Led by Indiana forward Jacob Peterson's three goals, the MSU men's soccer team lost to the No. 10 Hoosiers, 3-1, Sunday at Old College Field.

MSU tied the Hoosiers last year, 1-1, but the Spartans have yet to emerge with a victory, leaving the record at 31 consecutive Spartans losses to the Hoosiers, dating back to 1965.

Head coach Joe Baum called Peterson "such a fine player."

"We should have doubled down on him," he said. "However, we created pretty good chances with 10 shots and one goal; we just need to become more effective with it."

Knowing the diligence of the Hoosiers, the Spartans played the first half to their advantage. The defense blocked all five of Indiana's first-half shots, leaving the score 0-0.

Even with the defense keeping the play safe on the scoreboard, the Spartans still seemed to be all over the field. The Spartans played forcefully until the close of the first half.

"We attacked offensively and I'm proud of the way the guys played today," sophomore goalkeeper Jason Tillman said. "The team played a hell of a game. Our defensive line played excellent out there."

Tillman finished with four saves.

The fierce drives the Spartans created showed how determined they were not to let Indiana's reputation force them to fall short of a winning game.

The Hoosiers gained control in the second half with Peterson's first two goals of the game less then five minutes apart.

The intensity on the field was at its peak and seemed to have frustrated the Spartans.

MSU tried to fight back as freshman midfielder Ryan Dick wrestled down the field with Hoosiers midfielder Pat Yates trying to get a scoring opportunity.

With less than four minutes to go in the game, junior midfielder Ryan McMahen scored the Spartans' first and only goal of the game.

But with less than two minutes left on the clock, Peterson scored his third goal of the game.

MSU senior forward Jordan Gruber remained consistent throughout the entire game with one shot on goal.

"We played our hearts out," Gruber said. "We had a lot of good chances to score, just lacked timing. But we played, defensively, well."

Should the Spartans have played Indiana later in the season, Gruber said it would not necessarily have allotted more time for strategizing.

"We played well by blocking a few of their balls," Gruber said. "But I think when we play them again, the results will be different."

After the game, Baum told his players to walk off the field proud.

"Overall, I thought we did a good job today," said Baum.