Men's soccer announces 2014 schedule
Following a successful season that saw a MSU-record 14 wins and
Following a successful season that saw a MSU-record 14 wins and
South Bend, Ind. — The run is over. The 11th seeded MSU men’s soccer team’s season came to an end Saturday night after a 2-1 loss to three-seed Notre Dame in the Elite Eight.
The MSU men’s soccer team is entering relatively uncharted territory. For the first time since 1968, the 11th-seeded Spartans are headed to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight after a 1-0 upset victory against Georgetown on Sunday afternoon. They take on Notre Dame at 7 p.m. Saturday with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
Kevin Cope doesn’t want his senior year to end. The senior center back put his already-battered body on the line many times to help the No. 11-seed MSU men’s soccer team upset the No. 6-seed Georgetown Hoyas 1-0 Sunday afternoon in Washington.
After a mostly deadlocked game, it was a Tim Kreutz header from 10 yards out with 6:29 left in the second overtime that sealed a 1-0 win for the No.
The season isn’t over for the men’s soccer team. Despite a 1-0 loss to Indiana Sunday afternoon in the Big Ten Tournament Championship game, the Spartans earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
A second half goal denied the No. 20 men’s soccer team its second straight Big Ten Championship in a row after a 1-0 loss to Indiana on Sunday in Columbus, Ohio. Jamie Vollmer netted a 66th-minute goal to earn the Hoosiers (8-11-2) an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
A chance at a repeat is still in the cards. The No. 20 MSU men’s soccer team beat Ohio State 2-0 in the first round of the Big Ten Men’s Soccer Tournament in Columbus, Ohio Wednesday afternoon.
With eyes on a repeat championship, the MSU men’s soccer team kicks off the Big Ten tournament Wednesday afternoon.
It’s safe to say Zach Bennett is one of the best goalkeepers in the country. The sophomore goalkeeper at the back of the No. 18 MSU men’s soccer team is ninth in the country in save percentage (.865), 15th in total saves (90), 17th in saves per game (5.29) and 32nd in goals against average (.769).
The fall of 2012 wasn’t kind to the MSU women’s soccer team. Three players suffered anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, tears across a stretch of games, an injury becoming increasingly common in women’s athletics. Then-sophomore Lisa Vogel and then-senior Kelsey Kassabf each tore an ACL. Kassab tore hers just one game prior to teammate Jessica White’s, while Vogel tore hers in a game against Iowa. In only her third soccer match in a Spartan uniform, White suffered her torn ACL, something female athletes face more than men.
The Big Bear is coming back to East Lansing. The No. 18 MSU men’s soccer team finished off the regular season in style with a 2-0 win against arch rival Michigan Saturday afternoon at DeMartin Stadium.
It all comes down to this. The last game of the regular season for the No. 18 MSU men’s soccer team (9-4-3 overall, 2-2-1 Big Ten) against Michigan (8-5-3 overall, 3-2 Big Ten), and senior day presents the Spartans with one emotional afternoon at DeMartin Stadium, in the Battle for The Big Bear Trophy.
Two goals separated by less than a minute sunk the No. 18 MSU men’s soccer team as they fell 2-0 to No. 1 Notre Dame Tuesday afternoon. Notre Dame’s Harrison Shipp scored in the 60th minute, and Vince Cicciarelli tallied 37 seconds later to put the game out of reach.
In the final game of the season, the MSU women’s soccer team was unable to upset No. 22 Penn State, as the Nittany Lions came away with the 3-0 victory on the back of Maya Hayes’ two goals. Penn State (13-5-1 overall, 7-4 Big Ten) derailed the Spartans (9-8-2 overall, 3-8 Big Ten) on senior day at DeMartin Stadium when they honored lone senior and MSU defender Kelsey Mullen. Mullen injured her knee in early October and missed four games prior to Friday, but head coach Tom Saxton was determined Mullen would play her final game in a Spartan game.
An own goal in the first half sunk the No. 17 MSU men’s soccer team as they fell to Wisconsin 1-0 in Madison, Wisc., Sunday afternoon. The Spartans (8-3-3 overall, 1-2-1 Big Ten) officially were eliminated from contention for the Big Ten regular season title after Penn State beat Northwestern in double overtime earlier that day.
For the second-consecutive season, the MSU women’s soccer team will not make a trip to the Big Ten Tournament. After a 2-1 victory at Northwestern on Friday to stay in the hunt for a tournament berth, the Spartans (9-7-2 overall, 3-7-0 Big Ten) couldn’t find a way to win against Illinois (9-7-2, 4-5-1), losing 2-0 Sunday afternoon.
Despite difficult playing conditions and winds up to 20 miles per hour, the MSU women’s soccer team beat Northwestern, 2-1, in Evanston, Ill., on Friday night. MSU (9-6-2 overall, 3-6-0 Big Ten) quickly fell behind the Wildcats (3-12-2, 1-8-0) when, in the 15th minute, Northwestern midfielder Margo McGinty shot from 18 yards out and got it past Gauruder in the top left corner of the net. Head coach Tom Saxton said the Wildcats got the best of them physically in the early going and got better position than the Spartans.
For the fourth time in the last five games, the men’s soccer team had to go to double overtime to see the end of a contest. The No. 17 Spartans (8-2-3 overall, 1-1-1 Big Ten) played to a 0-0 draw against No. 18 Akron (10-3-1) in Akron, Ohio Wednesday night.
In her third year of college, Kirsten Evans is in her first as a Spartan. Out of high school, the redshirt sophomore midfielder committed to the Vanderbilt women’s soccer team. Because of an injury after just six games into her freshman year, she was sidelined the remainder of the season. After being redshirted in 2012, the Farmington Hills, Mich., native left Nashville and transferred to MSU at the winter break, joining the Spartan women’s soccer team this spring.