From the start, both teams battled to adapt to the slick grass. Hosler deployed his side in a flexible 5-3-2, a setup that morphed into a 3-4-3 when in possession. The shape gave the Spartans defensive stability while freeing wingbacks Mimi Hallier and Sofia Beerworth to push higher up the flanks. That width stretched Illinois’ midfield block and opened lanes for Kennedy Bell and Kayla Briggs to exploit in transition.

It didn’t take long for this system to pay off as the Spartans found their breakthrough early. In the 13th minute, senior defender Maggie Illig rose at the near post to head home a corner from Sofia Beerworth, giving MSU the early edge and setting the tone for the afternoon. 

Illinois wouldn’t go away quietly, though. Midway through the half, Sarah Foley curled in a stunning free kick from 23 yards out — a strike even the Big Ten’s top goalkeepers might not have stopped. The teams entered halftime level at 1-1, with MSU looking for a spark.

They found it right out of the break.

Coming out of halftime, Hosler adjusted his midfield rotation — pushing Emerson Sargeant slightly deeper to dictate tempo and using Regan Dalton to break pressure through quick one-touch passes. The change immediately tilted momentum back toward MSU.

Junior forward Kennedy Bell broke through the Illinois backline on a counterattack before being fouled inside the box, earning MSU a penalty. Then, in traditional No. 9 fashion, Kayla Briggs stepped up and buried the shot into the bottom right corner, putting MSU back on top, 2-1.

The floodgates opened from there — literally and figuratively.

Bell, who has been electric all season, doubled the lead with her Big Ten-leading 10th goal, finishing a through ball from Emerson Sargeant with a lob into the bottom corner of the post. 

Moments later, Mimi Hallier joined the scoring sheet with the first goal of her Spartan career — a curling shot from distance that looped over the keeper’s outstretched hands.

"I don’t even know, man," Hallier said. "It just happened so fast. We always talk about celebrating goals, but I just started jumping with the team."

Freshman Shelby Vaughn, in the last, round out the scoring in the 75th minute, beating her defender at the edge of the box and slotting home her third goal of the season to make it 5–1.

"I feel like in the first half, we did a great job of dealing with the pressure, getting the ball, but once we had a moment to get our goals, we carried that momentum throughout the next half," Hosler said. "We’ve talked all year about playing complete games — and today, from back to front, we did exactly that."

Hoping to carry that momentum forward, the Spartans will face Nebraska on Sunday, Oct. 26, at DeMartin Stadium in their final game of the regular season.