Monday, October 20
East Lansing, Mich.
8 PM
Michigan State University
vs
UCLA
MSU Returns Home to Host UCLA Monday Night
10/19/2025 11:51:00 AM | Men's Soccer
The teams are set for a 8 p.m. start on BTN.
EAST LANSING Mich. - After two-straight road games, the Michigan State men's soccer team finally returns home to take on UCLA on Monday, Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. at DeMartin Stadium.
The Spartans are in search of their first win of October starting the month with two losses and a tie. Michigan State holds a 5-6-1 overall record and a 2-4-1 mark in Big Ten action. UCLA stands 3-6-3 overall and are 3-3-1 in league contests.
Dean Linke and Patrick Doody will be on the call for the Big Ten Network.
LOOKING AT THE BRUINS
UCLA comes to East Lansing with a 3-6-3 overall record and stand 3-3-1 mark in Big Ten action. The Bruins have Big Ten wins against Penn State, Wisconsin and Northwestern. Last time out, UCLA fell to then-No. 16 Michigan, 3-0, in Ann Arbor. The Bruins are 1-3-1 in their last five games with the one win coming against Penn State at home on Oct. 10.
Sergi Solans Ormo leads the Bruins in scoring with 10 points off of four goals and two assists. Francis Bonsu is second with five points off of one goal and three assists.
The Bruins have used three different goalkeepers this season with Ryan Tiltack playing in eight games. Kevin Box has started the last three games for UCLA, allowing only three goals.
SERIES HISTORY
Michigan State and UCLA have only met once with the Spartans taking the 1-0 victory in Los Angeles on Sept. 28, 2024. Jonathan Stout's header in the second minute was all the Spartans needed to earn the 1-0 victory.
PACKING THE STANDS
Through the first six home games, the Spartans stand 11th in the nation in average attendance, averaging 2,592 fans. Indiana stands second (3,525), while Maryland is fifth (2,860).
FRESH FACES
Dealing with injuries throughout the season, the Spartans have depended on freshmen all season. Five different MSU players have started a game this season, led by Luke Spadafora who has started all 12 and Peter Soudan who has started 11. Overall, seven Michigan State seven freshmen have seen action this season.
LOOKING AT THE STANDINGS
With the regular season coming to a close, Maryland has taken the lead in the standings with 17 points. Washington stands second with 15. Michigan is in third with 13 points, 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!
Three 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 14. He is also first in the league in points with 33 (14 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 153-118-50 in 17 seasons in the Green and White.
GETTING IN THE STARTING XI
Only five players have started all 12 games in Zac Kelly, Luke Spadafora, Colin Arce and Josh Adam. Richie Ludwig, Jack Guggemos, Peter Soudan, Will Eby and Miles Merritt have also started in 11 games. Chim Okeke has played in all 12 games, while earning his first start against Northwestern on Oct. 11. While fighting injuries, Brandon Munson has started seven games, returning to the starting lineup against Wisconsin on Oct. 17.
PUTTING IN THE MINUTES
Several Spartans are logging in the minutes on this season. Goalkeeper Zac Kelly has played all 1,080, while defender Josh Adam is second in minutes with 1,053. Midfielders Richie Ludwig (925 minutes) and Colin Arce (1,002) 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 will celebrate seniors Zac Kelly, Josh Adam, Josh Mason, Michael Sly, Jr., Ryan Van De Winkle, Jack Guggemos and Jake Spadafora on Senior Day Sunday, on Oct. 26 against UMKC at 1 p.m.
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
Michigan State men's soccer surrendered a pair of second-half goals, falling to Wisconsin, 2-0, Friday night at McClimon Soccer Stadium. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak against Wisconsin.
MSU welcomed back sophomore midfielder Brandon Munson to the starting lineup. Munson missed six games after suffering a lower leg injury at Washington on Sept. 12.
In the second half, the Badgers came out as the aggressors. In the 69th minute, Wisconsin finally broke through with the would be game-winning goal. Matthew Zachemski's fourth goal of the season off of passes from Cristobal Porter and Thomas Raimbault. In the 76th minute, the Badgers added a second goal with Raimbault's first goal of the season.
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.
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The Spartans are in search of their first win of October starting the month with two losses and a tie. Michigan State holds a 5-6-1 overall record and a 2-4-1 mark in Big Ten action. UCLA stands 3-6-3 overall and are 3-3-1 in league contests.
Dean Linke and Patrick Doody will be on the call for the Big Ten Network.
LOOKING AT THE BRUINS
UCLA comes to East Lansing with a 3-6-3 overall record and stand 3-3-1 mark in Big Ten action. The Bruins have Big Ten wins against Penn State, Wisconsin and Northwestern. Last time out, UCLA fell to then-No. 16 Michigan, 3-0, in Ann Arbor. The Bruins are 1-3-1 in their last five games with the one win coming against Penn State at home on Oct. 10.
Sergi Solans Ormo leads the Bruins in scoring with 10 points off of four goals and two assists. Francis Bonsu is second with five points off of one goal and three assists.
The Bruins have used three different goalkeepers this season with Ryan Tiltack playing in eight games. Kevin Box has started the last three games for UCLA, allowing only three goals.
SERIES HISTORY
Michigan State and UCLA have only met once with the Spartans taking the 1-0 victory in Los Angeles on Sept. 28, 2024. Jonathan Stout's header in the second minute was all the Spartans needed to earn the 1-0 victory.
PACKING THE STANDS
Through the first six home games, the Spartans stand 11th in the nation in average attendance, averaging 2,592 fans. Indiana stands second (3,525), while Maryland is fifth (2,860).
FRESH FACES
Dealing with injuries throughout the season, the Spartans have depended on freshmen all season. Five different MSU players have started a game this season, led by Luke Spadafora who has started all 12 and Peter Soudan who has started 11. Overall, seven Michigan State seven freshmen have seen action this season.
LOOKING AT THE STANDINGS
With the regular season coming to a close, Maryland has taken the lead in the standings with 17 points. Washington stands second with 15. Michigan is in third with 13 points, 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!
Three 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 14. He is also first in the league in points with 33 (14 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 153-118-50 in 17 seasons in the Green and White.
GETTING IN THE STARTING XI
Only five players have started all 12 games in Zac Kelly, Luke Spadafora, Colin Arce and Josh Adam. Richie Ludwig, Jack Guggemos, Peter Soudan, Will Eby and Miles Merritt have also started in 11 games. Chim Okeke has played in all 12 games, while earning his first start against Northwestern on Oct. 11. While fighting injuries, Brandon Munson has started seven games, returning to the starting lineup against Wisconsin on Oct. 17.
PUTTING IN THE MINUTES
Several Spartans are logging in the minutes on this season. Goalkeeper Zac Kelly has played all 1,080, while defender Josh Adam is second in minutes with 1,053. Midfielders Richie Ludwig (925 minutes) and Colin Arce (1,002) 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 will celebrate seniors Zac Kelly, Josh Adam, Josh Mason, Michael Sly, Jr., Ryan Van De Winkle, Jack Guggemos and Jake Spadafora on Senior Day Sunday, on Oct. 26 against UMKC at 1 p.m.
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
Michigan State men's soccer surrendered a pair of second-half goals, falling to Wisconsin, 2-0, Friday night at McClimon Soccer Stadium. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak against Wisconsin.
MSU welcomed back sophomore midfielder Brandon Munson to the starting lineup. Munson missed six games after suffering a lower leg injury at Washington on Sept. 12.
In the second half, the Badgers came out as the aggressors. In the 69th minute, Wisconsin finally broke through with the would be game-winning goal. Matthew Zachemski's fourth goal of the season off of passes from Cristobal Porter and Thomas Raimbault. In the 76th minute, the Badgers added a second goal with Raimbault's first goal of the season.
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.
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