In its first game as a ranked team since 2009, No. 15 Michigan State held off the Hoosiers to continue its best start to conference play ever. MSU is currently 6-0-1 in league action.
MSU started the match off hot as junior midfielder Zivana Labovic, in her first start since Aug. 21 against Cincinnati, headed one into the back of the net within the first five minutes. Senior forward Lauren DeBeau, who is a TopDrawerSoccer National Team of the Week Honorable Mention, and freshman midfielder Emerson Sargeant were credited with an assist on the play. The goal was all the Spartans needed offensively to come out on top.
“It feels phenomenal,” Labovic said about her goal. “This week we have been talking about how badly we need this win. We are coming in hot but we still gotta keep going and the job is not done. It feels great to get that goal and seal the dub.”
After the first 25 minutes of the contest, the Spartans began to slow down, and from there, it was all about being the tougher team.
“I thought we played really well the first 25 minutes of the match,” Head Coach Jeff Hosler said. “We controlled possession. I thought we were really, really sharp against the low block. ... The second half was really all about having a gritty effort. It was not pretty all the time.”
In the final minutes of the match, Indiana had a couple of great opportunities to tie it up, but redshirt senior goalkeeper Lauren Kozal shut them down to secure the win and her eighth complete-game shutout.
Hosler sang the United Soccer Coaches All-Americans praises after the match.
“It's a game that Lauren Kozal showed up and showed why I think she is the best goalkeeper in the country,” Hosler said.
With the win, MSU continues its nine-game unbeaten streak, moving to 11-1-3 on the season. The Spartans will travel to Evanston to face No. 5 Northwestern on Sunday. Labovic gave her thoughts on what the team needs to do to go in and upset the Wildcats.
“I think we just stay solid on defense. There are a lot of things that we need to work on that we’re going into,” Labovic said. “Most of all, I think it is a mentality thing. We are physically able, we have proven it multiple times and I think we just need to stick with it, battle it out and go after it.”
Kickoff for the highly anticipated matchup is set for 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
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