“Finally putting a complete 90 minutes of just straight hunger and motivation together with this group is amazing, and I just really wanted to put this group and this program back to where it’s been in the past years, and to finally start that trend, it’s really nice," Ludwig said.

MSU last saw the Badgers in October 2025, when they lost 2-0 on the road. Now, at home and fueled by the Red Cedar Rowdies' onslaught of chants, they were determined to extend their win streak after beating Penn State a week ago. Now, the Spartans are 3-0-0 in conference play. 

MSU controlled the game from the get-go and marked each attacking area Wisconsin could exploit. With a stone wall outside their box and Grekowicz ready for a challenge, the offense started creating magic of their own. 

“We talk about this,” Grekowicz said. “As long as they deliver on offense, maybe deliver us a goal or two a game, then we got their backs on defense."

MSU now heads west to face UCLA at 9 p.m. E.T. on Oct. 3.  

Heavy dew on the grass caused the ball to travel fast on the ground, giving sophomore midfielder Luke Spadafora and senior forward Leo Conneh opportunities to travel down the wings and slot the ball right into shooting range. As these opportunities reached their peak, so did the physicality of the game. Wisconsin received a red card 30 minutes into the game. A man down and with plenty of space to move around the midfield, MSU finally capitalized close to halftime.

Junior defender Brandon Munson dribbled down the left side, finding Ludwig in the center, who buried the ball right into the bottom center of the net. It didn’t take MSU long to find their second goal, by the foot of substitute defender Domo. Two goals in two minutes was the result as the Spartans entered halftime. 

“I think we got 45 more minutes”, head coach Damon Rensing said. “2-0 can be very, very dangerous in soccer. Even though they were down a man, if they got something and they had a long throw-in in some corner, if you give them something 2-1, the game changes. So we really wanted to try to control the game, and then find a way to get that third goal.”

MSU didn’t have to wait long for its third. Minutes into the second half, Conneh traveled the ball from the defense on the left wing again, placing it to Ludwig, who shot from a distance into the bottom left corner for the third goal of the game.

“I’m just so happy for Richie. He’s been snake-bitten,” Rensing said. “These are his first two goals of the year, and he’s created a lot of good chances. He’s obviously had a ton of assists, but his defensive pressure, his possession. So I was really happy for him to get the two goals.”

If the first half was controlled by the Spartans, then the second half became a demonstration of how dangerous the team's synergy can be against any team in the Big Ten. 

“You know, we’ve got a really tough stretch here,” Rensing said. “We go to UCLA and then to Maryland, then home against Michigan. And then at Ohio State. So, these next 4 games over three weeks start to define the season, not just for us, but for the Big Ten.”