With MSU attempting to avoid their first consecutive negative outcomes of the season, the Spartans delivered a durable performance Wednesday afternoon, defeating Bowling Green, 1-0.
MSU entered the game 5-2, following their second defeat of the season in a road trip to Maryland, the No.1 team in the nation. Bowling Green was 6-2-1 before coming to East Lansing, including a 2-0 win versus Ohio State.
MSU dominated possession and control the flow of the game in the first half, but there wasn’t a single clear-cut scoring opportunity for either side. The best chances for MSU came in the form of dangerous free kicks and set piece deliveries, and entering the second period, MSU led the shot count 6-3.
Just a minute and a half into the second half, that changed. Ken Krolicki and Connor Corrigan paired up for an open look on the left wing. Corrigan bent in a near-post searching cross, and freshman attacking midfielder Giuseppe Barone correspondingly timed his dash, cleanly contacting the ball with the crown of his head.
The shot zoomed to the bottom near corner of the goal and would have gone further if not for the instantaneous reflexes of Bowling Green goalkeeper Anthony Mwembia. The ball was palmed behind for MSU’s fourth corner of the game.
The next potential breakthrough for MSU came 15 minutes later, when after an adroit back-heel knock-on from Barone at the top of the box, the most gaping opening appeared. Sophomore forward Ryan Sierakowski surged forward but his seemingly clean look at goal was denied by the determination and industriousness of Bowling Green center back Moe Mustafa, who made an amazing recovery and blocked the attempt.
It wasn’t long before Mustafa’s considerable exertion was negated, however. MSU junior midfielder Brad Centala nicked away possession far up the field and elected to advance the ball immediately, with a zipping pass that caromed over to Barone. Not pausing to settle, Barone reenacted his previous back-heel and aptly played Sierakowski in on goal, again.
This time, it worked out better for MSU. The sophomore attacker took the ball inside of his right foot before loading a traveling shot that beat Mwembia and met the net. The Spartans took a 1-0 lead.
Yet, in the final minute of the game, the referee’s pause and point almost dramatically shifted the tone of the match. Following a bang-bang collision between ball and body, Bowling Green mobbed the official to appeal for a hand ball. With a signaling to the corner flag, however, the Falcons visibly and audibly remonstrated, as the Spartans withstood the final try.
MSU moves to 6-2 on the season and is ranked no. 25 in the NSCAA Coaches’ Poll. They next visit Ohio State (3-6 overall record) on Sunday.
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