Michigan State University Athletics
16th-Ranked Spartans Ready for Indiana
10/22/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 22, 2010
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
The Particulars
No. 16 Michigan State mens soccer team defends its 7-0 record at DeMartin Stadium this weekend when it hosts Indiana. The seven seniors will be recognized prior to the 1:00 p.m. kickoff, and MSU will attempt to break the DeMartin Stadium attendance record by attracting 3,000 fans to Sunday's game.
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Scouting the Spartans
Michigan State will return to Big Ten competition with a conference record of 2-2-0 (11-3-0), and is 9-29-3 all-time against Indiana. The Spartans traveled to Bowling Green on Wednesday (Oct. 20) and saw goals from Rubin Bega and Brent Rosendall in the 2-1 victory. Rosendall's seventh goal of the season moved him to the top of the Spartan scoring list, with Domenic Barone posting six goals, and Bega four. With two unassisted goals against BG, Spencer Thompson and Cyrus Saydee maintain their team lead in assists, with seven and six, respectively. Avery Steinlage earned his 11th win of the season with one save against the Falcons, improving his GAA to .98 and his save percentage to .824.
Looking at the Hoosiers
Indiana is sitting atop the Big Ten standings with a Conference record of 2-0-1, and the Hoosiers are 7-4-2 overall on the season. Andy Adlard scored the only Hoosier goal in a 1-1 tie against Kentucky on Wednesday, and remained second on the team in goals (5) behind Will Bruin with ten and just ahead of Alec Purdie (3). Adlard and Harrison Petts lead the Hoosiers in assists, posting five each this season. Indiana's top goalkeeper, Luis Soffner has notched a 1.11 GAA and a .682 save percentage in 12 games played.
National Picture
Michigan State came into the week ranked No. 16 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll- climbing five spots after wins last week against Western Michigan and Wisconsin. Other polls find the Spartans as high as 10 (Soccer America); Top Drawer Soccer and Soccer Times both have MSU at No. 15, and College Soccer News has the Spartans slotted at 17th.
Big Ten Leaders
With a conference record of 2-2-0, Michigan State is now in a third-place tie in the Big Ten. The Spartans are also sitting in the top three spots in the conference in almost every major offensive category: MSU is number one in goals (33), goals per game (2.36), and shutouts (7). Michigan State also tied with Penn State for first in points with 96. The Spartans are second in the Big Ten in assists (30), assists per game (2.14), and GAA (1.00), and tied for third in saves (63).
Individually, there are eight Spartans who are finding their names among conference leaders in the Big Ten statistical rankings. Domenic Barone is seventh in the conference in points with 15, fourth in points per game (1.50) and goals per game (.60), and is in fifth place in goals (6). Brent Rosendall moved up to fourth in the conference in goals, (7) is tied for fifth in points (16), seventh in points per game (1.14), and is fourth in goals per game (.50). Owning 13 points this season, Spencer Thompson is currently tied for ninth in that list, ninth in points per game (.93), and is tied for second in assists (7) and assists per game (.50). Meanwhile, Cyrus Saydee is tied for fourth in the conference in assists (6) and assists per game (.43). Mark Barone and Jeff Ricondo are currently tied for tenth place in assists (4), while Barone is seventh in assist per game (.40) as well. With his 11th victory this season, Avery Steinlage held on to third place in GAA (.98), and second for save percentage (.824), saves (61), and saves per game (4.36). The senior is also tied for second-best in shutouts with four.
National Statistics
In the most recent NCAA statistical rankings, Michigan State is ranked fourth in total goals (31), and ninth in scoring offense, averaging 2.38 goals per game. The squad is also 15th in winning percentage (.769). Individually, Spencer Thompson is eighth in the country in assists, (7), while Cyrus Saydee is 18th, (6). Thompson is also ranked 15th in the NCAA in assists per game (.54), and Avery Steinlage is 25th nationally in save percentage (.833). National statistics are released weekly, on Mondays.
National Power
The first Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) was released two weeks ago. The RPI is the major tool used by the NCAA men's soccer committee to select the field of 48 which qualifies for the NCAA Tournament. In the most recent ranking (Oct. 19), Michigan State ranks seventh overall in RPI, the highest-ranked team in the Big Ten and one spot ahead of conference foe Ohio State. Akron, Southern Methodist, and Louisville are the top three in the rankings, followed by UNC, William & Mary, and Maryland.. The ACC and Big Ten are the only conferences with two schools in the top 10.
In the Annals
Senior keeper Avery Steinlage is chiseling his name in the all-time career records at Michigan State. Entering Wednesday's game, his career save percentage is .878, which would place him first in the career recordbook, and his 0.67 GAA would be second, one spot ahead of former MSU head coach Joe Baum. He owns 32 career wins (fourth) and 20 shutouts (tied with Reid Friedrichs) for second in the MSU record book.
