COLLEGE PARK, Md. – No. 5 Michigan State women’s soccer opened up Big Ten play with a dominant 5-0 victory at Maryland Thursday night at Maryland’s Ludwig Field.
The Spartans move to 6-0-2 (1-0-0 B1G) with the win, while the Terrapins drop to 3-3-3 (0-1-0). MSU extended its winning streak against Maryland to four games and now holds a 16-0 scoring edge over the Terrapins since head coach Jeff Hosler‘s arrival in 2021.
Five different Spartans scored Thursday night in MSU’s first road game since its season opener at Notre Dame on Aug. 15. Sophomore midfielder Bella Najera, graduate midfielder Emily Mathews and junior defender Allie Mairn notched first-half goals, while freshman defender Julia Belli and sophomore defender Ella Janz tallied goals in the second half.
“Really impressive performance by our group. We really challenged them this week,” said head coach Jeff Hosler. “I think the last few times out we left some moments on the table. We really challenged them about starting fast, they obviously took that right in stride with a goal really early on, a beautiful goal too, and another goal a few minutes later. I think starting with our foot on the gas and keeping it on the gas the whole time was super important for us.”
The Spartans dominated from start to finish, holding a 17-2 edge in shots, including a 9-1 shots on goal advantage. MSU also led the corner kick battle, 11-2. Najera and Janz led MSU in scoring with three points each.
In goal, graduate goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks helped the…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Michigan State University Athletics…