Spartans Battle Wisconsin on Alumni Day Sunday

Sunday, September 30

East Lansing, Mich.

2 PM

Michigan State University

Wisconsin

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9/28/2018 6:17:00 PM | Men's Soccer

MSU Soccer Notes vs. UW Watch Live Live Stats MSU Updated Stats

No. 5 Michigan State honors the 1968 National Championship team.

EAST LANSING, Mich. - No. 5 Michigan State men's soccer returns home to take on Wisconsin on Sunday, Sept. 30 at 2 p.m. Sunday is also Alumni Day celebrating several decades of Spartan soccer. Michigan State will also honor the 50th anniversary of the 1968 National Championship team. The game will also be televised live on the Big Ten Network.

MSU has won three-straight games and has started the season 8-0-2 and 2-0-0 in Big Ten play. Wisconsin is 4-4-1 overall and 1-1-0 in league play.

If available, live video and live stats links will be at www.msuspartans.com.

FAST START SPARTANS
For the second-straight season, the Spartans are undefeated through the first eight games. In 2017, MSU was 7-0-1 through the first eight games before falling to Akron on Sept. 27. After defeating Penn State on Sept. 26, Michigan State tied for its best start since the 1974 team started the season 8-0-2.

SECOND-HALF SURGE
Michigan State has been a second-half scoring machine this season. The Spartans have scored five goals in the first half and 17 in the second. Last season, MSU netted 11 in the first and 16 in the final period of regulation.

SCOUTING WISCONSIN
The Badgers bring a 4-4-1 overall and 1-1-0 B1G ledger into Sunday's match-up with the Spartans. Wisconsin has won its last two matches, beating Maryland, 2-1, in double OT on Friday night, getting a goal from sophomore Zack Klancnik in the 106th minute. The Badgers rode that momentum from the upset in the conference match to a non-conference victory at in-state foe Marquette, 1-0, on Wednesday.

Wisconsin leads the all-time series, 22-12-7, as well as holding an 8-7-3 edge in matches played at East Lansing. The Spartans and Badgers have played to 1-1 double-OT draws in each of the last two meetings, as the teams have split the last 17 meetings, 7-7-3.

In last season's match-up, No. 6 MSU battled both Wisconsin and the windy and rainy conditions to earn a 1-1 double overtime tie in Madison, Wisconsin. The Badgers scored first with a goal in the 8th minute by Chris Mueller. Wisconsin held a 1-0 lead through halftime and into the second half before DeJuan Jones scored the equalizer, expertly depositing the ball in the upper left corner of the net to level the score in the 60th minute. As conditions continued to deteriorate, neither team could take control in the first 90 minutes the teams went into overtime. After 20 more minutes of action, neither team found the back of the net as the teams battled to a draw.
The Badgers are led by freshman forward Andrew Akindele, who tops the team in scoring with points (6), goals (2) and assists (2). Junior goalkeeper Dean Cowdroy has played every minute of every match in net for the Badgers, logging 27 saves, while allowing 10 goals, for a 1.05 GAA and a 73.0 save percentage.

DID YOU KNOW
Wednesday's win against Penn State was head coach Damon Rensing's 200th career game at MSU. He has a record of 111-61-28 in his 10th season at Michigan State.

RYAN'S RISE
MSU senior forward Ryan Sierakowski is rising up the Michigan State all-time scoring charts. He currently has 75 points in 68 games in a MSU uniform, which is good for 13th all-time. He has 30 goals and 15 assists in four seasons. His 30 goals place him tied for eighth with Zdravko Rom (1973-76). He is two points away from tying Rubens Filizola for 10th (1960-62) with 77 points.

DEFEND DEMARTIN
Michigan State has been solid at home over the last few years. The Spartans were 9-0-2 at home in 2016 and 7-1-2 last season. MSU's only loss came during the Big Ten Tournament last season. In 2018, the Spartans are 5-0-1 at home. Michigan State is 18-0-4 during the regular season in the last three years.

THE SPARTANS VS. THE NCAA
This week in the NCAA statistics, Michigan State is 15th in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 2.20 goals per game. Wake Forest is first in the nation in scoring with 3.11 gpg. The Spartans are 10th in the nation and second in the Big Ten in total goals with 22. This season, MSU has scored 22 goals off of 28 assists. Michigan State is also fifth in the nation in assists with 28.

Junior midfielder Giuseppe Barone is fourth in the nation in total assists with seven in 10 games. On the defensive side of the ball, senior goalkeeper Jimmy Hague is fifth in the country in shutouts with 5.0.

SUPER SIERAKOWSKI
Senior forward Ryan Sierakowski is looking to become the first Spartan to lead the team in points for four-straight seasons. Sierakowski had 17 point as a freshman, 23 as a sophomore and 21 as a junior. He currently leads the team in scoring with four five goals and four assists for 14 points.

LAST TIME OUT
Senior defender John Freitag was stellar on both ends of the field, leading the No. 5 Michigan State men's soccer team to a 1-0 win over Penn State in the Spartans' Big Ten road opener on Wednesday night.

The Spartans have now won three-straight meetings against the Nittany Lions, including a 1-0 in the rain in East Lansing last season.

Freitag finally broke through in the 74th minute. The senior defender netted his second goal of the season off the pass from junior midfielder Giuseppe Barone, who now has a team-leading seven assists this season. Giuseppe Barone took the ball from the left side and found Freitag from 14 yards out.

SIERAKOWSKI EARNS B1G HONOR
Michigan State senior Ryan Sierakowski was honored on Tuesday as the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week. Penn State's Ryan Gallagher picked up Defensive Player of the Week honors.
This is the first career Player of the Week honor for Sierakowski, who is the Spartans leading scorer with 14 points. This is the second B1G Offensive Player of the Week honor for MSU this season as DeJuan Jones earned the honor on Sept. 11.

Sierakowski, a forward from McHenry, Illinois, earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors after scoring the game-winning goal in the Spartans' Big Ten opener against Rutgers, 2-1. He scored two goals in the win against the Scarlet Knights as MSU improved to 7-0-2 overall and 1-0-0 in league play. Sierakowski converted a penalty kick in the 64th minute, while sealing the win in the 80th minute.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Senior goalkeeper Jimmy Hague has 23 career clean sheets in the Spartan Green and White, which puts him tied with Avery Steinlage (2008-10) and John Spink (1984, 86-88) for second in the Spartan record books.

AROUND THE BIG TEN
Michigan State is second in the Big Ten in points scored with 71, averaging 7.10 points per game. Indiana is first with 72 for 8.00 ppg. Senior forwards DeJuan Jones and Ryan Sierakowski are tied for second in goals with five. Senior forward Hunter Barone, freshman forward Farai Mutatu and Sierakowski are tied for second in the league in game-winning goals, behind Indiana's Andrew Gutman who has four. Senior goalkeeper Jimmy Hague is second in shutouts with five. He is also first in save percentage (.829). Hague is second in goals against average (0.59) behind Indiana's Trey Muse (0.57). Junior midfielder Giuseppe Barone is second in the league in assists with seven in the first 10 games.

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!
This season, Michigan State will have three captains in seniors Connor Corrigan, Jimmy Hague and DeJuan Jones.

KING OF THE NORTH
This week, Indiana remains one spot ahead of MSU, standing first in the North Region rankings. Michigan State is second in the region head of Michigan (No. 3) and Wright State (No. 4). UIC holds the fifth spot in the polls.

AROUND THE HORN
Michigan State is the only undefeated team in the Big Ten with a 6-0-1 record. No. 2 Indiana, Michigan, Maryland and Penn Stare started conference action with 1-0-0 league records. MSU is the only team to not have played a Big Ten game yet.

BARONE BUNCH
Junior Giuseppe Barone became the fourth member of the Barone family to don the Green and White last season. He joins current Spartan Hunter as well as former MSU players Mark (2008-11) Domenic (2008-12).

UP NEXT
Following the Alumni Day game against Wisconsin, the Spartans will head to college Park to take on Maryland in a tough Big Ten road game on Friday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m.