No. 4 Michigan State heads into Thursday night with one more non-conference test left on the schedule, and it comes against a Notre Dame team that has had plenty to say in this series.
The Spartans visit [RV] Notre Dame at Alumni Stadium in South Bend, Ind., with kickoff set for 7 p.m. Admission is free, and the match will stream on ACCNX through ESPN+.
Michigan State is 4-0-1 after last Sunday’s 3-2 home win over No. 12 Colorado, while the Irish arrive at 1-0-4 and now sit outside the Top 25 after opening the preseason ranked No.
The history between these teams tilts heavily toward Notre Dame, which owns a 14-3-0 edge in the series. The Irish beat MSU 3-0 in East Lansing last season, but the Spartans answered in 2024 with a 2-1 win in South Bend to snap Notre Dame’s 13-game run in the matchup. Jeff Hosler is 1-2 against the Irish during his time at Michigan State.
Michigan State’s early-season résumé has been built on the kind of wins that turn heads. With victories over No.
7, No. 12 and a team receiving votes, the Spartans can point to what the notes call the strongest and most impressive non-conference collection in the country. They’ve given up only four goals all season, with two coming against No.
7 North Carolina and two against Colorado. The scoreless draw with Eastern Michigan last Thursday was MSU’s third shutout of the year.
The attack has been powered by three names on the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List: Kennedy Bell, Kayla Briggs and Emerson Sargeant. Sargeant delivered her first two goals of the season in the win over Colorado and now has two goals and an assist this year. Her career line stands at 14-17-45, which places her 25th all-time at Michigan State in points and 14th in assists.
Briggs has been just as important. After scoring twice at North Carolina, she helped set up both of Sargeant’s goals against Colorado, bringing her season total to 3-2-8.
She owns or shares the team lead in goals, assists and points, and her three assists tie her for sixth in the Big Ten. She’s also tied for fifth in points and sits 10th in assists.
Her two game-winning goals this season rank second in the conference and eighth nationally. Last year, she led the Spartans with five game-winners, the fourth-most in a single season in program history.
Bella Najera provided the decisive moment at North Carolina with a free kick from 19 yards out. That was the 26th goal of her career, moving her into a tie for 11th all time at MSU. She now has 66 career points, which ranks 12th, along with 14 assists for 22nd, and her nine career game-winning goals are eighth in school history.
In goal, Bella Schopp has already made an impact. She recorded her first shutout as a Spartan against Eastern Michigan on Aug. 27, giving her 12 career shutouts overall, and then backed up the Colorado win with four saves. Schopp came to Michigan State after four seasons at Brown, where she played 42 games, posted a 0.97 career goals-against average and finished with a .737 save percentage.
Sophomore keeper Noelle Henning is also part of the program’s broader international picture, with Kayla Briggs and Renee Watson on Team Canada in 2024.
In Other News...
Former Spartan Jaxon Kohler Still Has One Huge Hurdle At BYU
Former Michigan State forward Jaxon Kohler is in the middle of an unusual offseason as he prepares to join BYU after committing to the Cougars. He is currently eligible for a fifth college season because of a temporary injunction issued by a California court, which has allowed him to move forward for now while the legal process plays out.
The bigger issue still hangs over BYUs planning for the season, since a court ruling expected on Sept. 29 could change Kohlers eligibility status. For a program trying to map out its frontcourt rotation, that leaves Kohler in a strange spot - available enough to be part of the conversation, but not quite settled enough to remove the uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]
Kirk Cousins Just Gave Michigan State Fans Another Reason To Brag
Kirk Cousins is heading into the 2026 NFL season with a familiar kind of spotlight, this time in Las Vegas. The Raiders have officially named the former Michigan State quarterback their starter, handing the job to the veteran over No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza and signaling that experience will drive the teams plans at least at the outset.
Cousins, now entering his 15th NFL season, arrived after two years with the Falcons and brings a long track record with him, including 167 starts and four Pro Bowl selections. He is also expected to help develop Mendoza along the way, which gives Michigan State fans one more reminder that their old quarterback remains very much part of the NFL conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Loses Freshman WR In Sudden Preseason Roster Twist
A quiet preseason roster note turned into something more significant for Michigan State on Friday, when freshman wide receiver Rai'shawn Elmore was suddenly removed from the teams roster. A program spokesperson confirmed Elmore has been suspended indefinitely, a move that comes just as the Spartans are sorting out their depth chart for the upcoming season.
Elmore, a 2026 recruit from Indian Trail, North Carolina, was not projected to play a major role right away, but the development still adds another layer of uncertainty to a position group trying to settle in. The program has not disclosed the reason for the suspension, leaving one more unanswered question hanging over the early days of camp. [Read more 🡒]