Rogers sprinted back and headed the ball right before it went into the goal after a Northwestern forward ripped a shot from 25-yards out.

MSU head coach Joe Baum credited Rogers for saving the game for the Spartans.

“I thought it was in,” Baum said, who was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year on Thursday. “I said to myself ‘Okay we’ve got to go to work.’ But then Josh came out of nowhere to make a great play.”

Rogers’ effort kept the Spartans (12-5-1 overall) on top through the end of the game, leading No. 1-seeded MSU defeated No. 4 seed Northwestern 1-0 in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament in Madison, Wisc.

The day after being named the Big Ten Player of the Year, senior forward Doug DeMartin recorded his league-leading 16th goal of the season which proved to be the game winner for the Spartans.

DeMartin made no mistake burying a penalty kick into the back of the net after senior midfielder Ben Pirmann was taken down inside the box in the 50th minute.

The Spartans haven’t given up a goal in six games, much to the delight of Baum who always is constantly stressing team defense to his squad.

“We think that if we can get one goal we can hold out a game and win,” Baum said. “We were saying at halftime we just need one big play to get the win.”

Friday’s meeting was the second time the two teams faced off this season – both of which yielded a 1-0 victory for the Spartans.

Baum said he thinks Friday’s result secured a bye in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the Spartans.

The Spartans will look to expand their unbeaten streak to nine games when they face the winner of the Michigan/Indiana game at 1 p.m. Sunday. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.