And with the Spartans scoring by committee, opponents have to play lockdown defense on the entire team, instead of just focusing on the strikers.

“It’s good that we are spreading the wealth out,” said junior midfielder Jeff Ricondo, one of three Spartans leading the team with two goals this season. “We definitely need different guys to step up at different times, whether it’s the guys up top or the guys in the middle or out wide.”

Although the Spartans scored four goals in Sunday’s game, with junior goalkeeper Avery Steinlage between the woodwork, they’ve only needed to find the back of the net once to earn victories.

Steinlage played 76 minutes in Sunday’s match and all 90 minutes8 in Friday’s 2-0 win over Lipscomb in the first game of the Michigan Invitational, keeping his NCAA consecutive shutout record alive. He has now played 1,165 minutes, 8 seconds consecutively without allowing a goal.

The Spartans (3-0-1) took control of the game early and didn’t let up, earning three corner kicks within the first ten minutes of the game.

At the 20-minute mark, sophomore forward Mark Barone entered the game as a substitute and, just over two minutes later, scored first.

Senior defender Tim Granaderos made a lengthy run down the right side and caught up to a long through pass before firing a perfect cross into the box. Barone got on the end of the cross and easily headed the ball into the goal.

“There was a great buildup to that goal,” MSU head coach Damon Rensing said. “Timmy sent a fantastic ball and Mark was right there and made no mistake.”

At the 25-minute mark, Wright State senior midfielder Jonah Longino received a red card, causing the Raiders to play a man down for the rest of the game.

Rensing said the ejection “deflated” Wright State and gave the Spartans more time in the midfield to set up their attack.

And in the 41st minute, Ricondo took advantage of that extra space, juking a Wright State defender before unleashing a shot from 25 yards out with so much pace that, even though the opposing goalkeeper got a hand on it, was unable to be kept out of the goal.

Sophomore forward Domenic Barone tacked on another goal for the Spartans in the 63rd minute and sophomore defender Stephen Lucianek scored his first career goal in the 83rd minute to round out the scoring for the Spartans.

“I was pretty excited to get that first goal,” Lucianek said. “Domenic (Barone) played a perfect ball to me on the set piece, and I was pretty much wide open. I tried to get a lot of power on the header and, as soon as I hit it, I knew it had a chance.”

With two wins this weekend, Rensing said his team is confident as they prepare for a road trip to San Diego, Calif. for their last two nonconference games.

“We’re going to play two teams that are going to be a little different than who we played here and we’re going to get tested out there for sure,” Rensing said. “It will be a good weekend to see where we are as a program for the 2009 team.”