Following a 4-0 loss to No. 14 ranked Notre Dame on Tuesday, the men’s soccer team has now fallen to 3-3-1 on the season, and for the third consecutive game, the Spartans failed to score a goal.
Through seven games this season the Spartans have scored only six goals, four of which coming in a shutout victory against Niagara on Sept. 4.
Since that game, the Spartans have only scored one goal in four contests. Albeit the Spartans have played three consecutive games against opponents ranked higher than them (No. 1 ranked Creighton, No. 4 ranked Maryland and No. 14 ranked Notre Dame), it’s safe to say the offense needs to step it up.
Even with goals coming at a premium, the offense took another step back on Tuesday when a ball bounced off sophomore defender Brad Centala and rolled past senior goalkeeper Zach Bennett for an own goal, which put the icing on the cake that would be a 4-0 loss against Notre Dame.
Thus far on the season, the Spartans have been able to compete with some of the top teams in the nation. Losing 1-0 to No. 1 ranked Creighton and tying No. 4 ranked Maryland 0-0 proves the antidote for this problem lies in key offensive pieces stepping up.
In order for the Spartans to be a threat come tournament time, they will need contributions from all key offensive pieces.
Players such as senior midfielder Jason Stacy, junior midfielder Dewey Lewis, sophomore midfielder Ken Krolicki and freshmen forwards Ryan Sierakowski and DeJuan Jones will need to step up.
The Spartans are hoping moving forward and scoring won’t be an issue, as the regular season schedule is slated to become easier.
“You get beat 4-0 and you don’t really want to think about it anyways,” senior goalkeeper Bennett told the media following Tuesday’s loss against Notre Dame. “You try to grab on to the fact that it’s early in the Big Ten season. We’re fine in the Big Ten, which is one of our main goals.
“A tie with Maryland isn’t the worst result, and so if we can get back on track with Rutgers, from that standpoint we’ll be fine.”
An improved Spartan offense would complement the already potent defense and make for a lethal combination. Five of the seven games this season have been decided by one goal or fewer, and in those games the Spartans are 2-2-1.
“We’re 3-3-1 after a really tough stretch of games,” head coach Damon Rensing said. “It could be a lot worse. We’re not happy with where we are right now but if we look at ourselves, correct our errors, and get back to working hard, we’re going to be alright this year.
“It’s not something you can just replicate in training. You can practice, you can focus on shooting, but some of it just comes down to the right decisions and the right plays in the right moments.”
It’s going to be important for the Spartans to find offense and find it quick. Four of the next six games for MSU are Big Ten Conference games, with three of those teams (Penn State, Wisconsin and Rutgers) ahead of MSU in the Big Ten standings.
This stretch of games could make or break a season for head coach Damon Rensing and the Spartans who are looking to return to the NCAA tournament. The quest for finding some offensive production starts Friday, with MSU set to take on Rutgers in a key conference match up. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
