With the victory, MSU closed out its non-conference section of the season unbeaten for the second time in four years under Head Coach Jeff Hosler. The impressive start includes matches against nationally-ranked opponents Notre Dame, Arkansas and Xavier.

After the match, Hosler emphasized how the team's aspirations have only continued to rise in year four of his tenure. 

“We want to go out and win everything we do. . . the non-conference schedule’s been really difficult to navigate, so to come out of that unbeaten says a lot about the resilience of the group and their mentality," Hosler said. “We had players that came back because we want to push for another championship, players who came back because we want to push for a bigger championship in November and December."

Only two changes were made to Hosler’s starting side that routed Queens 6-0 Thursday. Graduate goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks returned between the sticks, while redshirt junior defender Taya Hjorth was handed her second start of the season along the backline.

From the first whistle, the flow of the match was clear. The Spartans looked to play aggressive, proactive soccer, dominating possession with the ball and deploying an aggressive counter-press without it. In contrast, the visitors looked to sit back in two deep compact blocks of five and four players to absorb as much pressure from the Spartan attack as possible and look to respond on the break.

The Spartans took advantage of the space offered by Loyola through freshman defender Julia Belli and junior defender Maggie Illig. The center-back pair went virtually unpressed for most of the match as they were given licenses to quarterback attacks for MSU through the back.

The mixed approach of attacks generated eight shots and six corners in the first half, although the Spartans had no goal to show for it. In part, this was due to Loyola redshirt freshman Alisson Deardorff, who produced five of her six saves across the first half.

To their credit, the Ramblers defended valiantly in their low block and created their only two shots on target in the first half on the break. The athletic presence of freshman forward Jocelyn Leigh became a clear outlet and target for Loyola's counterattacks as she found herself in multiple one-on-one situations across the match, providing the only clear way for Loyola to threaten the Spartan goal aside from set pieces.

Hosler had heaps of praise for his center-back pairing, who took turns dealing with Leigh for most of the match, emphasizing their athleticism and his trust in them to cover ground and start attacks.

“(Belli and Illig are) tough kids. Belli doesn’t play like a traditional freshman with the physicality and confidence she has on both sides of the ball,” Hosler said. “And then Illig, the attacking side of things, I never have any concerns (or with her grit).”

The game plan remained clear for Loyola in the second half. It continued to sit back and survive while looking for opportunities to release Leigh on the break. This approach continued to not only bear fruit with half-chances for the Ramblers on the attack but also allowed the visitors to continue to frustrate the hosts, whose attacks kept being foiled just as they approached the 18-yard box.

As scoreless frustration continued to build, a chance for MSU came from a beautiful cross whipped into the back post that Mathews couldn’t guide on target.

In the 72nd minute, the Spartans’ frustration hit its peak. Another dangerous cross into the Rambler’s 18-yard box found sophomore defender Ella Janz at the back post as she fired her shot towards the bottom corner, only for celebrations to be foiled by the outstretched hand of Deardorff.

Still entirely focused on finding the win, Hosler went to his bench again in the 80th minute. MSU's attacking quality proved to be the difference maker. Sophomore forward Bella Najera struck the post just two minutes before Gaynor curled a wonder effort into the top right corner to relieve the Spartans of their frustrations.

Justina Gaynor made this game-winning banger look way too easy 😮‍💨#B1GWSoccer x @MSU_wsoccer pic.twitter.com/qKbayHRH72

— Big Ten Soccer (@B1GSoccer) September 8, 2024

“We have to be more inventive in the final third and around the box,” Hosler said.

Following their undefeated non-conference journey, Hosler brought the team’s early season success back down to earth with the prospect of the Big Ten schedule looming over its head.

“I always like the start of conference play because it can be a reset,” Hosler said. “Everyone in the Big Ten is undefeated so everyone gets a chance to reset, so we (know) we will get Maryland’s best shot.”

The Spartans will head to College Park, Maryland, on Sept. 12 to start their Big Ten Conference campaign against the Terrapins. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Streaming will be available on Big Ten Plus.