Thursday, March 28, 2024

Spartans earn 10th win of the season with 2-0 win over Yale

October 19, 2016
Junior defender Brad Centala (8) dribbles the ball up the field during the game on Oct. 11, 2016 at DeMartin Stadium at Old College Field. The Spartans defeated the Zips, 2-1.
Junior defender Brad Centala (8) dribbles the ball up the field during the game on Oct. 11, 2016 at DeMartin Stadium at Old College Field. The Spartans defeated the Zips, 2-1. —
Photo by Nic Antaya | and Nic Antaya The State News

The penultimate home game of the season against Yale was all about defending. After the one-goal loss to Penn State the weekend before, MSU shored up the back line and guarded the home turf, as an early goal for MSU allowed the Spartans to play conservatively for the rest of the game, which eventually settled 2-0 for the Spartans.

Sixteen minutes into the first half, MSU scored off of a long throw-in from senior defender Dewey Lewis. The ball glided to the edge of the box and was flicked on by junior defender Jimmy Fiscus. Redshirt senior midfielder Andrew Herr, connected squarely with a half-skip volley and stung the ball on the ground towards goal.

Yale goalkeeper Kees Schipper was afforded only a limited sight of the oncoming shot with the Yale defenders all attempting to break up the eventual goal. They couldn't, and Herr's first goal of the season earned MSU the early lead.

In the second half, both sides effectively reduced the frequency of advantage attacking, and the result was a relatively slow-paced period. Headed shots on corner kicks represented the vast majority of meaningful motions until the 79th minute. 

Sophomore attacker Ryan Sierakowski wrestled free a turnover in great position, triggering a two-on-one counter attack for MSU. Well defended by Yale, however, a deflected pass drifted into a wide channel. Junior attacking midfielder Ken Krolicki quickly pounced back onto possession. Composing himself with two dainty dribbles, he flicked in an inaccurate delivery.

Inaccurate meant on-target for MSU, though, and Krolicki's intended cross perfectly snuck into the far convergence of goal and net for the 2-0 lead. With just three shots in the game from Yale, MSU's lead was safe.

The defensive struggle as a whole was interrupted by only nine collective attempts on the game. MSU redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Jimmy Hague had just one official save en route to a clean sheet, his only labor coming at the start of the second half.

The win was enough for MSU to claim its tenth of the season. Next up for MSU, Northwestern will come to DeMartin Stadium on Saturday for Senior Day.

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