Michigan State, Nebraska Claim Share of Big Ten Women's Soccer Title

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The 2023 Big Ten Women’s Soccer championship came down to the final day of the season, and with all of the matches completed, Michigan State and Nebraska will share the crown.

The Spartans and Cornhuskers closed their conference slates with matching 7-1-2 records.

No. 14 Michigan State (12-3-3, 7-1-2 Big Ten) claimed their second consecutive Big Ten title with a 3-0 win over Iowa this afternoon in East Lansing. 

The Spartans grabbed an early lead, as Maggie Illig scored her first career goal in the fourth minute of action. The score remained 1-0 until the 53rd minute, when Bella Najera found the back of the net. Michigan State closed the scoring with Celia Gaynor’s 74th minute penalty kick.

Meanwhile, No. 25 Nebraska (13-2-3, 7-1-2 Big Ten) closed its season with a 4-2 victory at Illinois, earning the program’s second Big Ten championship and first since 2013.

The Cornhuskers seized control of the game in the first half, netting all four of their goals. Abby Schwarz opened the scoring in the 20th minute, while Eleanor Dale doubled the score nine minutes later. Lauren Anglim added a 34th minute tally to her two first half assists before Sarah Walker capped Nebraska’s scoring five minutes before the halftime break.

The Big Ten Tournament will kick off Oct. 29 with quarterfinal matches on the campuses of the top four seeds. The semifinals and championship game will be played Nov. 2 & 5 at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio, home of the two-time Major League Soccer champion Columbus Crew. 

Big Ten Network and the FOX Sports app will televise one quarterfinal, as well as both semifinals and the championship match, while the remaining three quarterfinals will be broadcast on B1G+.