Junior goalkeeper Jake Grekowicz has become the quiet success behind MSU's undefeated start to conference play. The Rochester, Michigan, native has recorded five clean sheets this season, ranking third nationally, while posting a 0.79 goals-against average. It’s fair to say that he's delivered a few David de Gea and Manuel Neuer class performances of his own, for whom he holds deep admiration.

“I don’t think anyone’s surprised on our team that we have that many clean sheets,” Grekowicz said. “It’s just taking care of business. Like, these road trips, we talked about them being business trips and that we just need to go out there and execute. If we do that, then the clean sheets will come, the goals will come.”

Grekowicz entered his third season at MSU, having already experienced the uncertainty of being a goalkeeper. His freshman season brought a brief 20-minute appearance against Oakland. The following season brought something more difficult: Grekowicz was out with a shoulder injury alongside two other current players, senior forward Andrew Darakdjian and junior forward Mohamed Saad.

After his surgery, Grekowicz said at the start, it felt like all hope was lost for him, but working with his rehabilitation coaches and going through treatment allowed him to come back.

“My ability to respond to setbacks, respond to things not going my way, has been a super big part for my past two seasons,” Grekowicz said. “After I came back, things started opening up and opportunities started coming. So, it’s exciting to be able to be here now and compete with the guys.”

Five clean sheets against SIUE, Pitt, Northwestern, Penn State and Wisconsin didn't happen by accident. Behind each one is the work Grekowicz puts in long after training ends. He's made taking care of his body a priority, going through recovery and treatment while making sure he gets enough sleep for the next match.

However, Grekowicz's biggest development has been becoming a true leader on the field. His influence in games often tends to be preventative, subtle and psychological. Grekowicz dictates the entire flow of the game from the bottom of MSU's formation. The Spartans have been pressing higher, notably against Northwestern and Wisconsin, because they trust Grekowicz can protect the space behind that applying pressure creates. He creates emotional stability in the back line. 

“It’s Will, Connor, Charlie and Brandon,” Grekowicz said. “We trust each other so much. Everything we do, we do it with confidence. We know that as long as we keep doing our jobs and trusting each other, that our times and moments will come. There’s just so much chemistry with our back line, and that is a big contributing factor to the clean sheets.”

That connection has given Grekowicz the confidence to make decisions with the ball at his feet, too. Every time he receives possession, he is making a series of rapid decisions: Has the opposition committed enough numbers to play through the press? Is there a space right into the midfield? Has the weak-side fullback become available, or has the opposition pressed so aggressively that the better option is to bypass them altogether?

It is a responsibility Grekowicz has spent years preparing for.

“Obviously, I wanted to play my freshman and sophomore year,” Grekowicz said. “And I was close to playing, but in the end, I didn’t get as much time as I wanted to. There were some weeks where I was down on myself mentally, because it’s tough just over and over, not playing, but I’d say to my younger self to trust the process, trust the rehab, and the treatment that you’re doing and know that your time will come.”

Now, with the rest of the season ahead of him, Grekowicz carries a simple mentality into every game: As long as they put their bodies on the line for each other, for the team, for the school, they can get a clean sheet every game.