No. 3/4 Michigan State did just about everything but score Thursday night at DeMartin Stadium, settling for a 0-0 draw with visiting Eastern Michigan.
The Spartans controlled the game from the start and piled up the numbers in a way that told the full story. MSU finished with a 22-0 shot advantage, put seven attempts on target and earned 15 corner kicks. Eastern Michigan managed just one corner, that coming in the first half.
Still, the Eagles found a way to leave East Lansing with a point. Keeper Ella Holland was a major reason why.
She came up with a key stop on an Emerson Sargeant restart, punching it over the crossbar with just under nine minutes left in the first half. Michigan State also had two chances clang off the frame, with Bella Najera hitting the crossbar in the first half and Shelby Vaughn striking the post with less than 10 seconds left.
The result moved Michigan State to 3-0-1, and it kept Eastern Michigan at 1-1-1.
The Spartans had entered the night as one of only 30 Division I teams without a loss or tie through the season’s first two weeks. They still own three shutouts on the year, and the only goals they’ve allowed came last Sunday at No.
7/8 North Carolina. MSU remains 2-0-1 at home.
Michigan State also leaned heavily on its depth. Seventeen Spartans logged at least 15 minutes, and none played more than 80.
Sophomore Mackenzie Kruer made her first collegiate start and led the team with 80 minutes, while Kayla Briggs played 79. Fifth-year keeper Bella Schopp made her first appearance in a Spartan kit and did not face a shot in 90 minutes.
Eastern Michigan was busier than usual in the foul column, finishing with 14 fouls to Michigan State’s season-low six. The Spartans used 20 players overall, with 16 seeing at least 20 minutes, while EMU played 22 field players. Five Eastern Michigan field players went 85 minutes or more.
On the season, Michigan State has outshot opponents 66-32 and owns a 22-12 edge in shots on goal. The Spartans also have 35 corners through four games, compared with 15 for their opponents.
Michigan State was the opening game of a men’s-women’s doubleheader Thursday, with the men following against SIUE. The teams will do it again Sunday, when the women host No.
12/7 Colorado in a rematch of last year’s NCAA Sweet 16 battle in East Lansing. That match is set for 11 a.m. and will air live on the Big Ten Network.
The men face Niagara at 2 p.m.
In Other News...
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Tre Hollomans path since leaving Michigan State has already crossed more than one basketball map, and it keeps finding new ground. The former junior point guard helped the Spartans win a Big Ten title before transferring out, then committed to NC State to play for coach Will Wade, a move that briefly pointed him toward the ACC and a fresh start.
Now Holloman has been granted a fifth year of eligibility and has committed to Grand Canyon University, sending his journey into the Mountain West. For Michigan State fans who watched him grow into a dependable piece of that title team, it is another reminder of how quickly a college career can change course once a player leaves East Lansing. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Injury Scare Could Shift The Big Ten Race
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Michigan had already been navigating the absence of Moustapha Thiam, who was injured during the programs European tour, so the latest scare only deepens the concern around the groups early-season stability. Replacing production and leadership is hard enough before the Big Ten grind begins, and the margin for error looks thinner now as the Wolverines try to line up their new pieces in time for league play. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Still Has A Receiver Battle Taking Shape Under Fitzgerald
Pat Fitzgerald is settling into his first Michigan State season in charge, and one of the quieter camps to watch has been the wide receiver room under Courtney Hawkins. The veteran receivers coach still has that group on his hands, and early in fall camp he has been talking about a room that brings energy and a willingness to work, even as the staff sorts through how the depth chart will ultimately look.
Hawkins has pointed to the groups focus on details, especially route running, as the part of camp that can separate the steady performers from the rest. There is also a sense that several players are making their own cases one rep at a time, which is exactly the kind of position battle Michigan State wants unfolding before the season starts. [Read more 🡒]