Spartan Soccer Concludes Homestand Against No. 20 Notre Dame

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State men's soccer concludes its two-game homestand on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. at DeMartin Stadium. The game will be televised live on FS1 with Dean Linke and Chris Doran on the call. The Spartans are 0-4-2 so far this season and will play two of their next three games at home. Notre Dame will be the second ranked team that MSU has faced this season, losing to then-No. 13 Washington, 1-0, at home on Sept. 6.

Michigan State has faced several injuries early this season with All-Big Ten performers Giuseppe Barone and Patrick Nielsen are still out of the lineup. Barone has played 45 minutes this season, while Nielsen is looking for his first action in 2019.

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

CLOSE CALLS
Michigan State has already played three overtime games in its first six outings. Last season, the Spartans played four overtime games all season, going 0-0-4 in those games. This year, MSU is 0-1-2 in extra time.

MSU's four loses have all been close calls as well. All four of defeats have been by one goal.

THE FUTURE IS NOW
As Michigan State fights through some early-season injuries, several young Spartans have seen playing time. Through six games, six true freshmen have played with Alaa Algahim, Conner George, Colton Stanley, Nick Stone and Gianni Ferri all getting starts. Overall, 15 underclassmen have played this season for MSU.

SCOUTING NOTRE DAME
Notre Dame holds the all-time series lead 17-7-6, but MSU has won the last two meetings. The Spartans have a pair of 1-0 wins on the road in 2016 and 2018. Last season, MSU defeated No. 8 Notre Dame thanks to a Farai Mutatu goal in the 89th minute. The last time the teams met in East Lansing was in 2015 when the Irish won 4-0.

Notre Dame has had a very tough schedule this season with losses to No. 13 Clemson and No. 11 North Carolina. The Irish also tied No. 4 Indiana 1-1 in Bloomington on Sept. 17.

Jack Lynn leads the Irish in scoring with four goals and one assists for nine points in the first six games. Felicien Dumas is second in scoring with two goals and two assists for eight points.

STARTING CONFERENCE PLAY
After taking on Notre Dame, MSU opens B1G play at Rutgers on Sept. 27. The Spartans are 5-0-1 in their last six Big Ten openers.

MSU leads the season series with the Scarlet Knights 4-0-1. In the first meeting of the series, Michigan State tied Rutgers, 0-0, at home in 2014. The next season, the Spartans got off to a fast start and stopped Rutgers in Piscataway, 3-1. In 2016 at DeMartin Stadium, the Spartans dominated the Scarlet Knights 4-0. In 2017, a pair of goals from DeJuan Jones guided MSU past Rutgers, 2-1, on the road. Last season, MSU used a pair of Ryan Sierakowski goals to stop Rutgers 2-1 at home. This is third-straight season that Michigan State has started B1G action against Rutgers.

GETTING IN THE GAME
Due to several injuries, 20 of the 26 players currently on the roster have seen action through six games this season. Only six Spartans have started all six games in Michael Miller, Farai Mutatu, Jack Beck, Michael Pimlott, Nick Woodruff and Hunter Morse. Alex Shterenberg, Cody Sweatte, Nick Stone and Olu Ogunwale have played in all six games.

AROUND THE BIG TEN
Redshirt-sophomore goalkeeper Hunter Morse is among the leaders in several categories in the Big Ten. He is first in the saves with 36, just ahead of Rutgers' Oren Asher, who has 26 saves. Morse is also fifth in the league in goals against average (1.08). Morse also is third in save percentage (.829).

Sophomore forward Farai Mutatu is second in the conference in shots with 20, averaging 3.33 shots per game.

GETTING ON THE SCOREBOARD
Redshirt-sophomore forward Alex Shterenberg scored his first career goal against Florida Gulf Coast on Sept. 2. Shterenberg scored the Spartans first goal of the season on a penalty kick in the 89th minute as the equalizer sending the game into overtime. He also added an assist against Cornell and leads MSU with one goal and one assist for three points.

NO RELATION
Despite the exact same spelling freshman midfielder Conner George is no relation on senior guard from the MSU men's basketball team. George the freshman forward hails from Louisville, Kentucky.

TURNING PRO
Three former Michigan State men's soccer players were drafted on the first day of the Major League Soccer SuperDraft in Chicago on Jan. 11, 2019. Senior forward DeJuan Jones led the way as the 11th overall pick, drafted by the New England Revolution.

For the first time ever, the Spartans had two players drafted in the first round as fellow senior forward Ryan Sierakowski was drafted 23rd overall by the Portland Timbers. Senior goalkeeper Jimmy Hague was the sixth pick of the second round (30th overall), taken by FC Cincinnati. Hague will see a familiar face when he arrives in Cincinnati with former Spartan great Fatai Alashe on the roster.

In 2018, Ken Krolicki was the first Spartan drafted since defender Zach Carroll in 2016 when he was chosen as the 53rd overall pick, chosen as the seventh player in the third round.

In 2014, three Spartans signed to play for MLS with Fatai Alashe being chosen fourth overall, the highest ever for MSU. Jay Chapman a signed a homegrown contract with Toronto FC, while Adam Montague was taken in the third round by the Vancouver Whitecaps.

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!
This season, Michigan State will have three captains in seniors Giuseppe Barone, Michael Pimlott and redshirt-junior Patrick Nielsen.

MICHIGAN STATE NOTES
• The Spartans finished the 2019 season with an overall record of 14-5-4 and a 4-2-2 Big Ten record earning a trip to the NCAA College Cup for the first time since 1968.

• Seniors Giuseppe Barone, Michael Pimlott and redshirt-junior Patrick Nielsen were also named to the Big Ten Preseason honors list.

TOPDRAWER PRESEASON HONORS
Two Spartans were named to the Preseason Top 100 Players Rankings by TopDrawerSoccer.com. Senior Giuseppe Barone (6) and redshirt-junior defender Patrick Nielsen were both honored.

UP NEXT
After taking on No. 20 Notre Dame, MSU will open Big Ten play at No. 24 Rutgers on Friday, Sept. 27.

Spartan Soccer Concludes Homestand Against No. 20 Notre Dame

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Players Mentioned

Alaa Algahim

Giuseppe Barone

Jack Beck

Gianni Ferri

Conner George

Jimmy Hague

DeJuan Jones

Ken Krolicki

Michael Miller

Hunter Morse

Farai Mutatu

Patrick Nielsen

Olu Ogunwale

Michael Pimlott

Alex Shterenberg

Ryan Sierakowski

Colton Stanley

Nick Stone

Cody Sweatte

Nick Woodruff