EAST LANSING, Mich. – 18th-ranked Michigan State women’s soccer wraps up the regular season against Purdue on Sunday, Oct. 17 at 1 p.m. at DeMartin Stadium.
Sunday’s game will stream on B1G+.
FIRST TOUCH
MSU (11-1-5, 6-1-3 B1G) got back in the win column with a pair of home shutout victories last week, defeating Wisconsin, 2-0, on Oct. 17 before a 1-0 win over Northwestern on Oct. 20. Sophomore midfielder Bella Najera had a four-point week for the Spartans, scoring a second-half goal against Wisconsin and the game-winner against Northwestern to bring her 2024 point total to 14. She also has six goals this season, which leads the team alongside graduate students Emily Mathews and Meg Hughes.
Against Wisconsin, junior defender Sofia Beerworth scored the game-winning goal, her first as a Spartan and first collegiate goal since her freshman season at New Mexico State. She also added an assist on Najera’s goal for a three-point night.
In goal, graduate goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks posted her fifth and sixth shutouts against league opponents against the Badgers and Wildcats. She earned Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week honors for the second time this season this week, becoming just the third goalkeeper in the conference to win the award multiple times this season.
MSU has earned a first-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament and will play in the first day of quarterfinals (No. 4 vs. No. 5 or No. 3 vs. No. 6) on Saturday, Nov. 2 at Minnesota’s Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium. The Spartans currently sit in fourth in the league standings with 21 points. MSU can finish no lower than sixth and as high as fourth in the final regular-season standings depending on Sunday’s result. USC and UCLA will battle for the regular-season title on Sunday in Los Angeles.
SCOUTING PURDUE
Purdue is led by first-year head coach Richard Moodie, who is 7-8-2 in his first season with the Boilermakers. The Boilermakers are 7-8-2 and 3-6-1 in the conference after a 2-0 home win against Rutgers on Oct. 17 before a 2-0 loss at Michigan on Oct. 20.
Junior forward Chiara Singarella leads Purdue in scoring with 11 points from a team-leading five goals and one assist. Senior forwards Gracie Dunaway and Zoie Allen have three assists each on the season. In goal, sophomore goalkeeper Emily Edwards has made 51 saves this season and holds a 1.16 goals-against…
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