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Men's soccer plays to scoreless draw with Valparaiso

August 24, 2012

Editor’s note: This story has been changed to accurately reflect the correct day of the game against Valparaiso.

The MSU men’s soccer team opened up the 2012 season with a 0-0 draw against Valparaiso Friday at DeMartin Stadium at Old College Field.

Head coach Damon Rensing said the team shot the ball well for most of the game and defended well in the draw.

“A 0-0 draw is a tough one,” he said. “You want to win when you’re at home. Are we happy, no, but we’re not disappointed either.”

Rensing said the squad has a few things to work on before they face New Hampshire on Sunday, but the strong piece of the team is in the back line.

“We’ve just got to work on some things in the final third and I think that’ll definitely help us,” he said. “Certainly we’re happy with the defense. Our team defended as a unit pretty well.”

Senior forward Domenic Barone said finishing around the net was a struggle.

“We built up and had our chances around the box, but that final ball just seemed a couple inches off,” he said.

Still, he said this was the first official game and they have some strategies to prepare for New Hampshire on Sunday.

“It was the first game and we had ten new guys, so the chemistry takes a bit to get there,” Barone said. “We’ll watch video tomorrow and hove it figured out by Sunday so we can knock a bunch in.”

Junior defender Kevin Cope agrees with coach Rensing that the Spartans played good defense against Valparaiso.

“We’re a pretty close knit group in the back line and we play well together,” he said.

Just like his coach and teammates, he thinks they need to play better to get the win on Sunday.

“I think from top to bottom we can improve and that’s something we can do on Sunday,” Cope said. “Overall as a team we expect to win every game and when that doesn’t happen there’s a little bit of disappointment.”

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