With the season slowly drawing to a close, the men’s soccer team (9-2-2 overall, 3-1-1 Big Ten) has picked the right time to get its offense going. The MSU offense is finally playing at the same level as the defense that grabs most of the headlines for the Spartans.

The defense has led the Spartans to 10 shutouts in 13 total games , and the offense, which got off to a slow start this season, has scored 11 goals in its last five games , compared to only seven through the team’s first eight games . MSU has gone 4-1-0 in this five game stretch of increased offensive production.

A large part of the team’s recent offensive success can be attributed to increased chemistry amongst the team’s starters — a result of the team’s ability to finally get healthy. Junior midfielder Jay Chapman spent a few games at the beginning of the season hurt, and senior forward Adam Montague along with senior forward and midfielder Tim Kreutz both spent time out with injuries as well.

“Well, I think we’re healthy, so all these offensive players are playing four or five games together (in a row),” head coach Damon Rensing said. “With that I think guys are becoming more relaxed, there’s not as much pressure to score a goal because they feel like there are several guys who can do it now.”

The team has also been powered recently by the strong play of junior midfielder Jason Stacy . Stacy, the team’s current leader in total points with 14 , finished the week with seven points.

Last Wednesday, Stacy scored five points, including an amazing goal which made the SportsCenter Top 10 plays of the night, coming in at No. 4. Stacy added another goal to his weekly total on Saturday.

The strong week by Stacy earned him Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week along with being named to the College Soccer News Team of the Week.

"(The honor is) not just a credit to me, it’s a credit to my teammates and coaches,” Stacy said. “Without them, obviously I can’t do what I do, I was lucky enough to be put in the position where I’m able to execute.”