Michigan State University
Butler
Soccer Runs Out of Time at Butler, Falls 3-2
8/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
The Michigan State men's soccer team fell on the road at Butler, 3-2, on Saturday in the team's final exhibition match. The Spartans trailed 3-0 early in the second half, but put up a pair of goals three minutes apart to scratch back into the match and then pressed for an equalizer until the final horn.
"Butler is very well-coached and an NCAA-caliber team," said head coach Damon Rensing. "I didn't love the way we maybe started the game, but I was very pleased with the way we continued to fight back into it. We didn't deal with some things they threw at us particularly well. I really give our bench a lot of credit â€" we brought some guys in when we were down 3-0, and they stepped up to give us energy and that first goal. What we've seen is that we have depth, and it's a reassurance that we can bring in guys that can play at a high level.
We had a good number of people from the Indianapolis chapter of the MSU Alumni Association, and they did a great job of making us feel like we had a great crowd behind us. We were really thrilled with the support they showed us and I'm happy that we could make a game of it for them, too. "
The host Bulldogs got on the board early on a set piece. Butler had a free kick from about 30 yards out, and Eric Leonard headed home the first goal of the game with just 2:19 off the clock in the contest. With a lead, the home team upped their offensive pressure, and were rewarded with a goal that doubled their lead in the 16th minute. Lewis Suddick, who assisted on Leonard's earlier tally, scored on a give-and-go play to take a 2-0 advantage, a lead that would hold through the remainder of the first half. The Spartans had good spells of possession in the attacking half, but were held off the board.
Butler scored a third goal early in the second half, mirroring their early strike from the first three minutes of the contest. Isaac Galliford redirected a shot that was blocked by the Spartan defense and put it past keeper Philip Stair for a commanding lead.
The Spartans did not lay back, however, despite the 3-0 deficit. Jimmy Fiscus had the best chance in the early part of the second half for MSU, but his great offering off a corner play was thwarted by the Butler keeper to keep the visitors off the board.
The Spartans, who trailed in its Thursday game vs. Syracuse before winning in overtime, continued to show their fortitude, continuing to stick to their game plan and challenge the Butler defense. MSU finally broke through in the 60th minute; sophomore Connor Corrigan was able to show off a bit for his hometown crowd, as the Fishers, Indiana native finished off a beauty of a cross from Ryan Scott to bring the Spartans back within two, 3-1. Scott played setup man again three minutes later, off a corner play. Scott sent another strong cross to sophomore Robby Cort, who finished the play and made it a 3-2 ballgame.
MSU pressed for the equalizer, but Robert Flott, the Butler keeper for the second half, made two of his three saves over the balance of the game to hold on to the win for the homestanding Bulldogs. Starter Eric Dick made just one save in the opening half. MSU had eight of its 10 shots in the second half, while Butler posted three of its game-high 11 in the opening frame. The home team also had a slight 5-4 edge in corner kicks.
Mike Marcantognini had two of MSU's six shots on net, while Fiscus, Cort, and Corrigan accounted for the rest. Zach Kovan spelled Stair in net for the final 15 minutes of action, and did not allow a goal.
The Spartans, who played a pair of 3-2 exhibition decisions against the Bulldogs and No. 6 Syracuse this week, open the season next Friday at Southern Methodist University, where they will also play Oral Roberts on Sunday.
"These exhibitions are a good measuring stick for us," noted Rensing. "We're going to face two really good teams in Texas â€" SMU was in the Sweet 16 a year ago. We'll be able to use what we've learned in these two preseason games to really focus on some areas that we've identified weaknesses, but there's some really good things that we want to keep doing as well. We'll be excited to get our season started."
