Thursday, August 28
East Lansing, MI
7:00 pm
2-1-1, 0-0-0
1
at
2
#17 Michigan State
3-0-2, 0-0-0
1
2
F
Buffalo
1
0
1
Michigan State
1
1
2
Bulls Fall at #17 Michigan State on Thursday
8/28/2025 9:54:00 PM | Women's Soccer
EAST LANSING, MI – The University at Buffalo women's soccer team (2-1-1) battled hard but came up short in a 2-1 loss to #17 Michigan State at DeMartin Stadium on Thursday night.
Senior midfielder Koby Commandant recorded the lone goal of the night, her first in the blue and white, for the Bulls in the 34th minute off an assist from Sarah Woods.
It was a possession battle for the opening 15 minutes of play before the Spartans got the ball into their final third in the 17th minute as they created a breakaway opportunity and drilled a shot from close range, but Lexie Thompson made a spectacular diving save to her left to keep the Spartans off the board.
The hosts were at it again 10 minutes later as the ball got knocked around in the box, resulting in another close-range attempt, but Thompson was there once again to make the stop and knock the ball out of play.
The Bulls got on the board in the 34th minute as Woods worked her way up the right side and into the box and played a beautiful service, that found the head of Commandant who flicked it into the back net to give the Bulls a 1-0 lead.
Michigan State answered in the final minute of the half as they made a run down the right side and then Ave Lutke found herself in the box and drilled a shot that was saved by Thompson, but Bella Najera was there for the rebound goal to even the game at one and that would be the score at the break.
Michigan State was on the offensive early and often in the second half, but Thompson made a pair of solid saves two minutes apart to thwart the attack.
The Spartans' continued aggression paid off in the 79th minute as Najera scored her second goal of the night to give the hosts a 2-1 lead and that would be the final as the Bulls were unable to manage a shot attempt over the final 10 minutes of play.
Michigan State outshot the Bulls 17-7 on the night, including an 11-2 advantage in shots on goal. Thompson made a season-high eight saves on the night for UB.
"I'm so proud of the character this group showed today," said head coach Shawn Burke. "We challenged them over the last couple weeks on competing and their willingness to do the hard things and playing against Michigan State is hard and we were able to do those things for big spells. The effort from every kid that stepped on the field today was phenomenal and we'll continue to get better on the attacking side of the ball."
Despite the loss, the Bulls have now recorded a goal against four of their last five Power 4 opponents.
"We don't shy away from these games," said Burke. "We want to go challenge ourselves against the best and we've come a long way in these last 10 years. When a player puts on a Buffalo uniform and steps on these fields, they're up for it."
Up next, Buffalo will return to Western New York to take on Big 4 foe Niagara on Wednesday, September 3 at 7pm.
For all the latest on UB women's soccer, follow @UBWomensSoccer on Twitter/X and Instagram and like the UB Women's Soccer Facebook page.
Click here for information on the Bulls Championship Fund and how you can help UB Athletics.
Senior midfielder Koby Commandant recorded the lone goal of the night, her first in the blue and white, for the Bulls in the 34th minute off an assist from Sarah Woods.
It was a possession battle for the opening 15 minutes of play before the Spartans got the ball into their final third in the 17th minute as they created a breakaway opportunity and drilled a shot from close range, but Lexie Thompson made a spectacular diving save to her left to keep the Spartans off the board.
The hosts were at it again 10 minutes later as the ball got knocked around in the box, resulting in another close-range attempt, but Thompson was there once again to make the stop and knock the ball out of play.
The Bulls got on the board in the 34th minute as Woods worked her way up the right side and into the box and played a beautiful service, that found the head of Commandant who flicked it into the back net to give the Bulls a 1-0 lead.
Michigan State answered in the final minute of the half as they made a run down the right side and then Ave Lutke found herself in the box and drilled a shot that was saved by Thompson, but Bella Najera was there for the rebound goal to even the game at one and that would be the score at the break.
Michigan State was on the offensive early and often in the second half, but Thompson made a pair of solid saves two minutes apart to thwart the attack.
The Spartans' continued aggression paid off in the 79th minute as Najera scored her second goal of the night to give the hosts a 2-1 lead and that would be the final as the Bulls were unable to manage a shot attempt over the final 10 minutes of play.
Michigan State outshot the Bulls 17-7 on the night, including an 11-2 advantage in shots on goal. Thompson made a season-high eight saves on the night for UB.
"I'm so proud of the character this group showed today," said head coach Shawn Burke. "We challenged them over the last couple weeks on competing and their willingness to do the hard things and playing against Michigan State is hard and we were able to do those things for big spells. The effort from every kid that stepped on the field today was phenomenal and we'll continue to get better on the attacking side of the ball."
Despite the loss, the Bulls have now recorded a goal against four of their last five Power 4 opponents.
"We don't shy away from these games," said Burke. "We want to go challenge ourselves against the best and we've come a long way in these last 10 years. When a player puts on a Buffalo uniform and steps on these fields, they're up for it."
Up next, Buffalo will return to Western New York to take on Big 4 foe Niagara on Wednesday, September 3 at 7pm.
For all the latest on UB women's soccer, follow @UBWomensSoccer on Twitter/X and Instagram and like the UB Women's Soccer Facebook page.
Click here for information on the Bulls Championship Fund and how you can help UB Athletics.
Team Stats
BUF
MSU
Goals
1
2
Shots
7
17
Shots on Goal
2
11
Saves
8
1
Corners
1
10
Fouls
8
6
Scoring Plays
Koby Commandant (1)
Assisted By: Sarah Woods
GOAL by BUF Commandant, Koby Assist by Woods, Sarah.
33:57
Bella Najera (3)
GOAL by MSU Najera, Bella.
43:39
Bella Najera (3)
Assisted By: Mimi Hallier
GOAL by MSU Najera, Bella Assist by Hallier, Mimi.
78:01
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
mid
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
3
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
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