MSU bested Northwestern 1-0 for its second win in a row after struggling on the West Coast last weekend. It moved the Spartans to one point behind third-place Iowa and two points behind second-place UCLA.

Winning a third straight conference title is out of the picture for MSU after being ranked No. 1 in the country in late September. But the Spartans can still make runs in the conference and national tournaments.

Northwestern's stubborn collective defensive performance and a brilliant showing from junior goalkeeper Reiley Fitzpatrick played key roles in the low-scoring finish. Fitzpatrick produced several big saves that earned the praise of MSU head coach Jeff Hosler after the match.

“(Fitzpatrick) had to go to ground and really stretch her range,” Hosler said. “I thought she played very, very well and kept them in the game 'till the very end.”

Only one change was made to Hosler’s starting eleven. Sophomore midfielder Ella Janz stepped out for graduate midfielder Justina Gaynor's return to the eleven after Gaynor missed MSU's last match versus Washington and appeared as a sub against Wisconsin due to injury.

Gaynor’s return was a welcomed and important one.

“It means everything. (Gaynor's) a warrior and advocated for herself to play Thursday,” Hosler said. “The field presence she has and leadership she has is crucial (for us)."

The Spartans attacked from the start like they have all season, finding themselves in multiple dangerous positions within the first 25 minutes. However, MSU struggled to produce finishes that were enough to best Fitzpatrick, unable to take an early lead.

By the 30th minute, MSU had generated eight shots and four corners to Northwestern's one shot. This included a key chance for graduate forward Meg Hughes, who danced past multiple Northwestern defenders in the 18-yard box before being met by a crucial intervention from Fitzpatrick on the edge of the six, one of the junior keeper's five saves in the first half.

Like most teams that have faced the Spartans this season, Northwestern set up in a low block. It invited wave after wave of Spartan attacks with the sole focus of preventing a goal. The Wildcats successfully fended off the Spartans but sacrificed any offensive threat, taking a scoreless tie into the break. Whenever MSU found itself on the attack, it rarely met less than seven to eight Wildcats in the box.

Finishing chances remained a thorn in MSU's side and Hosler again emphasized the need for more efficiency and effectiveness around the goal.

“I thought we created a lot of chances in the first half,” Hosler said. “We should have been up 3-0 at halftime with the chances we created.”

Not much changed at the start of the second half as the Spartans established themselves around the Northwestern 18-yard box. In the 54th minute, they nearly opened the score following a dangerous cross from sophomore defender Renee Watson. The service jumbled around the goal line but never crossed after a last-ditch defensive effort from the Wildcats.

The near goal was a sign of things to come. Just three minutes later, sophomore Bella Najera scored in her second straight game, pouncing on a poorly cleared ball from the Northwestern defense to open the scoring. 

Najera's goal gave the Spartans a deserved lead and flipped the script on the Wildcats, who had to push numbers forward to salvage any hope of points.  

The Wildcats came out of their shell, generating two shots and a corner in the next ten minutes. However, MSU graduate goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks comfortably dealt with each ball that rolled her way.

In the 72nd minute, the Spartans nearly tacked on a second goal when graduate midfielder Gabby Mueller followed brilliant combination play around and inside the 18-yard box, but Fitzpatrick again came up with a save to stay within one. 

As the match dwindled to a close, the Spartans nearly extended the lead a handful of times while rendering Northwestern equalizing attempts useless despite two corners from the Wildcats in the final minutes. 

Nearing the postseason, Hosler said his team needs to improve its ability to close games.

“We’ve conceded goals in the last five minutes of the game on six occasions this year,” Hosler said. “It leaves some of the variables out of your control. . . and as we near postseason and the conditions start to turn, it puts you in a tricky spot sometimes.”

The Spartans' final conference regular season match will take place next Sunday, Oct. 27th against Purdue at DeMartin Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Big Ten Plus will stream the match.