Defense was the name of the game for the first 15 minutes. Both teams had opportunities, but neither could find the back of the net.

In the 21st minute, junior defender Ryan Keener got his head on a cross that sailed just wide of the Akron net.

Less than five minutes later, junior forward Adam Montague headed a shot of his own past wide of the Akron keeper Fernando Pina.

With less than a minute left in the half, sophomore goalkeeper Zach Bennett made a pair of clutch saves to keep the game scoreless headed to the locker room.

Akron ended the first half outshooting the Spartans 11-2.

The second half began with Akron taking control of the ball, but Bennett and Keener held down the back and kept the game scoreless.

Junior forward Tim Kreutz let loose MSU’s only shot on goal of regulation time in the 69th minute, but Pina was there to gobble it up.

The Spartans headed to overtime and again relied on Bennett to keep them in the game.

He was forced to make a pair of acrobatic saves in the first overtime, and made another big one early in the second OT.

Kreutz had only the second shot on goal of the game for MSU with just two seconds left.

Akron dominated the Spartans is nearly every category, outshooting them 23-5 and earning more corners by a tally of 13-6.

Bennett made at least one save in every period, and the Spartans had at least two fouls in each stage of the game, including a yellow card issued to Montague in the 31st minute.

The Spartans next take the field Sunday in Madison, Wisc., at 7 p.m. when they take on Wisconsin in an important Big Ten matchup with implications for the rest of the conference season.