MSU fifth-year senior goalkeeper Mike "Mikey" Robinson is cool.

Well, that's what junior sweeper Kellen Kalso - Robinson's longtime friend and playing partner going back to Vardar Soccer Club in Metro Detroit - will tell you.

"(Mike) is real laid-back, he doesn't do much, he just chills," Kalso said. "He takes his school pretty seriously. When he's not in school, when he's not on the field, he just lets it all go and listens to music and relaxes."

Robinson agrees with his friend.

"I'm a pretty calm, even-keel person, so I don't get real jacked-up," Robinson said of preparing for games. "We have a routine we go through and that helps me get focused, lets me know when it's game time."

His focus was clear last week. Robinson was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Monday off the heels of a six-save effort in the Spartans' 1-1 tie with No. 21 Indiana. The tie was the first time MSU has either defeated or tied the Hoosiers since 1965. The tie ended Indiana's 36-game win streak against Big Ten opponents in the regular season.

"I honestly find it more of a team award because I let up a goal and only had six saves and our defense limited them to only a few chances," Robinson said. "I honestly praise the rest of the team before myself because I only make a few saves a game, and I have stats that show defensive (progress)."

Keeping his team with Indiana comes as little surprise to MSU head soccer coach Joe Baum. The longtime coach has seen a plethora of goal talent in his time at MSU but chalks Robinson's abilities with the very best in Spartan history.

"I think right now he's playing as well as any goalie that I've coached," Baum said. "He's just very good in the air. He's a great shot saver. He distributes the ball very well, a great communicator. He's played as well as any goalie I've coached here in 27 years."

But the 6-foot-1 goalkeeper hasn't always had it so easy.

After the 2001 season, which included an NCAA Tournament bid - the Spartans' first since 1969 - Robinson's progress was slowed by a knee injury. Then-senior Tyler Robinson took over for the Troy native, posting stellar numbers that earned him a first-team All-Big Ten selection.

"Mikey" continued his cool way after losing his starting post.

"He handled that as professionally as any player I've ever seen," Baum said. "He was Tyler's No. 1 supporter - he was Tyler's No. 1 fan.

"I think a lot of young men might have been a little sad or a little upset, but, hey, he just handled that with class and professionalism. I admire him not only as a player but a person. He's a great person."

Now as the Spartans sit at 4-2-2, after a 1-1 tie at Northwestern on Monday, Robinson only has to focus on his final season in the green-and-white and a degree in marketing that he will receive in December. What he'll miss most about his time at MSU is the opportunity he's had as a member of the MSU men's soccer team.

"It's been well worth my time," Robinson said.