Bell departed the field with a shoulder injury in the 25th minute and did not return to the field of play. Luckily for the Spartans, her contributions while on the pitch were enough to kick MSU off in a comfortable win. Head coach Jeff Hosler said post-match that Bell remaining on the bench was precautionary and that she was available for the second half.

Junior midfielder Kayla Briggs, along with senior defender Sofia Beerworth, was responsible for most of MSU’s dangerous attacks, recording five shots. Beerworth was unstoppable down the right flank, providing a consistent outlet that created chances for the Spartans through her crosses, take-ons and constant drive to make something happen.

It was the Canadian duo who combined to double the Spartans’ lead, Beerworth’s pass putting Briggs on right in front of goal in the 54th minute. Briggs sent it hard into the back of the net for her 7th goal of the season.

Redshirt junior midfielder Emerson Sargeant effectively put the game to bed just three minutes later, scoring the Spartans’ 3rd and her 8th of the season. Sophomore midfielder Kayleigh McPherson provided the assist after some good work in the middle of the park.

Redshirt sophomore forward Adelle Francis added a 4th for MSU in the 68th minute, proving that it wasn’t just the usual stars that could make a difference for the Spartans. 

Four goals scored and four goalscorers was a point of pride for Hosler. “We’re a hard team to game plan for and that’s been a goal of ours from the very start. It’s our attacking identity to be complex. To have that attacking depth makes it hard to scout for, especially in post-season play.”

Francis’ goal marked a transition in play, with heavy rotation off the bench allowing less experienced players to get some minutes. A total of 20 different players saw the pitch for the Spartans and with 15 minutes to go, only four players who started the match for MSU were still on the field. Junior midfielder and freshman goalkeeper Noelle Henning were the only players to stay on the pitch the full 90 minutes.

The Panthers took advantage of this – Lola Wojcik reduced the deficit to three in the 77th minute with a beautiful curling shot. Her goal inspired the Panthers to keep fighting, but to no avail. 

These teams had recent history to take into account when preparing for this matchup. Just a few months ago, in August, the Spartans put 9 past the Panthers– and while this previous scoreline should have given MSU peace of mind, the team was wary of overconfidence when Milwaukee was announced as their opponent on Monday. 

“It’s always hard being the team that’s supposed to win,” Sargeant said. “We had a little bit of pressure on us, but we handled it pretty well.”

While the Spartans were still utterly dominant, it was evident that Milwaukee had a point to prove from the opening whistle. The Panthers put the Spartans under immense pressure from the get-go and forced the Spartans to be precise with their passing. 

“I’m sure glad we didn’t repeat that performance – I thought today was better for us,” Milwaukee head coach Kevin Boyd said. “We’re cheering for them now. I hope they go far.”

Unfortunately for Milwaukee, this had the opposite effect and pushed the Spartans to play with urgency. MSU recorded 6 shots, 3 of which forced saves, as well as 4 corners just within the first 15 minutes.

“Obviously we were up 1-0, but there were more chances we could have had – one goal is not enough,” Briggs said. “We definitely like to pile on those goals and make the other team less confident.”

The Spartans would go on to have 23 shots and 13 on goal. 15 of these came within the first half, illustrating MSU’s utter dominance that started within the first few minutes. After the Spartans went up, the urgency dwindled and the shots became less threatening, as players felt they had license to take bigger chances with that safety net.

For the highest scoring team in the Big Ten, MSU’s shot productivity is very low. However, the sheer volume of shots the Spartans manage to record almost every game makes this a viable game plan – until they face tougher opponents. As they continue on in the NCAA tournament, the Spartans will need to make their shots count. 

At the other end of the pitch, the Spartans have work to do in solidifying the backline. Henning remained relatively untested in net until the final 15 minutes, but conceded the first shot on target – albeit a great shot – that she faced. While this could be chalked up to the heavy rotation and lack of experienced defenders at that very moment, the Henning and the Spartans will know that as they push forward into the post-season, games are won and lost in moments like these.

“I think we’ve been in much better defensive form,” Hosler said. “There’s been a lot of revolving parts there…I think we had a lot of inexperienced players in at the same time, we had miscommunication and it was a great finish. I’ll have their attention on needing to be better defensively.”

But even with things to work on, the Spartans sailed past Milwaukee with style. The win allowed for a lot of positives and growth as a team, as well as enough of a challenge to feel prepared going forward. 

“I’m thrilled with the result,” Hosler said. “I think it was a really impressive, professional and mature performance from our team.”

The Spartans will head into their first-ever second round game hosted at DeMartin Stadium on Thursday high on confidence and ready for whatever is to come in the NCAA Tournament.