Monday, September 2
East Lansing, Mich.
1 PM
Michigan State University
vs
#5 Oregon State
MSU Faces No. 5 Oregon State in Labor Day Battle
9/1/2024 11:31:00 AM | Men's Soccer
This is just the third meeting between the teams
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State men's soccer will play its third-straight home game facing No. 19/5 Oregon State in a Labor Day battle on Monday at 1 p.m.Â
The Spartans improved to 1-1-1 this season after 1-0 win against Villanova on Aug. 30. Michigan State earned it first shutout of the season with redshirt-junior goalkeeper Zac Kelly making three saves.
Matt Merrifield and Yousef Enayah are on the call for B1G+.
LOOKING AT THE BEAVERSÂ Â Â
No. 19/5 Oregon State is also 1-1-1 this season. The Beavers started the season with a win at home against UC Irvine. OSU then took on a pair of Big Ten opponents with a loss to Washington and a tie at Michigan on Friday.
This season, the Beavers made the move from the PAC 12 to the West Coast Conference. OSU was picked to finish first in the league, ahead of Portland and San Diego. Ellis Spikner leads the team in scoring with five points off of two goals and one assist. Pere Belemonte is second with one goal. Both John Nicolson and Gandhi Cruz have seen time in goal for Oregon State. Nicolson started the game against Michigan on Aug. 30.
SERIES HISTORY
Michigan State and Oregon State have a brief history that the Spartans lead 2-0. Both meetings have taken place in East Lansing. The Spartans won the first matchup in 2007. In 2013, MSU edged the Beavers by the same 1-0 margin.
GETTING IN THE LINEUP
Through three games this season, MSU has used three different starting lineups. In the first three games, six Spartans have started all three games in Zac Kelly, Shion Soga, Cristiano Bruletti, Jeremy Sharp, Will Eby and Josh Adam.
Adam, Kelly and Eby played every minute this season.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Redshirt-junior goalkeeper Zac Kelly is second in the Big Ten in saves with nine. Senior midfielder Shion Soga is fourth in the league in shots with eight.
RULE CHANGES THIS SEASON
This season the clock will stop on substitutions with 15 minutes left if the game is tied or the winning team makes a sub.
Substitutions can be made during any stoppage of time. Another change is to allow teams six moments to make substitutions in a game. Current substitution exceptions for goalkeepers, injury caused by an opposing player who was cautioned or ejected, bleeding injury, blood on the uniform, concussion evaluation and a permanent medical condition will not count as a moment as long as no other substitutions are made at the same time by that team. If a coach has used all of their moments and there is an injury not covered by the current exceptions listed previously, the team will play short. For postseason overtime games, any unused moments will carry over and one additional moment for all of overtime will be awarded.
PK KING
Senior midfielder Sean Kerrigan scored the Spartans' first goal of the season in the 1-1 tie against No. 25 SIUE. Kerrigan continues to shine from the penalty spot. Last season, Kerrigan led Michigan State in scoring with 12 points on six goals. Five of his six goals were penalty kicks.
HERMANN TROPHY
Junior midfielder Jonathan Stout was named to the Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy Watch List. The MAC Hermann Trophy  is the most prestigious individual award in college soccer and is presented annually to the most outstanding male and female players of the year. Stout is the first Spartan to make the list since Giuseppe Barone and Patrick Nielsen were named to the Hermann Watch List in 2019.Â
PRESEASON HONORS
Michigan State men's soccer team had three players named to the Big Ten Players to Watch List, as announced by the conference office.
Juniors Jeremy Sharp, Jake Spadafora and Jonathan Stout were all honored by the league.
The Big Ten preseason poll was also released Tuesday, as voted on by the 11 conference coaches. This is first season the league has expanded to 11 teams with the addition of UCLA and Washington. Â MSU was voted to pick fifth, while Indiana was once again picked to win the league. Penn State was voted second, while newcomer UCLA was picked third.
Sharp, who hails from Roseville, Michigan, earned a spot on the B1G Player to Watch list for the first time in his career. Last season, the defender earned second-team All-Big Ten honors, playing in all 15 games. Sharp ended the season with third-team All-North Region honors.Â
Stout, a native of Wyoming, Michigan, was second on the team in scoring last season with 10 points on five goals. The midfielder was named to the preseason list last season as well. Stout was also named first-team All-Big Ten as a sophomore. He also captured first-team All-North Region honors.
Spadafora, a forward who hails from Northville, Michigan, was tied for third on the team in scoring with three goals and one assist for seven points. He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors last season, as well as capturing second-team All-North Region accolades. Spadafora was also named to the watch list last season.
NEWCOMERS
The Spartans welcome eight new players to the 2024 roster with four freshmen and four transfers. Senior midfielders Levin Gerhardt and Shion Soga come to MSU from CSUN and South Florida, respectively. Redshirt-junior goalkeeper Michael Sly Jr. comes to the Spartans from Oakland, while redshirt-sophomore defender Ryan Van De Winkle transferred from Loyola Chicago.Â
The Spartans also welcome freshmen: goalkeeper Jake Grekowicz, forward Oscar Huerta, defender Brandon Munson and midfielder Jared Smid.
GUESS WHO'S BACK
Michigan State brings back its top eight scorers from last season, including leading scorer senior midfielder Sean Kerrigan, who led the team with six goals for 12 points. Junior midfielder Jonathan Stout was second in scoring with  10 points on five goals. Juniors Jake Spadafora and Jeremy Sharp were tied for third in scoring with seven points.
Redshirt-junior goalkeeper Zac Kelly returns in net for the Spartans. Kelly had a fantastic season last season, allowing only 15 goals in 16 games for a 0.94 GAA.
UP NEXT
The Spartans conclude their four-game homestand against Air Force on Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.
THE STAFF
MSU head coach Damon Rensing enters his 16th season at the helm of the Spartans. Assistant coaches T.J. Kolba is in his sixth season, while Nick Barry enters his fifth year at MSU. Reid Friedrichs, who enters his second year with Michigan State. Friedrichs has plenty of experience in the Green and White as a player, including Big Ten Player of the Year honors in 1996.
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The Spartans improved to 1-1-1 this season after 1-0 win against Villanova on Aug. 30. Michigan State earned it first shutout of the season with redshirt-junior goalkeeper Zac Kelly making three saves.
Matt Merrifield and Yousef Enayah are on the call for B1G+.
LOOKING AT THE BEAVERSÂ Â Â
No. 19/5 Oregon State is also 1-1-1 this season. The Beavers started the season with a win at home against UC Irvine. OSU then took on a pair of Big Ten opponents with a loss to Washington and a tie at Michigan on Friday.
This season, the Beavers made the move from the PAC 12 to the West Coast Conference. OSU was picked to finish first in the league, ahead of Portland and San Diego. Ellis Spikner leads the team in scoring with five points off of two goals and one assist. Pere Belemonte is second with one goal. Both John Nicolson and Gandhi Cruz have seen time in goal for Oregon State. Nicolson started the game against Michigan on Aug. 30.
SERIES HISTORY
Michigan State and Oregon State have a brief history that the Spartans lead 2-0. Both meetings have taken place in East Lansing. The Spartans won the first matchup in 2007. In 2013, MSU edged the Beavers by the same 1-0 margin.
GETTING IN THE LINEUP
Through three games this season, MSU has used three different starting lineups. In the first three games, six Spartans have started all three games in Zac Kelly, Shion Soga, Cristiano Bruletti, Jeremy Sharp, Will Eby and Josh Adam.
Adam, Kelly and Eby played every minute this season.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Redshirt-junior goalkeeper Zac Kelly is second in the Big Ten in saves with nine. Senior midfielder Shion Soga is fourth in the league in shots with eight.
RULE CHANGES THIS SEASON
This season the clock will stop on substitutions with 15 minutes left if the game is tied or the winning team makes a sub.
Substitutions can be made during any stoppage of time. Another change is to allow teams six moments to make substitutions in a game. Current substitution exceptions for goalkeepers, injury caused by an opposing player who was cautioned or ejected, bleeding injury, blood on the uniform, concussion evaluation and a permanent medical condition will not count as a moment as long as no other substitutions are made at the same time by that team. If a coach has used all of their moments and there is an injury not covered by the current exceptions listed previously, the team will play short. For postseason overtime games, any unused moments will carry over and one additional moment for all of overtime will be awarded.
PK KING
Senior midfielder Sean Kerrigan scored the Spartans' first goal of the season in the 1-1 tie against No. 25 SIUE. Kerrigan continues to shine from the penalty spot. Last season, Kerrigan led Michigan State in scoring with 12 points on six goals. Five of his six goals were penalty kicks.
HERMANN TROPHY
Junior midfielder Jonathan Stout was named to the Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy Watch List. The MAC Hermann Trophy  is the most prestigious individual award in college soccer and is presented annually to the most outstanding male and female players of the year. Stout is the first Spartan to make the list since Giuseppe Barone and Patrick Nielsen were named to the Hermann Watch List in 2019.Â
PRESEASON HONORS
Michigan State men's soccer team had three players named to the Big Ten Players to Watch List, as announced by the conference office.
Juniors Jeremy Sharp, Jake Spadafora and Jonathan Stout were all honored by the league.
The Big Ten preseason poll was also released Tuesday, as voted on by the 11 conference coaches. This is first season the league has expanded to 11 teams with the addition of UCLA and Washington. Â MSU was voted to pick fifth, while Indiana was once again picked to win the league. Penn State was voted second, while newcomer UCLA was picked third.
Sharp, who hails from Roseville, Michigan, earned a spot on the B1G Player to Watch list for the first time in his career. Last season, the defender earned second-team All-Big Ten honors, playing in all 15 games. Sharp ended the season with third-team All-North Region honors.Â
Stout, a native of Wyoming, Michigan, was second on the team in scoring last season with 10 points on five goals. The midfielder was named to the preseason list last season as well. Stout was also named first-team All-Big Ten as a sophomore. He also captured first-team All-North Region honors.
Spadafora, a forward who hails from Northville, Michigan, was tied for third on the team in scoring with three goals and one assist for seven points. He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors last season, as well as capturing second-team All-North Region accolades. Spadafora was also named to the watch list last season.
NEWCOMERS
The Spartans welcome eight new players to the 2024 roster with four freshmen and four transfers. Senior midfielders Levin Gerhardt and Shion Soga come to MSU from CSUN and South Florida, respectively. Redshirt-junior goalkeeper Michael Sly Jr. comes to the Spartans from Oakland, while redshirt-sophomore defender Ryan Van De Winkle transferred from Loyola Chicago.Â
The Spartans also welcome freshmen: goalkeeper Jake Grekowicz, forward Oscar Huerta, defender Brandon Munson and midfielder Jared Smid.
GUESS WHO'S BACK
Michigan State brings back its top eight scorers from last season, including leading scorer senior midfielder Sean Kerrigan, who led the team with six goals for 12 points. Junior midfielder Jonathan Stout was second in scoring with  10 points on five goals. Juniors Jake Spadafora and Jeremy Sharp were tied for third in scoring with seven points.
Redshirt-junior goalkeeper Zac Kelly returns in net for the Spartans. Kelly had a fantastic season last season, allowing only 15 goals in 16 games for a 0.94 GAA.
UP NEXT
The Spartans conclude their four-game homestand against Air Force on Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.
THE STAFF
MSU head coach Damon Rensing enters his 16th season at the helm of the Spartans. Assistant coaches T.J. Kolba is in his sixth season, while Nick Barry enters his fifth year at MSU. Reid Friedrichs, who enters his second year with Michigan State. Friedrichs has plenty of experience in the Green and White as a player, including Big Ten Player of the Year honors in 1996.
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Players Mentioned
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