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Baum's 32-year career draws to close with 3-2 loss in NCAA Tournament

November 25, 2008

It came down to one last shot.

After 32 years, 320 wins and countless goals scored, the coaching career of men’s soccer coach Joe Baum came down to a penalty kick.

The elder statesman of MSU athletics, Baum had seen plenty of penalty kicks before. With 22 winning seasons under his belt, including the last nine, Baum had seen enough games come down to the wire.

But this one was special.

In his final season, the MSU men’s soccer team used its coach as motivation, winning the Big Ten regular-season championship for the first time in school history and winning the Big Ten Tournament for only the second time.

The team’s unbelievable stretch of games to end the season, in which it only allowed one goal through the course of the final nine games, earned the Spartans a No. 4 seed and home-field advantage in the NCAA Tournament.

The team they were playing was even familiar, since Illinois-Chicago competed in East Lansing earlier this season.

The Flames battled MSU on Oct. 15 hard as well, staying with the Spartans until midway through the second half. At that point senior forward Doug DeMartin went on his usual scoring run, netting two goals in the half to end the game 3-1.

But this game didn’t have that scoring run.

There were no goals in the first half, and none in the second half. There were no goals in overtime.

As the team lined up for penalty kicks, the crowd rose to its feet, cheering as loud as humanly possible in 34-degree weather, hoping the team could extend Baum’s miracle season.

And through three rounds of kicks it looked possible.

Goalkeeper Avery Steinlage sent the crowd into a frenzy, waving his arms in the air as the stands thundered and shook, as all 1,115 fans in attendance stomped their feet on the metal bleachers, rattling the structure like a giant drum.

But with the shots tied, 2-2, senior midfielder Zac Scaffidi missed wide left. On the next kick, Flames midfielder Charlie Trout beat Steinlage to force MSU to make one last kick.

“They’ve been there a couple times before,” Baum said. “I think they’re very confident, their goalie was an All-American last year. They went in with a lot of confidence and I give them credit. They did what they had to do.”

Senior defender Josh Rogers had scored twice before on penalty kicks, including in last year’s Big Ten Tournament win over Penn State, but this time it wasn’t to be.

The kick — low and to the right — was tipped away.

Rogers crumpled to the ground in agony, but Baum — ever proud of his team — wouldn’t let them be sad.

“I said, ‘Listen, you’ve taken MSU men’s soccer to new heights,’” Baum said. “You’ve had a great year. I know this is disappointing, but walk out of here proud.

“‘Walk out of here feeling good about what you did for MSU.’ So when they sit down and reflect back I think it will be happy feelings.”

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The team felt it was special what it could do for Baum in his final year, Scaffidi said.

“We got on a roll,” Scaffidi said. “We started winning games and we weren’t letting teams score. Joe was there every step of the way. With his emotion just driving us, just pushing us, running us in practice every day.

“He just always puts all of his heart and soul out there for us. I think that’s what we did during the regular season for him.”

And that heart and soul will forever be ingrained on Old College Field as he walks into the sunset.

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