Like Batman lurking in the shadows, the MSU men’s soccer team appeared as if from nowhere to take second place in the Big Ten this season.
The Spartans (10-5-1 overall, 4-1-1 Big Ten) clinched second place, shutting out Wisconsin (9-7-1, 2-3) 2-0 on Senior Day at Old College Field on Sunday.
MSU head coach Joe Baum said the win sent a message to the rest of the Big Ten.
“We really feel that we are the second-best team in this conference and it’s a great conference, and I think we came out and made a statement to show that today,” he said.
Indiana earned the No. 1 position.
After getting off to a good start this season, winning four straight, the Spartans fell in a rut, losing four in a row, only to accelerate in the latter half of the season with a five-game winning streak. The culmination of that final steak came during Sunday’s 2-0 win over Wisconsin that clinched MSU a No. 2 seed in the Big Ten tournament.
Baum said the seniors stayed positive even when the team was down and that mentality translated to the younger players.
“We started fast, then we were 5-5-1,” Baum said. “Nobody on this team ever got negative. We never heard any negative things in practice or in games. We just stayed positive, worked hard and good things happened.”
The game started slow with no first-half goals, but MSU took off in the second half.
Baum said while the team had a slow start, the second half ranked among its best games, including last weekend’s win over then-No. 15 Penn State.
“Sometimes you kind of get wrapped up in the emotion of that and I felt in the first half we weren’t crisp, but then in the second half I thought we picked it up,” Baum said.
During the 75th minute in the second half, freshman forward Craig Hearn, who leads the team in shot attempts with more than 30, made good on one of those attempts. The goal ended up being the game winner, but freshman forward Thomas Trivelloni sealed the game with 15 minutes remaining.
Trivelloni, who ran to the fence behind the goal where his family was watching to hug his mother, said he was sentimental since it was his brother Mike Trivelloni’s - a senior forward - final home game.
“It was just kind of emotional,” Trivelloni said. “Then (before) the second half, coach had a talk with us, got us pumped up and wanted us to win second place so we came out and did it.”
Senior goalkeeper T.J. Lieckfelt, who recorded his fourth and a half shutout of the season with six saves, said the win was not only special because it was Senior Day but also because he has never been on the team when it beat Wisconsin. He also added that the win was huge in terms of ending the season on a high note going into the Big Ten tournament.
“I won’t be scared to play any team in the Big Ten now, including Indiana,” Lieckfelt said. “I’m not saying we’re going to beat Indiana but I won’t be afraid to play any team. In previous years we were a little bit outmatched. This year I don’t see any team that outmatches us.”
