Michigan State women's soccer gets Milwaukee to open 2022 NCAA tournament
Hopes for Michigan State women’s soccer’s first NCAA tournament win since 2008 received a good omen Monday with the release of the 64-team field — the Spartans’ first-round opponent is Milwaukee, which also lost to MSU in the first round in 2008.
The Spartans couldn’t complete the sweep of the regular season and Big Ten tournament titles — MSU lost, 3-2, to Penn State on Sunday in Columbus, Ohio — but there’s a new goal on the horizon: The College Cup, aka the final four of the NCAA tournament, set for Cary, North Carolina, on Dec 3-5.
The Spartans’ road to North Carolina begins Friday as the No. 3 seed in the Notre Dame region hosting the Horizon League champs at 6 p.m. at DeMartin Stadium in East Lansing. The winner will face Friday’s winner between UTSA and 5-seed TCU in the second round.
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MSU went 16-2-3 during the regular season and Big Ten tourney play, losing only to Arkansas (a 3-seed in the Florida State region) in early September and Penn State, a 2-seed in the UCLA region. The 16 wins set a program record, as did the nine wins in conference play.
The Spartans are led by Lauren DeBeau (Utica Eisenhower), who had 10 goals in 19 games, including a sharp shot from the top of the penalty box Sunday to even the score against the Nittany Lions in the 75th minute. Camryn Evans and Jordyn Wickes are second on the roster with seven goals apiece. MSU’s defense was elite, with goalie Lauren Kozal allowing nine goals and stopping 58 shots on goal over 20 games.
MSU will face a Milwaukee team (12-3-3) that hasn’t lost since Sept. 15. The Panthers’ losses came against Wake Forest (also an NCAA tournament team), Wisconsin and Wright State. The Panthers outscored foes, 37-14, this season, led by Hailey Johnson and Kayla Rollins (Ann Arbor Pioneer), who had eight goals apiece. This is the fifth straight NCAA appearance for Milwaukee, and the Panthers have won first-round matchups in each of the past two tournaments. They have never advanced to the round of 16.
This is the fifth NCAA tournament appearance for the Spartans, who last made the NCAAs in 2009, when they lost, 1-0, to Santa Clara in overtime in the first round. After their 2008 win over Milwaukee, the Spartans lost to Notre Dame, 1-0. This year, they’ll need two wins to earn a rematch with the Fighting Irish. The Spartans have never won multiple games in the NCAAs, also losing in the second round in 2005 and in the first round in 2002.
In addition to MSU and PSU, three other Big Ten schools made the 64-team field: Northwestern, a 4-seed in the UCLA region; Rutgers, a 5-seed in the Alabama region; and Ohio State, a 6-seed in the Florida State region.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State women's soccer opens 2022 NCAA tournament vs. Milwaukee
