“This was a really big win for us from a mentality standpoint,” head coach Jeff Hosler said. “It gives us another match, another big moment for our group to continue to gain confidence that we can play amongst the best in the country.”

Senior midfielder Ella Janz said Wednesday that the team has been “thinking about this game every single day” since losing to Washington on penalties in the Big Ten Women’s Soccer Tournament championship game.

The Spartans wasted no time making their intention clear. Janz herself opened the scoring in the third minute. She finished the ball after a dangerous give-and-go by senior forward Kennedy Bell and junior defender Faith George.

The Spartans spent the rest of the first half searching for their second goal, recording 66% possession and 14 shots. Undeterred by MSU’s dominance, the Huskies were frenetic in pursuit of the ball and never allowed the Spartans a calm moment.

Freshman midfielder Lacey Kindel doubled the Spartans’ lead in the 61st minute off an assist by George. Kindel, who turned 17 Sunday, said Wednesday that she wanted a win against Washington and her first collegiate goal for her birthday.

“It feels amazing,” Kindle said. “I’ve been waiting for it to come, and it was such a special day to have it.”

Junior midfielder Grace Jackson scored in the 73rd minute for her second career goal. Freshman midfielder LJ Pearcy played the through ball for her first collegiate goal assist.

“We had a chip on our shoulder,” senior midfielder Bella Najera said. “We try to focus on every game, but some games do mean a little bit more.”

The Spartans have never beaten the Huskies in their six previous meetings. Washington won both the Big Ten regular-season and tournament championships in 2025.

“This team has the biggest goals possible,” Kindel said.

Among those goals was dethroning Washington and laying claim to their Big Ten titles. This victory marked a significant step in that campaign. It was Washington’s first loss of the season.

“Confidence is such a fragile thing,” Hosler said. “We have big expectations for the regular season and the postseason, and the more we keep doing this, these experiences are going to keep fueling us going forward."

Hosler has emphasized the importance of starting fast all season, but as the season has continued, defensive discipline in the second half has caused issues. The Spartans completed a full performance, scoring early and playing with minimal defensive lapses, Hosler said.

“We didn’t let one mistake become a second mistake and let it snowball,” Hosler said. “When you make those mistakes, it’s how you respond; I thought we did a really good job.”

Sophomore goalkeeper Noelle Henning returned to the starting lineup after a month away with the Canadian U-20 Women’s National Team. Her return was immediately noticeable, with her vocal presence commanding the team from the back. She kept a clean sheet with two saves, including an impressive tip over the bar to preserve the Spartans’ narrow lead in the first half.

“It was great having (Henning) back,” Hosler said. “(Henning) has got an incredible field presence; she’s got so much maturity for a sophomore. The group responded really well to her today.”​