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Humble MSU men's soccer team has skill to win the Big Ten

September 28, 2010

Freshman defender Josh Barens tries to clear the ball across midfield against Marquette. The Spartans defeated the Golden Eagles, 1-0, on Sept. 17 at DeMartin Stadium at Old College Field.

Photo by Josh Radtke | The State News

Soccer can be a sport filled with theatrics.

The acting can — and does — turn many American fans off of the sport. But the No. 11 MSU men’s soccer team doesn’t dive in agony when a player hardly is touched. Even when a player is injured, he attempts to get up and continue to play.

I’d like to think the lack of floppers comparable to Wisconsin’s men’s basketball team is a large reason the Spartans (7-1, 1-0 Big Ten) are out to such a hot start.

In Sunday’s Big Ten opener against Northwestern — a team ranked No. 9 in the preseason — MSU’s slide tackles were so picture perfect they didn’t even touch the opposition, leaving Northwestern players no chance to pretend to be injured.

And the Wildcats were issued three yellow cards — without any Spartan staying on the ground trying to persuade the referees.

MSU was slighted in preseason polls. Sure, the Spartans were No. 24 — behind four other Big Ten teams. In the exhibition season, they beat No. 11 Duke. The Spartans also started the season with a win against No. 6 Maryland.

In the second game of the season, they were blown out by Georgetown. And after that loss is where I began to see why this team has what it takes to go far. Really far.

Players told me they arrived in Georgetown on too much of a confidence high after the Maryland win and let the Hoyas get the better of them when their minds weren’t in the game. They admitted it grounded them and made them realize the season is played one game at a time.

The lesson learned wasn’t an act: It was a true reality check.

Since that loss, the Spartans have had a six-game win streak, including tough road wins at Notre Dame and Duquesne and four games at DeMartin Stadium at Old College Field.

The team knows the 7-1 start is great. Now the highest ranked Big Ten team, the Spartans know they’re the team to beat. But they don’t act like it.

Being picked to finish fifth in the Big Ten might have lit a fire underneath the team. Or, it could be that the returning players and freshmen just were underestimated.

No matter what the case, this team is good, and now they’ve earned the respect of those who wouldn’t give them the time of day a month ago.

This team is showing that the pieces they have in place are some of the best in the nation.

Senior goalkeeper Avery Steinlage has three shutouts and part of a fourth.

Defenders senior Colin Givens and junior Kevin Cope have shut down opposing forwards.

Midfielders junior Cyrus Saydee and seniors Spencer Thompson and Jeff Ricondo have shown they can pass and score at will.

And junior forwards Rubin Bega and Mark Barone have not stopped barraging opposing goalies with shots.

In eight games, the team has scored 19 goals and given up just nine — seven of those came in the first two games. Since those first two games, the opposing teams barely can sniff the net.

Despite the low preseason ranking, the Spartans are acting as though they have a target on their back as Big Ten play gets underway.

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Of course the team said it was happy to get to 1-0 Big Ten start — after last year’s 0-3 start — but there is a lot more work to do.

That starts Sunday at Ohio State and Oct. 10 at Penn State.

The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions are the other two Big Ten teams still ranked.

Being away from DeMartin will be tough, but the Spartans have proved they can win in tough locations this year.

More importantly, they’ve proved no one is welcome at home, giving up just one goal — in garbage time of a 4-1 win against Niagara.

If MSU continues to play like one of the best teams in the country and doesn’t act like an overconfident group of thespians, the sky is the limit.

Pat Evans is a State News sports reporter. He can be reached at evanspa7@msu.edu.

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