Michigan State women defeat Minnesota

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Two goals less than 1:30 apart helped the Michigan State women’s soccer team get past Minnesota, 2-1, on Sunday (Oct. 25) afternoon at DeMartin Stadium. Trailing 1-0 midway through the second half, the Spartans (9-3-4, 2-3-2) struck twice in a span of 1:26 to pick up their first come-from-behind win of the year.

“Just the way we kept our composure and kept battling and stayed composed down the stretch – I’m just so happy for them,” said MSU head coach Tom Saxton about his team.

MSU caught a tough break on the first goal of the game. In the 60th minute, Minnesota’s Tamara Strahota sent the ball toward the net from the right side and a deflection off Spartan defender gave Minnesota a 1-0 lead.

The Gopher goal gave the Spartans a sense of urgency, as the Green and White turned up the offensive pressure and got the game’s next two goals.

Laura Heyboer started the play on the first goal for MSU when she took the ball in close but her initial shot was stopped by Minnesota goalkeeper Cat Parkhill. Parkhill was unable to control the rebound and an opportunistic Megan Pines came sliding into the box and tapped the ball in to tie the game at one in the 72nd minute.

Just 1:26 later, Heyboer and Pines hooked up again to give MSU the lead. This time, Heyboer took a long feed from Pines and beat Parkhill on a breakaway with a shot just inside the right post.

The goal proved costly for MSU however, as Heyboer injured her leg on the play and did not return to the game.
“It’s a bittersweet win and it’s been a tough year for us as far as the breaks go,” said Saxton. “Laura scored a great goal and then injured her leg.

I’m so proud of our team, we’ve had such a tough last couple of weeks. The way they fought and dug down deep against a great Minnesota team is a credit to their great character.”

Playing with the lead, the Spartans held the Gophers to just two shots in final 18 minutes and goalkeeper Jill Flietstra finished the game with six saves.

“We really showed our character and heart today,” said senior defender Megan Brown. “No matter what was happening, we weren’t giving up.”

MSU will hit the road for a pair of conference games next weekend as they will take on Illinois on Friday (Oct. 30) and Iowa on Sunday (Nov. 1).