Michigan State Women’s Soccer Defeats Colorado 2–1, Advances to First NCAA Quarterfinal in Program History
- Jonathan Turner
- 28 minutes ago
- 2 min read
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
EAST LANSING, Mich. — No. 2 seed Michigan State women’s soccer made history Sunday afternoon at DeMartin Stadium, earning a 2–1 victory over No. 3 seed Colorado to clinch the program’s first-ever NCAA Quarterfinals (Elite Eight) appearance. The Spartans had previously fallen in the Sweet 16 each of the last two seasons.
MSU wasted no time setting the tone. Just 43 seconds into the match, senior midfielder Bella Najera opened the scoring, finishing a cross from Sofia Beerworth into the upper-right corner to give the Spartans an early 1–0 lead.
Colorado responded in the 33rd minute. After a corner kick created chaos in front of goal, Buffaloes defender Faith Leyba capitalized, knocking in the equalizer to make it 1–1.
The Spartans regained control early in the second half. Junior forward Kennedy Bell was fouled at the edge of the box in the 56th minute, leading to a video review and a penalty kick. Najera stepped up and delivered again—firing her second goal of the day into the top-right corner to put MSU back in front, 2–1.
Colorado pressed late, but MSU freshman goalkeeper Noelle Henning delivered a career performance. Henning finished with seven saves, matching Colorado keeper Jordan Nytes, and held the Buffaloes scoreless for the remainder of the match.
The win marks a significant milestone for Michigan State, which had reached the Sweet 16 in each of the previous three seasons without advancing further.
“Honestly, I’m speechless,” Najera said. “The past three years we had great seasons, but we couldn’t make it past the Sweet 16. This is a great opportunity for our team, and we’re really connected this year. Breaking the curse means everything.”
Head coach Jeff Hosler praised his team’s resilience and execution in high-pressure moments.
“Total team effort,” Hosler said. “Bella shows up in big-time games—scores in the first minute and finishes it off with a brace. I’m super proud of our team. We finally broke the Sweet 16 curse and punched our ticket to the national quarterfinal.”
With the victory, Michigan State advances to play the winner of Stanford vs. BYU in the Elite Eight. If Stanford wins, the Spartans will travel to Palo Alto. If BYU wins, Michigan State will host one more match at DeMartin Stadium.
The Elite Eight appearance marks the deepest NCAA Tournament run in program history and sets a new record for most games played in a season.
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