The Lady Spartans will try to advance in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday
After a thrilling overtime victory on Friday afternoon, the Michigan State Women’s Soccer Team continues their NCAA Tournament run today in the round of 16. The next opponent is the Duke Blue Devils, who are the #1 team in the region, and thus the host team for the game. The good news is that MSU has played on this field already and should have some familiarity and comfort there. The bad news is that Duke is actually the #1 overall team coming into the tournament and could have a home field advantage. We will see how many people show up for this women’s soccer game, but I will assume it is going to be more than the three I saw in the stands for Friday’s game.
This Duke team is certainly going to be a challenge. In their two tournament games thus far, they have won 8-0 and then 3-0. On the season, they are 16-2-1 and have outscored their opponents 65-13. For you math folks, that is a 5:1 ratio, or 500% if you prefer. The MSU defense may be facing their toughest test today; Sofia Beerworth, Maggie Illig, Renee Watson, and Julia Belli are going to have to play a near-perfect game to keep MSU in this one. In the Texas game, there certainly were some long spells where the Longhorns were maintaining possession in their attacking end and MSU struggled to get the ball up to their front lines. We will need to see a better performance in that regard with better ball control and more accurate passes clearing the defensive end to get away from Duke’s relentless attack.
Offensively, MSU has looked good in their two tournament games, scoring three goals in each outing. When they do get the ball up field, they are doing well to create opportunities and the havoc they create with their ball movement helps them maintain their own pressure. We will look for Mackenzie Anthony to continue her hot streak after she scored two against Texas, including the OT winner, and for Bella Najera, who also scored against Texas and who leads the team in putting the ball into the net, to have another strong game.
The talent is there to compete in this game. These women just need to be incredibly disciplined against this opponent. There is certainly reason to be confident. Here are the details for the game.
Who: Michigan State at Duke
When: Sunday, November 24 @ 6 PM
Where: Koskinen Stadium; Durham, North Carolina
TV: ESPN+
Drinking Game: Take a shot each time the announcer uses the word “dispossess”. Good thing I did not do this during our victory of Texas.
GO GREEN! GO WHITE!