MSU Ends Non-Conference Action Against Saint Mary's Tuesday

Tuesday, October 11

East Lansing, Mich.

7 PM

Michigan State University

Saint Mary's

MSU Ends Non-Conference Action Against Saint Mary's Tuesday

10/10/2022 2:55:00 PM | Men's Soccer

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This is only the second meeting between the Spartans and the Gaels.

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State men's soccer returns home to end non-conference action, hosting Saint Mary's on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. at DeMartin Stadium.

Zach Surdenik and Michael Markoch will be on the broadcast for BTN StudentU.

The Spartans had their three-game unbeaten streak come to an end after a 4-1 loss at Penn State on Oct. 7. Michigan State now stands 4-5-1 overall and 2-1-1 in league contests. Saint Mary's comes to East Lansing with a 5-4-2 overall record and a 0-1-1 mark in West Coast Conference action.

SERIES HISTORY AGAINST SAINT MARY'S
Michigan State and Saint Mary's have a very brief history. The Spartans hold a brief 1-0 series lead over the Gaels. MSU came a way with a 2-1 win in Moraga in 1999. Michigan State and Saint Mary's have no common opponents this season.

LOOKING AT THE GAELS
Saint Mary's is currently 5-4-2 overall and 0-1-1 in West Coast Conference action. In league play, the Gaels lost to No. 9 Portland and tied San Diego. They have scored 19 goals this season, while allowing only 15.

Riley Lynch leads the team in scoring with two goals and four assists for eight points. Jack Vestberg and Omar Yehya are tied for second in scoring with seven points. Both have registered three goals and one assist for seven points. Kash Oladapo has spent the bulk of time in net for the Gaels, playing in eight of 11 games. He has allowed 13 goals for a 1.63 goals against average.

NEW LOOK SPARTANS
Michigan State's rookies have had solid campaigns. Transfers Elijah Howe and Owen Finnerty have been solid fixtures in the Spartan offense starting 10 and 11 games, respectively.

Freshmen Jack Guggemos, Jake Spadafora and Jeremy Sharp have all started at least two games this season. Freshman Jonathan Stout has come on strong of late with one goal and an assist total over the last two games. Stout scored a goal against Michigan on Sept. 27 and added an assist on the game-winning goal against Wisconsin on Oct. 2. Guggemos is second on the team in scoring with three goals and one assist for seven points.

JACK KNOWS SCORING
Freshman midfielder Jack Guggemos' three goals this season are the most by a Spartan freshman since Jack Beck and Farai Mutatu both scored three during the 2018 season.

DID YOU KNOW?
With wins over Michigan and Wisconsin, Michigan State recorded back-to-back shutout wins for the first time since 2017. That season, the Spartans earned back-to-back wins 1-0 wins over Penn State and Northwestern. MSU also started that season with four-straight shutout wins.

NOT MUCH LEFT
Tuesday's outing against the Gaels will be the final non-conference game of the season for MSU. After Tuesday, Michigan State will only have four more Big Ten games, including home games against Rutgers (Oct. 16) and Northwestern (Oct. 30) for senior day. The Spartans will play on the road against No. 8 Maryland (Oct. 21) and No. 17 Ohio State (Oct. 25).

LOOKING IN THE REAR VIEW
Michigan State men's soccer was dealt a 4-1 road defeat at Penn State on Oct. 7. Freshman midfielder Jack Guggemos netted MSU's lone goal of the night.

The Spartans had their three-match Big Ten Conference unbeaten streak halted with the loss, sliding to 4-5-2 overall and 2-1-1 in B1G play. Penn State moved to 5-3-3 overall and 2-0-2.

FINNERTY EARNS B1G HONOR
Senior goalkeeper Owen Finnerty earned the Spartans' first Player of the Week honor of the season after MSU went 2-0-0 last week. The goalkeeper registered a pair of clean sheets to lead Michigan State to wins over Michigan and Wisconsin.

In the Battle of the Big Bear Trophy on Sept. 27, Finnerty, a Michigan transfer, earned MSU's first shutout of the season with a 2-0 win over the Wolverines. He collected seven saves in the victory. Against Wisconsin on Oct. 2, the Spartans earned a 1-0 win with the senior capturing five saves. He helped MSU to back-to-back shutout wins for the first time since the 2017 season. For the week, he made 12 saves allowing no goals in 90 minutes.

NO GRAY SKIES FOR GREYSON
Junior forward Greyson Mercer has come on strong of late. He scored the game-tying goal against No. 16 Indiana on Sept. 23 and the game-winning goal against Michigan on Sept. 27. Mercer is first on the team in scoring with three goals and two assists for eight points.

PACKING THE HOUSE
Michigan State historically is among the nation's best in packing DeMartin Stadium. This week, MSU is fourth in the nation in attendance, averaging 2,433 fans per game. The Spartans are first in the Big Ten ahead Indiana (2,223) and Maryland (2,184), who stand sixth and seventh in the nation respectively. MSU's largest crowd of the season was the 3,047 fans that packed DeMartin to watch MSU beat Michigan on Sept. 27.

FIND THE PERKS
Senior defender Will Perkins has had a stellar start to the 2022 season. He is third on the team in scoring with two goals and two assists for six points.

Perkins returned to the lineup against Penn State after missing three games with an injury.

AROUND THE LEAGUE
Maryland stands atop the Big Ten standings with 10 points, holding a 3-0-1 records through four games. Michigan State is tied for second with Rutgers with seven points apiece. Penn State and Indiana are tied for fourth with five points each.

PITCHING THE SHUTOUT
With a 2-0 win over Michigan on Sept. 27, Michigan State earned its first shutout of the season. MSU has allowed one goal to Army, Western Michigan, Bowling Green, Chicago State and Indiana. Before the win against the Wolverines, the Spartans last shutout was a 1-0 win against Ohio State on Oct. 17, 2021 in East Lansing. MSU goalkeeper Owen Finnerty recorded his first shutout as a Spartan and his 10th for his career. MSU followed that up with a 1-0 shutout victory over Wisconsin on Oct. 2. The Spartans recorded their first back-to-back shutout wins since 2017.

GETTING IN THE GAME
The Spartans have been getting a lot of players in the game. Twenty-three of the 28 athletes on the roster have played in at least one of the 11 games this season. Redshirt-freshman goalkeeper Zac Kelly made his Spartan debut against Penn State on Oct. 7.

SPREADING THE WEALTH
Ten different players have scored MSU's 15 goals this season. Junior forward Greyson Mercer leads the team in scoring with three goals and two assists for eight points. Freshman midfielder Jack Guggemos is now second in scoring with three goals and an assist for seven points. Redshirt-senior defender Will Perkins is third in scoring with two goals and two assists for six points. Six players have scored one goal so far this season, including freshmen Jake Spadafora and Jonathan Stout.

FINDING THE 11
Only three Spartans have started the first 11 games of the season, including senior Jack Beck. Newcomer Owen Finnerty and sophomore Josh Adam also have started every match. Six players have seen action in all 11 matches, including freshman Jeremy Sharp and junior Jack Zugay.

OLDTIMERS
Michigan State brings back several veterans to the 2022 squad. Both Jack Beck and Will Perkins will return for their fifth seasons with MSU. The duo of captains are the final to Spartans on the roster who were a part of the 2018 College Cup squad.

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!
The Spartan have named three captains this season. Leading MSU will be seniors Jack Beck, Will Perkins and Louis Sala. This is the second-straight season that Beck and Perkins are captains.