In front of a program-record crowd of 5,145 fans, fifth-ranked Michigan State women's soccer used a late penalty kick to knock off Michigan, 1-0, Saturday night at DeMartin Stadium.
MSU moves to 9-0-4 (4-0-2 B1G) with the win, extending its program-record unbeaten streak to begin the season to 13 games. Michigan drops to 2-10-1 (1-4-0 B1G). The Spartans' 13-game unbeaten streak is tied with Utah State for the longest in the country in 2024.
"I thought we were great tonight," said head coach Jeff Hosler. "The intensity piece, right from the start, I thought that we were really sharp. The energy was there, the intensity was there, I thought that we were really sharp in the way that we were playing. We knew that Michigan was going to be really tough out there today. We had a whole week to prepare, it's a single game in a week and you've got 90 minutes to play instead of 180, you just approach it differently. Our mentality all week has been 'all gas no brakes' right from the start, and I thought our group did an excellent job doing that. Again, I think that the crowd drove us. What an incredible environment to see standing room only, you've got people creeping around corners everywhere, and I don't think there was a seat to be had fifteen minutes before kickoff."
The win was also Hosler's 50th win as head coach at Michigan State. He now holds a 50-13-13 mark in four seasons with the Spartans.
MSU's over-capacity crowd of 5,145 fans on Saturday night not only shattered the program record of 3,180 fans set on Aug. 22 this season, but also broke the DeMartin Stadium record of 4,678 fans set in 2017 by the men's team. It is the fifth-most attended game in the NCAA this season and one of five games to surpass 5,000 fans.
Graduate midfielder Justina Gaynor netted a 76th-minute penalty kick to secure the Spartans' third-straight win over the Wolverines, her fourth goal of the season. All four of Gaynor's goals this season have been game winners.
In the box score, MSU outshot Michigan, 12-8, and held a narrow 6-5 advantage in shots on goal. MSU also led the corner kick battle, 4-2. Sophomore midfielder Bella Najera led the Spartans in shots with three.
In goal, graduate goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks earned her seventh win and fifth clean sheet of the season in a full 90 minutes of play. Michigan goalkeeper Stephanie Sparkowski was credited with the loss.
The opening minutes of the game proved to be physical, with each side recording a pair of fouls in the first 10 minutes. Michigan registered the first shot of the game in the 11th minute, but the shot was blocked. The Spartans got their first chance of the night with a shot from junior defender Sofia Beerworth, who sent a ball into the hands of Sparkowski in the 16th minute.
A physical back-and-forth battle continued throughout the following 15 minutes with neither team able to get a threatening chance. In the 31st minute, a Michigan shot went high before sophomore Renee Watson sent a ball to the left of the net, but Sparkowski was there again to keep the game scoreless.
Parks came up big minutes later in a one-on-one opportunity for the Wolverines, sliding to the top of the box to stop a shot from Michigan's Elle Ervin. Graduate midfielder Emily Mathews got the only other shot off from either team in the closing minutes of the half, sending a header just left of the goal as the teams went to the break scoreless.
A free kick from Bella Najera soared over the top of the net as the first shot from either side of the second half after Michigan was issued a foul and yellow card in the opening minutes. In the 58th minute, junior defender Maggie Illig made the defensive play of the game with a diving save at the goal line after Michigan's Kali Burrell sent a ball past Parks, keeping the game scoreless with just over 30 minutes remaining.
The Spartans dominated the game over the next 10 minutes after the Illig save, registering four straight shots, but still were unable to get the go-ahead goal as the game continued.
In the 76th minute, Mathews drew a foul in the box, earning a penalty kick for the Spartans. Gaynor slotted home the penalty kick to give MSU the 1-0 lead with just under 15 to go in the half.
Michigan pushed for the equalizer in the final 15 minutes of the game but was only able to get one threatening chance off that was saved by Parks. The Spartan defense took over from then on to secure the victory.
"I'm honestly speechless," said Gaynor. "I looked around before the game to kind of just take it all in for a second. To think a couple of years ago where we were and where we are now, it's unreal. It kind of just hit me a little bit before the game, that this is what we've done, this is what the team's done, and everyone that has come through this program. The mark that they've left and the work they've put into kind of bring it here. It was just amazing and we're very thankful for everyone that came out and supported. It was just awesome." "It's really hard to put into words," concluded Hosler. "The way the Michigan State student body, the way that the Michigan State community, the local community, and frankly, state-wide community has gotten behind our program is really, really cool. Not just the attendance record we set tonight, but our attendance average has been something that most programs can only dream of. We want to keep driving the game forward, be good with the platform. We're going to keep embracing that and to do it tonight against this opponent makes it extra special."
Up next, MSU makes its first Big Ten west coast road trip, traveling to Oregon on Thursday, Oct. 10 for a 9:30 p.m. ET matchup with the Ducks. The match will air nationally on Big Ten Network.
This story originally appeared on msuspartans.com.