s match at 9-7-5 (4-4-3 MAC) after claiming the program’s first MAC Tournament Championship on Nov. 5 as a No. 6 seed. Ohio defeated Ball State (quarterfinal), Bowling Green (semifinal) and Kent State (final) en route to the tournament title and first-ever NCAA Tournament berth. Sophomore forward Scout Murray was named the MAC Tournament’s Most Valuable Player after scoring the game-winning goals in the Bobcats’ semifinal and championship matches. Senior forward Shae Robinson leads the Bobcats in points (16) and goals (8) this season, while sophomore defender Ella Deevers leads in assists (5). Sophomore goalkeeper Celeste Sloma posts a 0.90 goals-against average and 0.821 save percentage.
STORY OF THE SERIES
Friday’s first round match will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The…
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