After a wild quarterfinal round with upsets and overtime thrillers, the semifinals of the 2026 Big Ten Women’s Soccer Tournament Presented by Allstate picked up right where we left off. With both games coming down to the wire — and one needing penalties — there’s now only two that remain for the championship game.
Spartans Set for Second Straight Championship Game
The only thing better than a rivalry win is a redemption rivalry win on the postseason stage!
None of the first eight shots in Sunday’s first semifinal between No. 4 seed Michigan State and No. 8 seed Michigan found the back of the net. But just when we thought we were heading into the break scoreless, Michigan State senior Renee Watson broke through on a set piece outside the box in the 40th minute. She tucked a left-footed shot inside the near post to give the Spartans a 1-0 edge.
Despite chances on both sides down the stretch, that single score made the difference. MSU keeper Noelle Henning recorded seven saves, including four in the second half, to earn the clean sheet and lead the Spartans to their second consecutive championship game appearance.
Read MSU’s recap.
Boilermakers Bounce Back En Route to Final
Throughout the season, this Purdue team has showed why it is different than others that have recently been in West Lafayette, and Sunday’s semifinal rematch was no different. Facing a 2-0 deficit, the No. 3 seed Boilermakers stormed back before defeating No. 7 Wisconsin in penalties to advance to their first Big Ten Championship since 2007.
After falling behind on two Badger goals in three minutes, Irene Campo cut the lead in half just 24 seconds later. That score lasted until the 77th minute, when it was Campo again who scored off a penalty kick to make the game level.
While the teams went back-and-forth from there, it took until penalties for two teams that needed overtime to get to this round. Purdue goalie Grace Miller made two saves in the shootout, one in the first round and the second in the fifth; right after that second one, Cherry Yu’s spot-kick sent the Boilermakers to only their second Big Ten Championship.
More from Purdue.
Friday’s Battle for the Hardware
The entire conference season has led up to Friday, when the Spartans and Purdue will square off for the Big Ten Tournament Championship. Stay tuned for the full preview — or head to West Lafayette to see it in person!