MSU Spartans
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MSU Hosts Northwestern In Big Ten Opener
 
Spartans last team to kick off Conference season
 
 
Luke Norman
 
Luke Norman
 
 

Sept. 28, 2012

  • Michigan State begins Big Ten play on Sunday when it welcomes No. 18 Northwestern to DeMartin Stadium for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff. The game is part of a women's/men's doubleheader that will be featured on the Big Ten Network. The women play Iowa before the men's game, kicking off at 1 p.m.

    WATCH: Men's Soccer Preview vs. Northwestern

    The Last Meeting
    Michigan State1  
    Northwestern12OT
    September 24, 2011
    Evanston, Ill.
    Spartans, Wildcats Draw In Big Ten Opener
    Michigan State (1-5-2, 0-0-1) opened Big Ten Conference play on Saturday evening with a 1-1 deadlock with Northwestern at Lakeside Field in Evanston, Ill. Jeremy Clark was once again MSU's rock, as he turned away five shots; Adam Montague's first collegiate goal was the Spartan marker.

    Recap | Box Score

    Michigan State Notes | Northwestern Notes

  • Last season, the Spartans were 2-2-2 in the Big Ten. Overall, MSU owns a 4-12-5 record all-time in Big Ten openers.

  • MSU is 3-5-1 on the season and coming off a nine-day layoff. The Spartans' last action was a 2-1 win against Western Michigan on Wednesday, Sept. 19.
          Led by redshirt sophomore Tim Kreutz, who had an assist on the game-winning marker to go along with a goal of his own, the win marked the Spartans first victory at home this season.
          Entering the game, MSU had scored only one goal at home, but that changed in the second half when Michigan State scored two goals within 90 seconds of each other, good enough to bring home the 2-1 win.

  • Kreutz was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, as selected by the Conference office on Monday, Sept. 24. It was the first weekly Big Ten honor of his career.

  • Adam Montague leads the team with two goals, followed by four Spartans who have recorded a goal and assist (Domenic Barone, Tim Kreutz, Cody Henderson, and Luke Norman). Senior Ryan Thelen is the team's leading assist man, and tied for second in the league, with three on the season.

  • Redshirt junior keeper Bryce Dobbins enters the weekend second in the Big Ten in saves with 29, and he owns a 1.15 GAA and a .725 save percentage, which ranks him fourth in the Big Ten in both categories.

  • Michigan State is 26-5-2 all-time against Northwestern, going 13-1 in home games. The Wildcats are the defending Big Ten regular-season and Tournament champions, and sit at No. 18 in the latest NSCAA poll.
          MSU is unbeaten in its last three games against the Wildcats, which includes a 1-1 stalemate last season in Evanston. Northwestern's last victory came in the 2009 regular season (1-0), a loss which MSU avenged the following week by a 1-0 score in the Big Ten Tournament.

  • Northwestern has served as MSU's Big Ten opener in men's soccer in each of the last two seasons.

  • Northwestern enters the weekend 6-1-2 on the season. The Wildcats opened the season with an eight game unbeaten streak, but fell to DePaul at home on Wednesday by a 2-0 score.
          The Wildcats emerged victorious in their Big Ten opener against Michigan by a score of 2-0 last Sunday. Last year, the Wildcats went 4-0-2 in the Big Ten en route to becoming both the regular season and Big Ten tournament champions.
          The Wildcats are led on offense by three of the top five goal scorers in the Big Ten. Joey Calistri has four goals on the season and Kyle Schickel and Chris Ritter each have three. Grant Wilson is the Big Ten's leading assist man with five, while Ritter, Nick Gendron and Eric Weberman are tied for second in the league with three assists.
          Tyler Miller will be the likely goalkeeper for Northwestern. He owns a 0.73 GAA and .774 save percentage on 24 saves, to go along with his four shutouts so far this season.

  • Two Big Ten men's soccer teams garnered rankings in the NSCAA/Continental Tire poll, released on Tuesday. Indiana (6-1-1) jumps four spots to No. 11, while Northwestern (6-0-2) comes in at No. 18. Penn State (6-1-1) also received votes.

  • Six teams on MSU's 2012 slate appear in this week's NSCAA National poll. Four of those teams (all MSU non-conference opponents) are in the current NSCAA Top 10: No. 2 Connecticut, No. 7 Akron, No. 8 Notre Dame, and No. 10 Marquette. Indiana is No. 11, followed by Northwestern at No. 18.

  • Some significant injuries have shortened MSU's bench this season, with players being lost for the remainder of the year. Starting back Josh Barens has not seen the field at all this season, but is expected to be ready to go for spring training and games. He will apply for a medical redshirt season. Freshman Andrew Herr sustained a season-ending injury in the exhibition game vs. IPFW, and will also apply for a medical redshirt.
          MSU lost two players for the remainder of the season during the Big Ten/BIG EAST Challenge - Wesley Curtis sustained his injury against Notre Dame, and Kyle Rutz in the home game against Marquette.

  • Just six field players have appeared in all nine games for MSU this season - Adam Montague, Luke Norman, Ryan Thelen, Ryan Keener, Fatai Alashe, and Kevin Cope. Bryce Dobbins has played every minute for the Spartans at keeper.

  • Head Coach Damon Rensing is in his fourth season as head coach, but embarks on his 14th on the Spartan sideline after a standout career for the Spartans (1993-96). Rensing is 31-23-9 in his first three seasons as head coach, but MSU boasts an 110-64-21 (.619) overall record with Rensing on the sidelines, including 11 or more wins in eight seasons.
          Kylie Stannard and Ben Pirmann serve as the Spartan assistants. Pirmann is also a former Spartan letterwinner, and previously served the program as the volunteer assistant before returning to his alma mater after a coaching stint at Western Michigan. Stannard is a graduate of Creighton, which reached the Elite Eight twice in his career and the semifinals once. Prior to coming to MSU, he was an assistant coach at Northern Illinois. This past summer, Stannard made his debut as the head coach of Detroit City FC, which plays in the National Premier Soccer League. Former MSU keeper Jeremy Clark, (2008-11), is now in his first season as the team's volunteer coach.

  • Michigan State was selected third in the pre-season Big Ten men's soccer poll. In conjunction with the pre-season survey, Senior Domenic Barone , junior Kevin Cope and sophomore Adam Montague were mentioned on the Big Ten 2012 Players to Watch List.

  • There are lots of great ways to follow the soccer program - as well as all 25 of MSU's varsity sports - other than gameday. Videos, previews, and game recaps can be found at www.MSUSpartans.com, while coverage of the team on twitter can be found at @MSUMSoccer and @MSU_Athletics . On facebook, "like" us at www.facebook.com/pages/Michigan-State-Mens-Soccer.

  • The Big Ten Network will televise three Michigan State men's soccer games live this season. MSU's showdown Sunday with 2011 regular-season and Big Ten Tournament champion Northwestern at DeMartin Stadium is the first game of the three, and the other home game which will be shown is the Oct. 21 date with Wisconsin. The Oct. 14 game at Penn State is the other live broadcast for MSU during the regular season.
          The Big Ten Network will also televise the Big Ten Tournament, which will be held Nov. 7-11 at Northwestern.

  • The Spartans next game will be next Sunday, Oct. 7th, when they will travel to Columbus to take on Ohio State. Kickoff time is 12 p.m.

     

     

     

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