With the clock ticking down, senior midfielder Bella Najera put the Spartans ahead with a blazing strike from the edge of the box in the 86th minute. Senior midfielder Kayla Briggs assisted on it for her sixth of the season. It was Najera’s first goal since August.

“Being second, we know we’re gonna get everyone’s best game,” Najera told Big Ten Network after the game. “We just focus on every day.”

Despite their No. 2 ranking and recent results, the Spartans struggled against a solid Illinois backline and goalkeeper Izzy Lee. The Spartans didn’t find space to create many promising chances, but owned the balance of play with 14 shots and seven on target. Illinois had six shots and three on target.

“It was a really tough battle,” Najera said. “Illinois is a great quality side. We knew it was going to take something special to get on the board.”

With the win secured, the Spartans remain tied atop the Big Ten standings. MSU remains tied with No. 7 Ohio State and No. 10 UCLA, each with a 5-1 conference mark. With the table congested at the top, MSU needed the win to stay in regular-season title contention.

The Illini did not make it easy. They knocked the wind out of the Spartans’ sails for the majority of the game, racking up fouls to quell MSU’s spirit right off the bat. In the first half alone, Illinois committed eight fouls and received two yellow cards. MSU recorded one foul. In the second half, the tide turned, and the Spartans grew frustrated on their way to committing five fouls to Illinois’ one. The Spartans also received two yellow cards in the second half, while Illinois was booked once more.

While becoming more physical and desperate in their attempts, the Spartans never stopped attacking, but never looked any closer to a win. Najera’s goal elicited more relief than celebration from the coaching staff.

Hosler has chosen the same starting lineup for almost every match this season. Their success is evident. In most games, Hosler rotates heavily and gives bench players more opportunities to make an impact. In a game this frustrating from MSU’s attack, more rotations and creativity would be the norm. Instead, Hosler stuck to his core group and made only six substitutions, significantly less than usual. Two of those substitutions were on defense and seemed to be out of necessity.

The exception to the consistent starting lineup has been sophomore goalkeeper Noelle Henning and senior goalkeeper Bella Schopp, who take turns with the gloves. With Henning back from international duty, she seems to be in firm control of the starting spot after three matches.

Henning recorded her fourth clean sheet of the season with 3 saves. It was the 12th of her collegiate career, tied for eighth in MSU’s record book. She held a 0.50 goals-against average and an .846 save percentage coming into the match.

In front of Henning, MSU’s defense performed well, rarely allowing the Illini to break through. They expertly utilized the offside trap on multiple occasions and stopped Illinois from starting dangerous moves.

The Spartans return home to play Minnesota at 7 p.m. Thursday at DeMartin Stadium. The game will stream live on Big Ten Plus.