Thursday, August 21
East Lansing, MI
7:30 PM
NC State
at
Michigan State
NC State Travels to Face No. 20 Michigan State
8/20/2025 10:53:00 AM | Women's Soccer
EAST LANSING, Mich. – NC State women's soccer travels to face No. 20 Michigan State for an 8 p.m. contest on Thursday, Aug. 21 at DeMartin Stadium. The game will air live on Big Ten Plus.
Last Time Out
A 71st-minute header by Antonella Mazziotto off a corner kick by Mana Nakata helped NC State comeback to draw East Carolina, 1-1, on Sunday, Aug. 17 at Johnson Stadium in the team's first road contest of the season.
ECU took a 1-0 lead quickly into the second half when Isabella Gutierrez converted a penalty kick in the 49th minute to break the deadlock. Following the Pirates' goal, the Pack began putting on the pressure offensively with strong chances at an equalizer. Six shots after the game's first score, Mazziotto finally broke through for NC State on a set-piece header that leveled the game at one. Nakata, who serviced the corner kick, sent a perfect ball into the box that set up the score. Following the leveler, neither team was able to take the lead as the score remained a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes of play.
Mazziotto's goal was the first of her career and season. She also led the offensive attack all night with five shots. Nakata's assist was the first of her season after a 2024 campaign where she led the Pack in the stat with three.
A Win Would …
Thursday's matchup marks just the second all-time meeting between the Pack and the Spartans. The series' only contest came in 2023, with Michigan State claiming a 1-2 win over NC State at Dail Soccer Stadium.
Scouting the Spartans
Michigan State has opened the 2025 season with back-to-back draws: a 1-1 result at Colorado followed by a 0-0 tie against Dayton at home. It marks the first time in program history the Spartans have started a season with ties in their first two matches.
The Spartans are coming off a strong 2024 campaign in which they went 14-3-5 overall and 7-1-3 in Big Ten play. MSU finished fourth in the conference standings with 25 points, just one point shy of third and two points back of second. The program previously captured back-to-back Big Ten regular-season titles in 2022 and 2023 and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 in both 2023 and 2024.
Michigan State has been featured in both United Soccer Coaches polls to begin the season, opening at No. 12 in the preseason rankings before moving to No. 20 in the week one poll.
Welcome Home, Coach Higgins
NC State McMurray Family Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan named Higgins the sixth head coach in program history in December 2024. Higgins arrived in Raleigh after three seasons at East Carolina, where he guided the Pirates to a historic 2024 campaign that included a 10-4-7 record, an American Athletic Conference title, and the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.
Prior to his time at ECU, Higgins coached at his alma mater, Lenoir Rhyne, leading the Bears to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances. The former standout player brings more than a decade of coaching experience and a proven track record of building winning programs.
Higgins' first year with the Wolfpack features an entirely new coaching staff. Associate head coach Joanna Fennema, a former North Carolina standout, led Lenoir Rhyne to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Assistants David Rodriguez (NC Courage Academy) and Juan Basabe (Lenoir Rhyne) also join the staff, each bringing valuable collegiate and club-level experience.
Breaking Down the Roster
NC State opens 2025 with a 25-player roster featuring 14 returners and 11 newcomers, including five transfers, four freshmen and two sophomores. By class, the Pack have five seniors (one redshirt), nine juniors (one redshirt), seven sophomores and four freshmen.
The team returns its 2024 leaders in goals and points, Bordeleau, and assists leader, Nakata. Five starters from last season are back: Nakata (18 starts), Olivia Pratapas (17), Yuna Aoki (14), Alex Mohr (12) and Bordeleau (11).
Three transfers arrive from programs led by current staff including Mackenzie Smith and Erica Roberts from ECU and Lilly Soltz from Lenoir Rhyne.
Up Next
The Pack concludes its road stand on Sunday, Aug. 24 against Davidson at 1 p.m.
For all things NC State women's soccer, follow @Packwsoccer on social media.
Last Time Out
A 71st-minute header by Antonella Mazziotto off a corner kick by Mana Nakata helped NC State comeback to draw East Carolina, 1-1, on Sunday, Aug. 17 at Johnson Stadium in the team's first road contest of the season.
ECU took a 1-0 lead quickly into the second half when Isabella Gutierrez converted a penalty kick in the 49th minute to break the deadlock. Following the Pirates' goal, the Pack began putting on the pressure offensively with strong chances at an equalizer. Six shots after the game's first score, Mazziotto finally broke through for NC State on a set-piece header that leveled the game at one. Nakata, who serviced the corner kick, sent a perfect ball into the box that set up the score. Following the leveler, neither team was able to take the lead as the score remained a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes of play.
Mazziotto's goal was the first of her career and season. She also led the offensive attack all night with five shots. Nakata's assist was the first of her season after a 2024 campaign where she led the Pack in the stat with three.
A Win Would …
- Mark the first victory for the Wolfpack under first-year head coach Gary Higgins.
- Be the 403rd win in program history.
- Be Higgins' 111th win in his coaching career.
- Mark the first-ever win against Michigan State.
- Be the first victory of the 2025 campaign for NC State.
Thursday's matchup marks just the second all-time meeting between the Pack and the Spartans. The series' only contest came in 2023, with Michigan State claiming a 1-2 win over NC State at Dail Soccer Stadium.
Scouting the Spartans
Michigan State has opened the 2025 season with back-to-back draws: a 1-1 result at Colorado followed by a 0-0 tie against Dayton at home. It marks the first time in program history the Spartans have started a season with ties in their first two matches.
The Spartans are coming off a strong 2024 campaign in which they went 14-3-5 overall and 7-1-3 in Big Ten play. MSU finished fourth in the conference standings with 25 points, just one point shy of third and two points back of second. The program previously captured back-to-back Big Ten regular-season titles in 2022 and 2023 and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 in both 2023 and 2024.
Michigan State has been featured in both United Soccer Coaches polls to begin the season, opening at No. 12 in the preseason rankings before moving to No. 20 in the week one poll.
Welcome Home, Coach Higgins
NC State McMurray Family Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan named Higgins the sixth head coach in program history in December 2024. Higgins arrived in Raleigh after three seasons at East Carolina, where he guided the Pirates to a historic 2024 campaign that included a 10-4-7 record, an American Athletic Conference title, and the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.
Prior to his time at ECU, Higgins coached at his alma mater, Lenoir Rhyne, leading the Bears to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances. The former standout player brings more than a decade of coaching experience and a proven track record of building winning programs.
Higgins' first year with the Wolfpack features an entirely new coaching staff. Associate head coach Joanna Fennema, a former North Carolina standout, led Lenoir Rhyne to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Assistants David Rodriguez (NC Courage Academy) and Juan Basabe (Lenoir Rhyne) also join the staff, each bringing valuable collegiate and club-level experience.
Breaking Down the Roster
NC State opens 2025 with a 25-player roster featuring 14 returners and 11 newcomers, including five transfers, four freshmen and two sophomores. By class, the Pack have five seniors (one redshirt), nine juniors (one redshirt), seven sophomores and four freshmen.
The team returns its 2024 leaders in goals and points, Bordeleau, and assists leader, Nakata. Five starters from last season are back: Nakata (18 starts), Olivia Pratapas (17), Yuna Aoki (14), Alex Mohr (12) and Bordeleau (11).
Three transfers arrive from programs led by current staff including Mackenzie Smith and Erica Roberts from ECU and Lilly Soltz from Lenoir Rhyne.
Up Next
The Pack concludes its road stand on Sunday, Aug. 24 against Davidson at 1 p.m.
For all things NC State women's soccer, follow @Packwsoccer on social media.
Players Mentioned
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