Leftovers from Western Michigan game

The MSU men’s soccer team’s game against Western Michigan turned out to be much closer than expected.

Although the Spartans won the game 2-0, MSU scored their goals in the third minute and in the 79th minute with the Broncos dictating most of the play throughout the game.

MSU head coach Damon Rensing credited Western Michigan’s scouting for keeping the game close.

And the key behind the good scouting report came from former Spartan Ben Pirmann, who was a senior last season and now is an assistant coach at Western Michigan.

“We knew they would be prepared for us, because Ben is the assistant coach and he knows all our players,” Rensing said. “It all came together for them.”

Pirmann was a three-year starter for the Spartans at the outside midfield position and recorded one goal and 13 assists in his career at MSU.

“You could tell all the players knew our weak points and our strong points,” junior defender Colin Givens said. “They came out well prepared and gave us a good challenge.”

The Spartans will look for their first conference victory at the road against Wisconsin on Sunday. The game will be aired live on the Big Ten Network, with kickoff at 4 p.m.