MSU will face Western Michigan University at DeMartin Stadium at 12 p.m. EST in the tournament's first round this Saturday, Nov. 16.

The tournament appearance marks MSU's seventh ever. Three of which have come in its first three years under head coach Jeff Hosler. Last season, MSU reached the tournament's third round for the first time in program history and are looking to build on that this time around.

It’s been a challenging yet memorable season for the Spartans. They climbed to No. 1 in the country before falling short of a third straight Big Ten title and made their mark in plenty of ways. 

Graduate forward Meg Hughes led the team with 19 points, helping the Spartans become one of the top-scoring teams in conference play. Meanwhile, MSU's defense ranked fifth in the Big Ten with graduate goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks securing eight shutouts over 17 games.

"We played incredibly difficult non-conference (games) with some of those headliners in Arkansas and Notre Dame and Xavier (and) Ole Miss, that was great in the SEC last year," Hosler said at the team's selection show watch party on Monday.

With a 12-2-5 overall record and 7-1-3 mark in Big Ten play, MSU has consistently been ranked in the top 25, even reaching the No. 1 spot on Sept. 24. Earlier this month, MSU earned seven postseason honors given by the Big Ten — a program record.

MSU's journey in the Big Ten Tournament ended earlier than expected, with a quarterfinal loss to Rutgers in overtime. It was a tough blow for the Spartans, who are regarded as one of the country’s best teams. Nevertheless, the unpredictability of tournament soccer means anything can happen and MSU is no stranger to high-stakes competition.

Hosler is now a seasoned coach with a track record in tournament play, leading his teams to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances across all three divisions during his 19-year career. This experience may prove crucial as MSU takes on Western Michigan, which recently won both the Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament titles. WMU graduate forward Jen Blitchok ranks as the NCAA's fourth-highest scorer with 17 goals.

"I think we’ll see a team in Western that sits more of a mid-block to low-block at times, really lethal on the counter with a front four and in a lot of ways, stylistically, they’re kind of similar to Rutgers," Hosler said.

Following Saturday, the second and third rounds of the NCAA tournament are scheduled for Nov. 22 and 24 with the Women’s College Cup — the national semifinals and final — beginning Dec. 6 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.

With three of its seven NCAA tournament appearances coming in the past three years, MSU women’s soccer is firmly in a golden era, and the Hosler effect is in full swing for the program.