No. 3 MSU Soccer Travels to Bowling Green Friday

EAST LANSING, Mich. - No. 3 Michigan State men's soccer hits the road for the first time this season, taking on Bowling Green under the lights on Friday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium.

After four games this season, senior forward Hunter Barone leads the team in scoring with two goals and two assists for six points. He has already tied last season's point total. Fellow senior forward Ryan Sierakowski is second in scoring with one goal and three assists for five points.

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

SCOUTING THE FALCONS
Bowling Green is 1-2-1 this season, starting the season with a pair of losses to Northern Kentucky (3-2) and Penn State (1-0). The Falcons rebounded with a double overtime tie against Wright State (0-0) and a win on the road against Western Illinois (3-2).

Overall, the Spartans lead the overall series with Bowling Green, 23-16-6. Last season, MSU defeated Bowling Green, 1-0, in East Lansing. The games have always been close with the Falcons with the last six meeting holding the same score, 1-0. MSU has won the last six battles.

SCOUTING REPORT: THE GRIZZLIES
Oakland has made a strong start to their 2018 season. After tying their regular season opener with Western Illinois, the Grizzles went on a three-game winning streak.

This past Tuesday Oakland's defenseman, Noah Jensen, was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week. Jensen has recorded a goal and an assist in the first four games of the Grizzles season.

Michigan State is .500 against Oakland at home. Their 2017 home meeting with Oakland was cancelled due to weather. The Spartans last faced the Grizzles in 2016 where they won, 1-0.

OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
After scoring one goal in the first two games, the Spartan offense turned in on in a big way with eight goals in the last two games. MSU defeated Canisius, 3-2, on August 31, before stopping UC Riverside on September 3. Seven different Spartans scored in the two games. Michigan State was led by two goals from senior forward Hunter Barone. Junior Giuseppe Barone has added four assists in the last two games.

BEST OF THE BEST
Michigan State is tied for second in assists per game, averaging 3.5 apg. George Washington is first in the nation with 4.0 apg. Giuseppe Barone is second in the nation in assists with four. William & Mary's Antonio Bustamante is first with five assists so far this season.

LAST TIME OUT
Behind a five-point performance from senior forward Ryan Sierakowski, the No. 5 Michigan State men's soccer team closed out its four-game homestand with a dominating 5-1 win over UC Riverside Monday at hot and humid DeMartin Stadium.

Starting the season with four games at home, Michigan State now holds a to 3-0-1 record this season, while UC Riverside falls to 0-4.

RENSING SAYS
"We have two very important traditional, regional rivalries coming up. The first one will be at Bowling Green. There is a long history with Bowling Green, and on Monday we host an undefeated Oakland team. There will be a packed house at Bowling Green. This will be one of their marquee home games of the season. They are really well coached and they are disciplined."

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, the Spartans are ranked No. 1 in the North Region. Michigan State is just ahead of Big Ten rival Indiana, which stands second. Akron is now third in the North Region, ahead of West Virginia and Maryland, respectively.

AROUND THE HORN
Michigan State is the only undefeated team in the Big Ten with a 3-0-1 record. No. 4 Indiana holds a 3-1 overall mark, while Michigan is 2-1-0.

MICHIGAN STATE NOTES
• No. 7 Michigan State men's soccer team was voted second in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll, as voted on by the B1G coaches on Wednesday. Seniors Jimmy Hague, DeJuan Jones and Ryan Sierakowski were also named to the Big Ten Preseason honors list.

The Spartans finished last season with an overall record of 13-3-4 and a 5-0-3 Big Ten record earning a trip to the Elite Eight. MSU ended the season ranked No. 6 in the Untied Soccer Coaches poll and was one of three Big Ten teams to finish in the top 10 along with Indiana (No. 2) and Wisconsin (No. 10).

Indiana was picked first in the league after advancing to the NCAA College Cup National Championship last season. The Spartans were picked second after being voted fourth last season. MSU reached the Elite Eight in 2017. Maryland was voted third, followed by Michigan and Wisconsin, respectively. Ohio State and Penn State were tied for sixth, while Northwestern an Rutgers were voted eighth and ninth, respectively.

• For the second-straight season, Michigan State will take on six teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament during its 17-game regular-season schedule, including five teams that finished in the NCAA RPI Top 25. MSU will also face five teams that finished in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25. The Spartans' challenging schedule also includes seven teams with 10 or more wins in 2017.

• The 2018 Big Ten Tournament will begin on Sunday, Nov. 4 at the top four seeds' home sites. The semifinals will follow on Friday, Nov. 9 and the championship will be held on Sunday, Oct. 11. The Big Ten semifinal and championship will be played at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana for the third-straight season.

TOPDRAWER PRESEASON HONORS
Four Spartans were named to the Preseason Top 100 Players Rankings by TopDrawerSoccer.com. Senior goalkeeper Jimmy Hague (12), senior forward Ryan Sierakowski (36), junior midfielder Giuseppe Barone and senior forward DeJuan Jones were all honored.

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
After taking on Bowling Green on Friday Sept. 7, MSU will host Oakland on Monday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. The Spartans will then travel to Yale on Friday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Giuseppe Barone

Hunter Barone

Connor Corrigan

Jimmy Hague

DeJuan Jones

Ryan Sierakowski