The Spartans are ranked No. 2 in the country for the third week straight. They have been ranked inside the top five every playing week this season. The Spartans are also ranked No. 1 in RPI, the statistic that determines NCAA Tournament seeding come postseason.

“I like where we are,” Hosler said. “We’ve shown a ton of resilience in some adverse conditions. The ability to never quit and find late-game goals to change outcomes is a really rare attribute to have.”

In a highly competitive conference, one last-gasp goal can be the difference between the title and falling short. Hosler is also searching for the first Big Ten Tournament title in school history. His team currently sits atop the Big Ten standings, tied with No. 10 UCLA and No. 6 Ohio State, with a 5-1 record.

The Spartans’ next test is Minnesota at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, at DeMartin Stadium. The game will stream live on Big Ten Plus.

MSU is 16-14-4 against Minnesota all-time. The Spartans have won every meeting under Hosler, with three of the past four scores being 2-1. 

The Gophers have had a mixed bag of results in 2026, sitting at eighth in the Big Ten standings with a 3-2-1 record. Their latest result, a 4-0 smashing of last-placed Maryland, will give the Gophers confidence heading into Thursday. 

“Minnesota’s got a lot of weapons,” Hosler said. “They’re all powerful; they all have pace; they can smash a ball, they love to run at you with a dribble; it’s going to take a more collaborative effort defensively and having strength in numbers to keep them at bay.”

Hosler said defensive stability and consistency are the most important factors in the Spartans’ sustained success. He is coaching his team to balance having a short memory with the ability to recognize mistakes and grow from them. 

Hosler said his team has been under “incredible” pressure as the highly ranked Spartans are getting every opponent’s best game. Whether home or away, other teams play like they have nothing to lose — and it’s given the Spartans some scares and some poor results.

Colorado turned a three-goal Spartan lead into a nail-biting game in August. Michigan pounced after a Spartan goal and scored three goals in seven minutes. Nebraska, Illinois and Notre Dame all forced MSU to rely on a late goal to secure results.

The Spartans have made recent improvements defensively. They recorded shutouts against their two most recent opponents, Washington and Illinois.

“If you have deep postseason aspirations, you have to have clean sheets,” Hosler said.

Sophomore goalkeeper Noelle Henning plays a large role in keeping opponents out. Since returning from the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, she has assumed the starting role from senior goalkeeper Bella Schopp. Henning owns a 0.40 goals-against average, an .875 save percentage and has only conceded one goal across five matches. Her ambition is the product of the culture Hosler has cultivated.

“I want to win a Big Ten Championship,” Henning said Wednesday. “I’m not too focused on the individual accolades, because what good is that if you’re not winning as a team?”