Spartans will close out season at U-M Friday

The MSU women’s soccer team will travel to Ann Arbor on Friday with hopes of winning its last game of the season against Michigan.

MSU (7-10-1 overall, 1-8-0 Big Ten) is feeling additional pressure to beat U-M (3-9-5 overall, 1-5-3 Big Ten) this season.

“It’s always a huge game, but there is added significance because the two football teams are playing each other, too,” MSU head coach Tom Saxton said.

“This is such a classic intrastate rivalry.”

Like Saxton, senior goalkeeper Nicole Galas has her sights set on a Spartan victory.

“(Beating U-M) is always important, but this year it’s more important because our year hasn’t gone how we wanted it to,” Galas said.

Although MSU is 1-8 in the Big Ten, they have won seven games overall. That’s four more than U-M.

“We have had one of our best non-league seasons ever,” Saxton said. “You never know what’s going to happen in Big Ten soccer.”

Though the team has had a run for its money in the Big Ten Conference, the Spartans are prepared to take on the Wolverines.

“We need to focus on the good things,” Galas said. “Losing is disappointing É but we are looking forward to playing U-M. We are going to come out and play our best soccer of the year.”

Saxton has been looking at footage of past games and studying U-M’s team in order to prepare.

“I watched U-M play Illinois in person to learn more about their team and get ready for the game,” he said.

The team, seniors especially, are ready to take on the Wolverines. It will be the last game of their Spartan careers for the 10 MSU seniors.

Galas said winning on Friday would be a great end to this season and her MSU soccer career.

“Myself and the rest of our team is pleased with our performance,” Galas said.

“It’s not a lack of effort. We have just had a bit of bad luck.”

Saxton is pleased with the effort the team has brought to the field time and again throughout the season.

“I have no doubts we’ll come ready to play,” Saxton said. “I could take the week off and our team would still be ready to play.”

Published on Wednesday, October 31, 2007