Friday, October 17
Madison, Wis.
8 PM ET
Michigan State University
at
Wisconsin
Spartan Soccer Closes Out Road Trip at Wisconsin Friday
10/16/2025 12:28:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Michigan State has won two-straight games in the series.
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State men's soccer remains on the road to complete a two-game road trip, traveling to Wisconsin on Friday, Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. ET at McClimon Soccer Complex.
The Spartans are in search of their first win of October starting the month with a loss and a tie. Michigan State holds a 5-5-1 overall record and a 2-3-1 mark in Big Ten action. Wisconsin stands 4-6-0 overall and 1-4-0 in league contests.
LOOKING AT THE BADGERS
Wisconsin holds a 4-6-0 overall record and stands 1-4-0 in Big Ten play. Last time out, the Badgers fell to then-No. 18 Rutgers on the road, 4-2. UW earned its only Big Ten win against Ohio State on the road, 1-0, on Oct. 3.
Ola Arnsten and Markie Hrvojevic are tied for first in points scored with two goals and three assists for seven points. Bart Muns leads the team in goals scored with three, including one game-winning goal.
Matisse Hébert has started all 10 of the Badgers games this season. He has allowed 16 goals for a 1.60 GAA. He has shutout wins this year against Western Michigan and Ohio State.
SERIES HISTORY
Wisconsin leads the overall series with Michigan State, 24-17-7. In Madison, UW is on top of the series 13-7-3. The Spartans lead in East Lansing, 9-8-3. On neutral territory, the Badgers lead 3-1-1. Michigan State has won the last three games and have gone 5-0-1 in the last six meeting. Last season at home, MSU came away with a 2-0 win against then No. 25 Wisconsin. Sean Kerrigan provided the offense for MSU with both goals.
PACKING THE STANDS
Through the first six home games, the Spartans stand seventh in the nation in average attendance, averaging 2,592 fans. Indiana stands second (3,525), while Maryland is third (3,037). Michigan State rose from 11th to seventh after 4,861 fans packed DeMartin Stadium on Oct. 3 against Penn State.
LOOKING AT THE STANDINGS
With the regular season coming to a close, Maryland has taken the lead in the standings with 14 points. Washington stands second with 12. Michigan, Rutgers and UCLA are all currently tied for third with 10 points. The Spartans are seventh with seven points.
PLAYING AGAINST THE BEST
This week, there are five teams in the Big Ten that are ranked. MSU is 2-1-0 against those teams, not yet having played No. 13 Rutgers or No. 8 Maryland. Michigan State has wins over No. 14 Indiana and No. 16 Michigan. The Spartans suffered a 1-0 road loss to No. 21 Washington.
MORE THAN ROWDY
Against Penn State on Oct. 3, Michigan State set a new men's record for attendance with 4,861 fans at DeMartin Stadium. The previous record was 4,678 against Maryland on Sept. 22, 2017. The overall record at DeMartin is held by the MSU women with 5,145 fans at DeMartin Stadium against Michigan on Oct. 5, 2024.
GETTING TOP MARKS
Two of the three top scorers for Michigan State are freshmen with the third being a newcomer. With the game-winning goal against No. 3 Indiana on Sept. 23, freshman Peter Soudan is tied for the team lead with three goals and two assists for eight points. Transfer Miles Merritt is tied for the team lead in points with eight points on three goals and two assists. Freshman Luke Spadafora and junior midfielder Richie Ludwig are third in scoring with six points. Freshman Chim Okeke, who has served as a spark plug off the bench, scored his first collegiate goal against Ohio State on Sept. 19.
WHAT A WEEK!
Two weeks ago was one for the record books for the Spartans. Michigan State started the week with a 1-0 win over then-No. 3 Indiana on Sept. 23. It was MSU's first win over a top-5 team since defeating Indiana on No. 5, 2014 in Bloomington. The Spartans then defeated then No. 5 Michigan to retain the Big Bear on Sept. 26, 2-1, in Ann Arbor. It was the first time in Michigan State history that the team had defeated two top-5 teams in the same week.
AROUND THE BIG TEN
Indiana's Palmer Ault is first in the Big Ten in goals scored with 11. He is also first in the league in points with 27 (11 goals, 5 assists). Redshirt-senior goalkeeper Zac Kelly is tied for fourth in shutouts with four.
REACHING A MILESTONE
With a win against Detroit Mercy on Sept. 1, MSU head coach Damon Rensing reached the 150 win-plateau. He is the second winningest coach in Spartan history. Hall of Famer Joe Baum is the all-time leader with 320 career wins. Rensing holds a career record of 153-116-50 in 17 seasons in the Green and White.
GETTING IN THE STARTING XI
Five players have started all 11 games in Zac Kelly, Luke Spadafora, Jack Guggemos, Colin Arce and Josh Adam. Peter Soudan, Will Eby and Miles Merritt have also started in 10 games. Chim Okeke has played in all 11 games, while earning his first start against Northwestern on Oct. 11. While fighting injuries, Brandon Munson has started six games.
SPARTAN FUN FACT
Michigan State stands undefeated this season with being out-shot. The Spartans are 2-0-1 when the opponent takes more shots.
PUTTING IN THE MINUTES
Several Spartans are logging in the minutes on this season. Goalkeeper Zac Kelly has played all 990, while defender Josh Adam is second in minutes with 963. Midfielders Luke Spadafora (848 minutes) and Colin Arce (927) are next in minutes played.
DID YOU KNOW?
With four shutouts so far this season, redshirt-senior goalkeeper Zac Kelly now has 16 career clean sheets. He is now eighth in the MSU record books. He passed T.J. Lieckfelt (1997-00), Joe Baum (1967-68) and Paul Zimmerman (1983-85).
UP NEXT
The Spartans finally return home to face UCLA on Monday, Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. on BTN.
PRESEASON HONORS
Michigan State men's soccer team had three players named to the Big Ten Players to Watch List.
Kelly, who hails from Holt, Michigan, is the reigning Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year. Last season, he was the first Michigan State athlete to earn B1G Goalkeeper of the Year honors since Jimmy Hague in 2017. Kelly started all 17 games for MSU last season, earning seven shutouts.
Merritt, a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was named a United Soccer Coaches Midfielder to Watch. The midfielder is in his first season with the Spartans after playing two years at Incarnate Word.
Munson, a sophomore who hails from Spring Hill, Florida, was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team last season.
O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!
Ahead of the start of practice on Aug. 5, Michigan State head men's soccer coach Damon Rensing announced the three captains for the 2025 season in Zac Kelly, Josh Adam and Will Eby.
LAST TIME OUT
Tying his season-high with five saves, redshirt-senior goalkeeper Zac Kelly helped the Michigan State men's soccer team earned a 0-0 tie at Northwestern Saturday night at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium.
Saturday was only the second time that the Spartans have not scored a goal this season with the first coming at Bowling Green on Sept. 5 With the draw, Michigan State stands 5-5-1 this season and 2-3-1 in Big Ten action. Northwestern is 6-4-2 overall and 1-3-1 in league contests.
Neither team was able to get their offense going, but Northwestern out-shot Michigan State 14-8 for the game. Freshman forward Chim Okeke made his first career start for the Spartans after coming off the bench the previous 10 games. He ended up playing a career-high 82 minutes and leading MSU with four shots.
THE STAFF
MSU head coach Damon Rensing enters his 17th season at the helm of the Spartans. Assistant coach T.J. Kolba is in his seventh season, while Nick Barry enters his sixth year at MSU. Reid Friedrichs, who enters his third 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.
This year there is a new face on the Spartan bench in former Spartan Zach Carroll, who was the No. 38 overall pick in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft by the New York Red Bulls. He earned first-team All-Big honors in 2015.
LIKE FATHER LIKE SON
MSU junior midfielder Colin Arce is following in his father's footsteps. Steve Arce played at Michigan State from 1998-01 when current head coach Damon Rensing was an assistant coach.
KELLY AND SOUDAN EARN LEAGUE HONORS
Michigan State men's soccer players Zac Kelly and Peter Soudan both captured Big Ten honors on Sept. 30.
Kelly, a native of Holt, Michigan, captured Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week honors for the first time this season. He also was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week. He led the team to a pair of wins over top five teams for the first time in MSU history. Against No. 3 Indiana, he earned a clean sheet with a season-high five saves. In the Spartans' road win against No. 5 Michigan, he allowed only one goal in MSU's 2-1 win.
This is Kelly's second career Goalkeeper of the Week honor. His first honor came on Oct. 1, 2024.
Soudan is the third Spartan to earn B1G Freshman of the Week honors. The 2024 season was the first season that the award was given. Midfielder Brandon Munson was named Freshman of the Week on Oct. 1, 2024. Luke Spadafora also captured Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors on Sept. 2, 2025.
The midfielder, who hails from Western Springs, Illinois, scored the game-winning goal in MSU's 1-0 victory over Indiana on Sept. 23. He also drew the penalty that led to a penalty kick goal in the 2-1 victory at Michigan on Sept. 26. Soudan is tied for the team lead in points with three goals and two assists for eight points.
BIG TEN OPENER
MSU opened up Big Ten action against Washington on Sept. 12 with a 2-1 loss. This was the second-straight season that the two teams have met in the B1G opener. The Spartans are 7-2-3 in their last 12 Big Ten openers. Last season, MSU defeated UW, 1-0, in East Lansing. The Spartans tied Rutgers on the road 1-1 in the league opener in 2023. In 2022, MSU tied No. 16 Indiana to open league play. In 2021, MSU tied Wisconsin 1-1 in Madison.
The Spartans are in search of their first win of October starting the month with a loss and a tie. Michigan State holds a 5-5-1 overall record and a 2-3-1 mark in Big Ten action. Wisconsin stands 4-6-0 overall and 1-4-0 in league contests.
LOOKING AT THE BADGERS
Wisconsin holds a 4-6-0 overall record and stands 1-4-0 in Big Ten play. Last time out, the Badgers fell to then-No. 18 Rutgers on the road, 4-2. UW earned its only Big Ten win against Ohio State on the road, 1-0, on Oct. 3.
Ola Arnsten and Markie Hrvojevic are tied for first in points scored with two goals and three assists for seven points. Bart Muns leads the team in goals scored with three, including one game-winning goal.
Matisse Hébert has started all 10 of the Badgers games this season. He has allowed 16 goals for a 1.60 GAA. He has shutout wins this year against Western Michigan and Ohio State.
SERIES HISTORY
Wisconsin leads the overall series with Michigan State, 24-17-7. In Madison, UW is on top of the series 13-7-3. The Spartans lead in East Lansing, 9-8-3. On neutral territory, the Badgers lead 3-1-1. Michigan State has won the last three games and have gone 5-0-1 in the last six meeting. Last season at home, MSU came away with a 2-0 win against then No. 25 Wisconsin. Sean Kerrigan provided the offense for MSU with both goals.
PACKING THE STANDS
Through the first six home games, the Spartans stand seventh in the nation in average attendance, averaging 2,592 fans. Indiana stands second (3,525), while Maryland is third (3,037). Michigan State rose from 11th to seventh after 4,861 fans packed DeMartin Stadium on Oct. 3 against Penn State.
LOOKING AT THE STANDINGS
With the regular season coming to a close, Maryland has taken the lead in the standings with 14 points. Washington stands second with 12. Michigan, Rutgers and UCLA are all currently tied for third with 10 points. The Spartans are seventh with seven points.
PLAYING AGAINST THE BEST
This week, there are five teams in the Big Ten that are ranked. MSU is 2-1-0 against those teams, not yet having played No. 13 Rutgers or No. 8 Maryland. Michigan State has wins over No. 14 Indiana and No. 16 Michigan. The Spartans suffered a 1-0 road loss to No. 21 Washington.
MORE THAN ROWDY
Against Penn State on Oct. 3, Michigan State set a new men's record for attendance with 4,861 fans at DeMartin Stadium. The previous record was 4,678 against Maryland on Sept. 22, 2017. The overall record at DeMartin is held by the MSU women with 5,145 fans at DeMartin Stadium against Michigan on Oct. 5, 2024.
GETTING TOP MARKS
Two of the three top scorers for Michigan State are freshmen with the third being a newcomer. With the game-winning goal against No. 3 Indiana on Sept. 23, freshman Peter Soudan is tied for the team lead with three goals and two assists for eight points. Transfer Miles Merritt is tied for the team lead in points with eight points on three goals and two assists. Freshman Luke Spadafora and junior midfielder Richie Ludwig are third in scoring with six points. Freshman Chim Okeke, who has served as a spark plug off the bench, scored his first collegiate goal against Ohio State on Sept. 19.
WHAT A WEEK!
Two weeks ago was one for the record books for the Spartans. Michigan State started the week with a 1-0 win over then-No. 3 Indiana on Sept. 23. It was MSU's first win over a top-5 team since defeating Indiana on No. 5, 2014 in Bloomington. The Spartans then defeated then No. 5 Michigan to retain the Big Bear on Sept. 26, 2-1, in Ann Arbor. It was the first time in Michigan State history that the team had defeated two top-5 teams in the same week.
AROUND THE BIG TEN
Indiana's Palmer Ault is first in the Big Ten in goals scored with 11. He is also first in the league in points with 27 (11 goals, 5 assists). Redshirt-senior goalkeeper Zac Kelly is tied for fourth in shutouts with four.
REACHING A MILESTONE
With a win against Detroit Mercy on Sept. 1, MSU head coach Damon Rensing reached the 150 win-plateau. He is the second winningest coach in Spartan history. Hall of Famer Joe Baum is the all-time leader with 320 career wins. Rensing holds a career record of 153-116-50 in 17 seasons in the Green and White.
GETTING IN THE STARTING XI
Five players have started all 11 games in Zac Kelly, Luke Spadafora, Jack Guggemos, Colin Arce and Josh Adam. Peter Soudan, Will Eby and Miles Merritt have also started in 10 games. Chim Okeke has played in all 11 games, while earning his first start against Northwestern on Oct. 11. While fighting injuries, Brandon Munson has started six games.
SPARTAN FUN FACT
Michigan State stands undefeated this season with being out-shot. The Spartans are 2-0-1 when the opponent takes more shots.
PUTTING IN THE MINUTES
Several Spartans are logging in the minutes on this season. Goalkeeper Zac Kelly has played all 990, while defender Josh Adam is second in minutes with 963. Midfielders Luke Spadafora (848 minutes) and Colin Arce (927) are next in minutes played.
DID YOU KNOW?
With four shutouts so far this season, redshirt-senior goalkeeper Zac Kelly now has 16 career clean sheets. He is now eighth in the MSU record books. He passed T.J. Lieckfelt (1997-00), Joe Baum (1967-68) and Paul Zimmerman (1983-85).
UP NEXT
The Spartans finally return home to face UCLA on Monday, Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. on BTN.
PRESEASON HONORS
Michigan State men's soccer team had three players named to the Big Ten Players to Watch List.
Kelly, who hails from Holt, Michigan, is the reigning Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year. Last season, he was the first Michigan State athlete to earn B1G Goalkeeper of the Year honors since Jimmy Hague in 2017. Kelly started all 17 games for MSU last season, earning seven shutouts.
Merritt, a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was named a United Soccer Coaches Midfielder to Watch. The midfielder is in his first season with the Spartans after playing two years at Incarnate Word.
Munson, a sophomore who hails from Spring Hill, Florida, was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team last season.
O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!
Ahead of the start of practice on Aug. 5, Michigan State head men's soccer coach Damon Rensing announced the three captains for the 2025 season in Zac Kelly, Josh Adam and Will Eby.
LAST TIME OUT
Tying his season-high with five saves, redshirt-senior goalkeeper Zac Kelly helped the Michigan State men's soccer team earned a 0-0 tie at Northwestern Saturday night at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium.
Saturday was only the second time that the Spartans have not scored a goal this season with the first coming at Bowling Green on Sept. 5 With the draw, Michigan State stands 5-5-1 this season and 2-3-1 in Big Ten action. Northwestern is 6-4-2 overall and 1-3-1 in league contests.
Neither team was able to get their offense going, but Northwestern out-shot Michigan State 14-8 for the game. Freshman forward Chim Okeke made his first career start for the Spartans after coming off the bench the previous 10 games. He ended up playing a career-high 82 minutes and leading MSU with four shots.
THE STAFF
MSU head coach Damon Rensing enters his 17th season at the helm of the Spartans. Assistant coach T.J. Kolba is in his seventh season, while Nick Barry enters his sixth year at MSU. Reid Friedrichs, who enters his third 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.
This year there is a new face on the Spartan bench in former Spartan Zach Carroll, who was the No. 38 overall pick in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft by the New York Red Bulls. He earned first-team All-Big honors in 2015.
LIKE FATHER LIKE SON
MSU junior midfielder Colin Arce is following in his father's footsteps. Steve Arce played at Michigan State from 1998-01 when current head coach Damon Rensing was an assistant coach.
KELLY AND SOUDAN EARN LEAGUE HONORS
Michigan State men's soccer players Zac Kelly and Peter Soudan both captured Big Ten honors on Sept. 30.
Kelly, a native of Holt, Michigan, captured Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week honors for the first time this season. He also was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week. He led the team to a pair of wins over top five teams for the first time in MSU history. Against No. 3 Indiana, he earned a clean sheet with a season-high five saves. In the Spartans' road win against No. 5 Michigan, he allowed only one goal in MSU's 2-1 win.
This is Kelly's second career Goalkeeper of the Week honor. His first honor came on Oct. 1, 2024.
Soudan is the third Spartan to earn B1G Freshman of the Week honors. The 2024 season was the first season that the award was given. Midfielder Brandon Munson was named Freshman of the Week on Oct. 1, 2024. Luke Spadafora also captured Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors on Sept. 2, 2025.
The midfielder, who hails from Western Springs, Illinois, scored the game-winning goal in MSU's 1-0 victory over Indiana on Sept. 23. He also drew the penalty that led to a penalty kick goal in the 2-1 victory at Michigan on Sept. 26. Soudan is tied for the team lead in points with three goals and two assists for eight points.
BIG TEN OPENER
MSU opened up Big Ten action against Washington on Sept. 12 with a 2-1 loss. This was the second-straight season that the two teams have met in the B1G opener. The Spartans are 7-2-3 in their last 12 Big Ten openers. Last season, MSU defeated UW, 1-0, in East Lansing. The Spartans tied Rutgers on the road 1-1 in the league opener in 2023. In 2022, MSU tied No. 16 Indiana to open league play. In 2021, MSU tied Wisconsin 1-1 in Madison.
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