Spartan Soccer Hosts Penn State in B1G Home Opener

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State men's soccer returns home to start the month of October, taking on Penn State on Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 6 p.m. at DeMartin Stadium. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network with Mike Monaco and Jamie Watson on the call.

Michigan State improved to 1-5-2 after a road win against No. 22 Rutgers on Sept. 27, 3-0. Three different Spartans found the back of the net for MSU, as Michigan State improved to 1-0-0 in Big Ten play. Penn State is 4-1-2 overall after a 0-0 tie against Michigan on Sept. 27. In league action, PSU is 1-0-1.

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

WELCOME BACK
Redshirt-junior defender Patrick Nielsen made his first appearance of the 2019 season against Rutgers. Nielsen who has been battling injury played nine minutes at the end of the game against the Scarlet Knights.

DID YOU KNOW?
Michigan State's six goals have been scored by six different players, including first-time goal scorers Gianni Ferri, Olu Oguwale, Alex Shterenberg and Alaa Algahim.

CLOSE CALLS
Michigan State has already played three overtime games in its first eight 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 five loses have all been close calls as well. All five of defeats have been by one goal. The Spartans have lost three games 1-0, including two to ranked teams in No. 13 Washington and No. 20 Notre Dame.

THE FUTURE IS NOW
As Michigan State fights through some early-season injuries, several young Spartans have seen playing time. Through eight 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 THE NITTANY LIONS
The Nittany Lions come to East Lansing with an overall record of 4-1-2 and a conference record of 1-0-1. The team is unbeaten in the last six games, with their last matchup ending in a draw with the Michigan Wolverines on Sept. 27. Their only other conference game of the season was an overtime win versus Ohio State on Sept. 21.

The Nittany Lion's have a well developed squad with 13 of their 25 man roster being an upperclassman. Redshirt-junior Brandon Hackenberg recently was awarded Big Ten Defensive Player of The week for his crucial help in Penn State's win over Ohio State. Head coach Jeff Cook is juggling two goalkeepers in Josh Levine and Kris Shakes. Each have played significant minutes, Levine got the start against Michigan last week.

The Nittany Lions are led by goalscorers Christan Sload (2g, 4a) and Aaron Molloy (3g, 0a). The two have combined for five of the teams 11 total goals. However, Christian Sload will not be playing today, as he was issued a red card in their previous matchup versus Michigan.

Penn State leads the series with a record of 22-16-2 against the Spartans. However, MSU has won the last three meetings. Most recently, in 2018 The Spartans beat the Nittany Lions 1-0 in University Park. The lone goal came from John Freitag with an assist from Giuseppe Barone in the 74th minute of the contest. In 2017, the Nittany Lions came to DeMartin and lost 1-0. Ryan Sierakowski scored in the 30th minute to elevate the Spartans for the win.

STARTING CONFERENCE PLAY
MSU opened B1G play at Rutgers on Sept. 27. The Spartans are 6-0-1 in their last seven Big Ten openers. Michigan State was the last B1G team to start league play.

GETTING IN THE GAME
Due to several injuries, 20 of the 26 players currently on the roster have seen action through eight games this season. Only six Spartans have started every 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 eight 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 40, just ahead of Wisconsin's Dean Cowdroy, who has 38 saves. Morse is also third in the league in goals against average (0.94). Morse also is second in save percentage (.833).

Sophomore forward Farai Mutatu is second in the conference in shots with 26, averaging 3.25 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's mother, Cathy, is also the MSU volleyball coach). 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.

UP NEXT
After taking on Penn State on Tuesday, Oct. 1, Michigan State travels to Wisconsin on Sunday, Oct. 6 at 1:30 p.m. The game against the Badgers will be televised on the Big Ten Network. Michigan State will then host Maryland on Friday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. also on BTN.

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Players Mentioned

Alaa Algahim

Giuseppe Barone

Jack Beck

Gianni Ferri

John Freitag

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