While Indiana women's soccer might think it's found a break in its six-game losing streak with a 2-2 draw at USC on Sunday, it returns home Friday to find a daunting game ahead.
On Friday, the Hoosiers will face off against No. 5 Michigan State at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington.
Indiana enters the matchup off a difficult road trip in California. The Hoosiers dropped their first match against UCLA 5-0 Oct. 8 in a game where fifth-year goalkeeper Dani Jacobson recorded a career-high nine saves.
In their next game against USC, the Hoosiers went down 2-0 in the first half, with one goal in the first minute of play. From there, Indiana battled back to end the game 2-2, marking its first draw since tying 1-1 with Bellarmine University on Aug. 21.
Indiana now stands with a 4-8-2 overall record and is 1-6-1 in conference play. As the Big Ten Tournament draws closer, it is imperative that Indiana wins its remaining four games, as only the top 10 teams in the conference participate.
Indiana’s road to the tournament starts with a difficult match at home against top five nationally ranked Michigan State, a team that has let little get between it and victory this season.
No. 5 Michigan State enters its game against the Hoosiers coming off an upset 2-1 loss to No. 20 Purdue. Prior to that match, the Spartans had won four straight games while outscoring their opponents 11-2 across that stretch. The Spartans have a 10-2-2 overall record and are 5-2-0 when facing conference opponents.
Through 14 games, Michigan State’s offense averages 2.14 goals per game and is led by senior forward Kennedy Bell. Bell has started all 14 games and accumulated six assists and a team-high eight goals. With 43 shots taken, 22 of them have been on goal.
Senior midfielder Kayla Briggs is also a player the Hoosiers should watch out for, as she has recorded six goals and eight assists through her 14 games started as well.
In goal, the Spartans have split the starts between sophomore Noelle Henning and senior Bella Schopp. The pair averages a save percentage of 0.735, allowing just 0.93 goals per game.
Sixth-year head coach Jeff Hosler returns after taking the Spartans to their first NCAA Tournament Elite Eight appearance in program history a year ago.
In his previous five seasons in East Lansing, Michigan, he led his team to a 70-20-20 record and two regular season Big Ten titles in 2022 and 2023. In his 20 years of coaching at the collegiate level, Hosler has a record of 302-87-32, on par with his record with the Spartans over the last five years.
Indiana has struggled against Michigan State, losing its last matchup to the Spartans 1-0 in East Lansing, Michigan, on Oct. 16, 2025. One year later, Indiana hopes to defend its home field against the Spartans when the two teams face off Friday at Bill Armstrong Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., with coverage available on B1G+.
Follow reporters Will Kwiatkowski (@WKwiatkowski_15 and wdkwiatk@iu.edu) and Leonardo Vesperini (@leovmedia and lvesperi@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s soccer season.
