Friday might be all about football, but there was a different type of football being played on Thursday that is still being talked about to kick off the weekend because of how insane it was.
Michigan State women’s soccer took the field for a showdown at Notre Dame on Thursday night and it turned out to be the ending of the year.
The No. 4-ranked Spartans found themselves trailing 2-1 in the final seconds of the final non-conference showdown of the season. Notre Dame looked like it was about to pull off the huge upset, but Michigan State had other ideas.
The Spartans moved the ball quickly down the field, crossed the ball into the box, and it somehow found Ella Janz’s head for the tying goal with four seconds left.
Janz’s last-second goal is something you’ll have to see to really believe.
We're just going to watch this on repeat.
— Michigan State Women's Soccer (@MSU_wsoccer) September 4, 2026
Ella Janz's header stuns Notre Dame with FOUR. SECONDS. LEFT.
Spartans finish the non-con schedule at 4-0-2. pic.twitter.com/m6VI9vCPIN
As time ticked down, the Spartans’ hopes of remaining undefeated through non-conference play were dwindling but they didn’t panic, kept moving toward the goal, and a perfect cross gave Michigan State a chance to tie things up — and it did.
You don’t see many “buzzer-beaters” in soccer, mainly because that’s not how the clock works at the NCAA level. Each half starts at 45 minutes and counts down to zero, so this was as close to a buzzer-beater in soccer that you’ll probably ever see. Michigan State was a tipped pass or a slightly-to-the-left header away from losing this game and dropping to 4-1-1. Now, the Spartans are still undefeated at 4-0-2 with non-conference play wrapped up.
Jeff Hosler is off to a great start to yet another season, fresh off an Elite Eight a year ago.
Michigan State women’s soccer is in its golden era
When you think of Michigan State athletics, women’s soccer probably isn’t one of the first sports to come up. That’s quickly changing because of Hosler, however.
He took over a program that had zero Elite Eights in its history and just led them to their first one after years of success leading up to it. The Spartans won back-to-back Big Ten regular season titles in 2022 and 2023 and made Sweet 16s in 2023 and 2024 before their first-ever Elite Eight in 2025.
Entering the season, Hosler had a 70-20-2 record as head coach and he’s now up to 74-20-4 and he has a top-five team in the country under his control.
Michigan State is truly in the middle of its women’s soccer golden era and more fans need to be aware of what’s being built by Hosler in East Lansing.
Imagine a future where Michigan State wins a national title in hockey, women’s soccer, men’s basketball, and football in a five-year window. One can dream, right?
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