‘Cats Hit The Road, Battle No. 10 Michigan State Tuesday On BTN

EVANSTON, Ill. (September 14, 2026) – Coming off a statement showing in its Big Ten Conference opener, Northwestern (3-2-1, 1-0 B1G) heads back out on the road on Tuesday for a 6 p.m. CT meeting with No. 10 Michigan State.

Tuesday’s tilt with the Spartans, which will be nationally televised on Big Ten Network, kicks off a stretch that sees the Wildcats play four of their next five contests away from the friendly confines of Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium.

LAST TIME OUT
Northwestern turned in a comprehensive performance last Friday against No. 2 Maryland, as it jumped out to a two-goal first-half lead and never looked back in a 4-0 rout of the Terrapins at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium.

Peter Riesz (14’), Italo Addimandi (37’), Andrew Millar (52’), and Ethan Nakolo (68’) accounted for the Wildcats’ tallies in the victory. Northwestern was credited with six assists across its four goals, its most in a single game since it also recorded six helpers in a 4-2 win over Ohio State on September 24, 2023.

Friday’s result marked Northwestern’s first victory over a top-five opponent since a 2-1 overtime win against Notre Dame on October 18, 2016.

SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE
Michigan State (4-1-1), which currently sits at No. 10 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll, saw its unbeaten start to 2026 come to an end last Friday, dropping a 3-1 road decision to Kansas City. Tuesday’s tilt with the ‘Cats will serve as the Spartans’ Big Ten Conference opener.

Now in his 19th year guiding Michigan State, head coach Damon Rensing’s team was picked 10th in the Big Ten Preseason Poll after finishing 2025 at 5-8-3 (2-5-3 B1G).

Like Northwestern, Michigan State has received contributions from across the board in the offensive third, with nine different Spartans tallying a goal through the season’s first six games. Leading the line has been Connor O’Keefe, who has a team-high three goals to his name. Richie Ludwig sits atop Michigan State’s assists chart, with his four helpers ranking second in the Big Ten and ninth nationally. Leo Conneh and Luke Spadafora have also proven to be versatile threats, with both contributing two goals and three assists.

Jake Grekowicz (1.19 GAA; 0.533 SV%) has emerged as the Spartans’ primary goalkeeper, starting in all six games. Grekowicz anchors a Michigan State defensive unit that has limited opponents to only 7.2 shots per game and only 14 total shots on goal.

SERIES STUFF
Northwestern and Michigan State will meet for the 52nd time in Tuesday’s nationally televised encounter. Winners of two of their last three meetings with the ‘Cats, the Spartans hold a 35-10-6 (.745) lead in the all-time series. Northwestern will be in search of just its fourth victory at DeMartin Soccer Stadium, where the Spartans own an impressive 18-3-2 (.826) record against the Wildcats.

In last season’s meeting at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium, Northwestern and Michigan State battled to a 0-0 stalemate. The Wildcat defensive unit turned in a suffocating effort in the matchup, holding the Spartans without a shot on target.

UP NEXT
Northwestern closes out the non-conference portion of its 2026 schedule on Saturday, September 19, making the short trip to Chicago’s West Side for a 7 p.m. CT encounter with local rival UIC at Flames Field.