A core of veterans on the MSU men's soccer team say they are determined to make their last year as Spartans count.
Nine seniors will grace the men's soccer lineup come fall, something senior goalkeeper Mike Robinson says will give the Spartans an edge.
"I'm definitely looking forward to this season," he said. "We have a very deep, experienced team. The seniors we have this year have played together since they were freshmen, and if we focus, we'll do really well this year."
In 2001, the Spartans made it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1969. But last season, a 12-7 record and an upset over No. 4 Virginia was not enough to earn the Spartans another bid to the NCAA Tournament.
This year, junior midfielder Jordan Gruber said the team won't be looking ahead of itself.
"We haven't really set any goals, just to take it a game at a time, as cliché as that is," he said. "Last year we set all these goals and everything kind of got lost in it."
MSU is returning five of its six top scorers from last season, including Gruber, who leads all returnees with 19 points, and senior midfielder Nick DeGraw, with 11.
But one obstacle the team has yet to overcome will be the loss of goalie Tyler Robinson to graduation.
In Tyler Robinson's senior campaign between the posts, he collected All-Big Ten First Team, All-Great Lakes Region, Academic All-America and Academic All-Big Ten honors, as well as posting six shutouts while maintaining an anemic 1.27 goals against average.
The main candidate to replace Tyler will be Mike Robinson, who had a 1.27 goals against average and four shutouts in 2001 before surrendering the starting job to Tyler.
Gruber said that should make for a smooth transition.
"Mike's an outstanding goalie, I don't think we'll miss a beat," he said. "He started a year before Tyler, so he knows what to do to be successful."
Goalkeepers Chris Austin and Jason Tilman, midfielders Matt Kreikemeier and Ryan Dick, and defenders John Folino and Greg Janicki are six freshmen who also will add depth on the bench, Gruber said. Tilman, Kreikemeier and Dick earned All-State recognition in their senior seasons, while Janicki earned a third-place finish in Michigan's Mr. Soccer award.
MSU begins its season with a pair of exhibition games this weekend at Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne. Kickoff for the first game is set for 9 p.m. on Friday against Rutgers.
