No. 5 women's soccer defeats Michigan for chance at Big Ten championship
By Google News Sports ·
Michigan State junior defender Julia Belli (15) controls the ball during the soccer game against Minnesota at DeMartin Stadium in East Lansing, Mich., on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026.
No. 5 Michigan State women's soccer completed another stop on its revenge tour, beating Michigan 1-0 in the Big Ten Women’s Soccer Tournament semifinals on Sunday.
The Spartans will head to their second consecutive Big Ten championship match at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13.
The Spartans will face the winner of No. 3 seed Purdue and No. 7 seed Wisconsin, who play Sunday at 5 p.m. If Purdue wins, the final will take place in West Lafayette, Indiana; if Wisconsin upsets the Boilermakers, the Spartans will host the championship at DeMartin Stadium.
“It’s one thing to make it there, and it’s one thing to win it,” senior defender Renee Watson told Big Ten Network after the game. “We have to go in hard; we have to be ready for our moments.”
Watson scored the match's lone goal, which gave the Spartans the lead in the 40th minute with a perfectly placed free kick from outside the box. Watson, a standout player for the Spartans, sent the ball spinning past goalkeeper Malia Zillman into the side netting for her fourth goal of the season.
Head coach Jeff Hosler told BTN at halftime that Watson’s goal was “all class.”
“There are very few players that have the versatility Renee possesses,” Hosler said. “She’s a really dynamic player.”
Watson has been playing at center back, part of a solid unit that kept the Wolverines' ever-present threat at bay.
As the second half wore on, Michigan ramped up the pressure and recorded 11 shots to the Spartans’ five. MSU’s defense avoided what was becoming a signature second-half implosion. Watson played a full 90 minutes, and her center-back partner, junior defender Julia Belli, recorded 80. Sophomore defender Addison Baldus played a crucial role in coming on to solidify the back line.
“We’ve been working on keeping clean sheets and being disciplined defensively,” Watson said. “Today we stayed really connected.”
Sophomore goalkeeper Noelle Henning put in a commanding performance, recording seven saves to preserve her ninth shutout of the season and the Spartans’ 12th. The Spartans’ record of 13 clean sheets was set in 1987.
“(Henning) is an incredible goalkeeper,” Hosler said. “She’s been making the saves she needs to; she’s been making really solid decisions in the build-out phase for us.”
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It took a tactical switch from Hosler to hold onto the narrow lead. Where the Spartans usually throw bodies forward, he compacted his team’s defense and midfield as the front line looked to run down the clock.
Hosler and Michigan head coach Dave Dilanni have a long history. Dilanni coached at Grand Valley State University from 2003-13, winning three NCAA Division II national championships; Hosler replaced him, built upon his success and won three more NCAA titles. Dilanni spent the past 12 years at Iowa, building a competitive program before coming to Michigan for the 2026 season.
Hosler similarly rebuilt MSU as one of the most competitive programs in the Big Ten and NCAA.
Hosler’s Spartans looked to play a possession-based game while Dilanni’s Wolverines competed with physicality and pressure. Michigan effectively clogged the defensive midfield and forced MSU to rely on hopeful long balls. MSU found success down the wings to avoid the packed center.
Hosler emerged victorious by…
Originally published by Google News Sports
