MSU men’s soccer’s Zac Kelly and Peter Soudan received Big Ten honors after a historic week with the team taking down two top 5 ranked teams for the first time in program history.
Kelly, a redshirt senior goalkeeper, was recognized as both the Big Ten Goalie of the Week and National Goalie of the Week. He led the team defensively, conceding just one goal in two games against top 5 opponents.
Kelly’s biggest performance of the week came against No. 3 Indiana, where he totaled a season-high five saves and preserved his 15th career clean sheet for the Spartans. Kelly was also crucial in their game against No. 5 Michigan, allowing just one goal, while also tallying three saves, and keeping his defense organized to hold on to a 2-1 win.
Soudan, a freshman midfielder, also had a stellar week, earning him Big Ten First-year Student of the Week. He would score the only goal in the Spartans' 1-0 victory over the Hoosiers and share the title of top scorer on the season with midfielder Miles Merritt.
Soudan was also a key piece in MSU’s 2-1 victory over their rivals Michigan, helping keep the Big Bear trophy in East Lansing chasing after a pass and getting tripped up to earn a huge penalty to give them their first lead of the game. He was a constant attacking problem in both games beyond just his goalscoring ability and has played a big role in the team's success throughout the season.
MSU has now improved to 5-4 on the year heading into their annual pink out game against Penn State.
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