Junior midfielder Tim Granaderos couldn’t have dreamt of a better time to score his first collegiate goal. Granaderos’ goal came off a header with 12:27 left in the game to give the MSU men’s soccer team the 1-0 lead — a lead they would hold onto until the end of the game to defeat No. 18 Michigan and keep the Big Bear Trophy in East Lansing.
The seniors on the MSU men’s soccer team have never lost to Michigan. In the past three seasons the Spartans are 3-0-1 and the Big Bear Trophy, awarded to the winner of each game between the two teams, has found a temporary hibernation home in the Spartans’ trophy case.
The men’s soccer team didn’t have to reschedule its game against No.14 Illinois-Chicago after it was canceled on Sept. 14 due to the heavy rainstorm that caused DeMartin Stadium at Old College Field to resemble a lake more than a soccer field. But MSU head coach Joe Baum wanted to reschedule the game against the No. 14 ranked team in the country to help his team gain experience against yet another quality opponent.
They’ve played through utter downpours, extreme 98-degree heat, adversity from losing a senior midfielder as well as the constant low expectations spewed their way about how the Spartans don’t have what it takes to be a Big Ten competitor.
Freshman forward Laura Heyboer cannot only score three goals in a single game — she also can rack up three Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week awards in one season.
It’s difficult to defeat an unbeaten team in the conference when the ball is hardly ever in your possession. And for the MSU women’s soccer team, the lack of ball control and pressure in Penn State’s zone made the Spartans look as if they wouldn’t have enough in the tank to power past the Nittany Lions.
It felt like overtime was inevitable — no goals after 83 minutes of play. The teams went back and forth all game long, trying to press on through the heat, looking for that first big mistake so one team could capitalize on it.
It was a situation the MSU women’s soccer team hasn’t dealt with the entire season at DeMartin Stadium at Old College Field — fighting an uphill battle.
The MSU men’s soccer team is riding a three-game winning streak coming into a tough week against No. 14 Notre Dame and No. 23 Indiana.
Smurfs are normally regarded as tiny blue creatures from a place called Smurf Village — a fictional land described in comics and cartoons since the 1980s. But in the land of Green and White, the name “Smurf” refers to one very specific individual — 5-foot-3 women’s soccer junior midfielder Lauren Sinacola.
When MSU alumnus Doug DeMartin sat back and wondered where a donation would best suit MSU’s athletic needs, he turned his head to the soccer field. He noticed the caliber of Spartans soccer and the space they competed on were at complete opposite ends of the spectrum — the playing field not doing the Green and White justice as to how great of a program they’ve always been and what they strive to be.
As the game went on, the intensity only escalated — higher and higher every second. Bodies thrown to the field, whistles blowing, cards being raised and the clock only stopping for minor injuries.
With spotlights pointed straight on the MSU women’s soccer team and shining brighter than ever, the 10-1 Spartans can’t help but look away. They aren’t giving into all the hype — not until the unsolved business is taken care of.
After being named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for three straight weeks, senior running back Javon Ringer wasn’t able to earn a fourth one this week. Ringer racked up 198 yards on 44 carries and recorded a touchdown in the Spartans’ 42-29 victory over Indiana on Saturday, but didn’t do enough to win over Northwestern quarterback C.J. Bacher.
There’s nothing more exciting you could possibly be doing on a Sunday afternoon than watching the MSU’s women’s soccer team. And yes, I’m serious. That’s written correctly.
Rough and tough, bang ‘em up soccer. The MSU women’s soccer team wouldn’t have it any other way as they proved to be more physical Sunday afternoon in a 4-0 win over Iowa at DeMartin Stadium at Old College Field.
MSU head coach Joe Baum knew his team needed to get a victory and get some momentum heading into the Spartans’ second Big Ten game at Penn State on Sunday.
The men’s soccer team was drastically outshot in this weekend’s 1-0 loss on the road to Ohio State in its Big Ten opener.
For the MSU women’s soccer team Friday at BYU, it felt as if they were taking the first segment of drivers’ training all over again — that first time pulling out onto a main road and pressing on the pedal to accelerate to 40 miles per hour — making your heart beat harder and faster as the speed continues to grow.
The MSU women’s soccer team treated Detroit Mercy as if they were just a speed bump on the road to bigger and better things.