Friday, September 26
Ann Arbor, Mich.
6 PM
Michigan State University
at
No. 5 Michigan
MSU Travels to No. 5 Michigan for the Battle for the Big Bear
9/25/2025 9:06:00 AM | Men's Soccer
The Spartans control the Bear after a 0-0 tie last year.
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State men's soccer will head down the road to take on  No. 5/4 Michigan on Friday, Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
The Spartans improved to 4-4-0 overall and 1-2 in Big Ten play after a 1-0 win over No. 3 Indiana on Tuesday. It was MSU's first win over a top-5 team since defeating Indiana on No. 5, 2014 in Bloomington. Michigan is off to a hot start with a 5-0-2 overall record and a 2-0-0 mark in league contests.
Kylen Mills and Chris Munroe will be on the call for BTN.
BATTLE FOR THE BIG BEAR
This is the 25th anniversary for the Battle for the Big Bear Trophy. The trophy originated in 2000. MSU leads the series 14-5-5 since 2000. The Spartans currently have possession of the trophy after the teams tied 0-0 the last two seasons on BTN. Last season, in East Lansing, Zac Kelly and Isaiah Goldson were both stellar in the 0-0 tie. Kelly made four saves on the night.
In 2022 in East Lansing, Michigan State came out on top with a 2-0 win behind goals from Greyson Mercer and Jonathan Stout.
The bear trophy was purchased in 1999 by former U-M head coach Steve Burns on his way back from a trip to Canada and was installed as the rivalry's trophy during the inaugural match between the Spartans the Wolverines in 2000.
Michigan State leads the overall series with Michigan 34-12-10, including 17-3-5 in East Lansing. The Wolverines have closed the gap of late, winning five of the last nine games. With the COVID-19 shortened season, MSU and U-M met three times with the Wolverines winning all three, including a 1-0 win in the Big Ten tournament. Michigan also won both meetings in 2019. In 2021, the teams battled to a 2-2 double overtime tie in Ann Arbor.
LOOKING AT THE WOLVERINES
No. 5/4 Michigan holds a 5-0-2 record overall this season and are 2-0 in Big Ten contests. This is the first time that the Wolverines have opened conference play with two wins since 2020, when they started with victories over Northwestern, Michigan State and Rutgers. The No. 5 ranking is its highest since 2010.
Quin Rogers leads the team in points with six off of three goals. Shuma Sasaki and Kyle Pierson are tied for second with five points off of two goals and one assists.
Wolverine goalkeeper Isaiah Goldson has started all seven games this season. She has allowed only six goals in seven games for a 0.86 GAA. He and MSU goalkeeper  Zac Kelly are tied for first in the Big Ten in shutouts with three.
PACKING THE STANDS
Through the first five home games, Â the Spartans stand ninth in the nation in average attendance, averaging 2,138 fans. Indiana stands second (3,692), while Maryland is fourth (2,774).Â
ON THE STAT SHEETS
The Spartans are eighth in the league in shots with 119 so far this season. Â Redshirt-senior goalkeeper Zac Kelly is tied for first in the Big Ten in shutouts with three.
FABULOUS FRESHMEN
Two of the three top scorers for Michigan State are freshmen with the third being a newcomer. Â With the game-winning goal against No. 3 Indiana, freshman Peter Soudan holds the team lead with three goals and two assists for eight points. Freshman Luke Spadafora and transfer Miles Merritt are tied for second in points with six points on two goals and two assists. Freshman Chim Okeke, who has served as a spark plug off the bench, scored his first collegiate goal against Ohio State on Sept. 19. Freshman Charlie Norkett made his first collegiate start against Ohio State on Sept. 19.
AROUND THE BIG TEN
Indiana's Palmer Ault is first in the Big Ten in goals scored with seven. He is also first in the league in points with 17 (7 goals, 3 assists). Freshman midfielder Peter Soudan is tied for eighth in points with eight off of three goals and two assists.Â
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 152-115-49 in 17 seasons in the Green and White.
GETTING IN THE STARTING XI
Seven players have started all eight games in Zac Kelly, Luke Spadafora, Miles Merritt, Richie Ludwig, Jack Guggemos, Colin Arce and Josh Adam. Peter Soudan and Chim Okeke have also played in all eight games. Will Eby and Peter Soudan have both started seven games, while fighting injuries Brandon Munson has started six games.
PUTTING IN THE MINUTES
Several Spartans are logging in the minutes on this season. Goalkeeper Zac Kelly has played all 720, while and defender Josh Adam is second in minutes with 702. Midfielders Richie Ludwig (664 minutes) and Miles Merritt (622) are next in minutes played.
DID YOU KNOW?
With three shutouts so far this season, redshirt-senior goalkeeper Zac Kelly now has 15 career clean sheets. He is now tied for eighth in the MSU record books. He would be tied with T.J. Lieckfelt (1997-00), Joe Baum (1967-68) and Paul Zimmerman (1983-85).
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UP NEXT
The Spartans open October returning home to host Penn State on Friday, Oct. 3 at 5 p.m.
PRESEASON HONORS
Michigan State men's soccer team had three players named to the Big Ten Players to Watch List.Â
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.Â
Munson, a sophomore who hails from Spring Hill, Florida, was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team last season.Â
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 upset No. 3 Indiana, 1-0, Tuesday night at DeMartin Stadium for the Spartans' highest-ranked upset win since 2014. The Spartans were boosted by a second-half goal from freshman midfielder Peter Soudan and outstanding defense spearheaded by senior goalkeeper Zac Kelly.
Tuesday was MSU's highest-ranked upset win since beating No. 2 Indiana, 3-2, on Nov. 5, 2014 on the road in Bloomington.
Unlike that meeting with five goals, Tuesday's tangle between the Spartans and Hoosiers was decided by a single goal, coming in the 49th minute from Soudan, and the resolute MSU defense denied IU's offense, with Kelly making some key saves late in the match to deny the Hoosiers' frantic finish.
The Spartans broke the scoreless match in the 49th minute, when junior forward Richie Ludwig bent a corner kick into the box, where IU goalkeeper Holden Brown punched out, but Soudan corralled the ball just inside the 18-yard box and fired a sliding shot over Brown and that kissed off the far post and into the net for the Spartans' 1-0 lead.
PRESEASON PLAY
The Spartans played two exhibition games in preparation for the 2025 season. On Aug. 10, Michigan State defeated Butler at DeMartin Stadium, 2-0. On Aug. 15, the Spartans came away with a 2-1 win at UIC.
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.
LUKE SPADAFORA EARNS LEAGUE HONOR
Luke Spadafora was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Sept. 2.
Spadafora is the second 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.
The midfielder, who hails from Northville, Michigan, scored the game-winning goal in MSU's 1-0 victory over Detroit Mercy on Sept. 1. His first goal in the Green and White was a game winner in the 78th minute was the game winner for the Spartans.Â
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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The Spartans improved to 4-4-0 overall and 1-2 in Big Ten play after a 1-0 win over No. 3 Indiana on Tuesday. It was MSU's first win over a top-5 team since defeating Indiana on No. 5, 2014 in Bloomington. Michigan is off to a hot start with a 5-0-2 overall record and a 2-0-0 mark in league contests.
Kylen Mills and Chris Munroe will be on the call for BTN.
BATTLE FOR THE BIG BEAR
This is the 25th anniversary for the Battle for the Big Bear Trophy. The trophy originated in 2000. MSU leads the series 14-5-5 since 2000. The Spartans currently have possession of the trophy after the teams tied 0-0 the last two seasons on BTN. Last season, in East Lansing, Zac Kelly and Isaiah Goldson were both stellar in the 0-0 tie. Kelly made four saves on the night.
In 2022 in East Lansing, Michigan State came out on top with a 2-0 win behind goals from Greyson Mercer and Jonathan Stout.
The bear trophy was purchased in 1999 by former U-M head coach Steve Burns on his way back from a trip to Canada and was installed as the rivalry's trophy during the inaugural match between the Spartans the Wolverines in 2000.
Michigan State leads the overall series with Michigan 34-12-10, including 17-3-5 in East Lansing. The Wolverines have closed the gap of late, winning five of the last nine games. With the COVID-19 shortened season, MSU and U-M met three times with the Wolverines winning all three, including a 1-0 win in the Big Ten tournament. Michigan also won both meetings in 2019. In 2021, the teams battled to a 2-2 double overtime tie in Ann Arbor.
LOOKING AT THE WOLVERINES
No. 5/4 Michigan holds a 5-0-2 record overall this season and are 2-0 in Big Ten contests. This is the first time that the Wolverines have opened conference play with two wins since 2020, when they started with victories over Northwestern, Michigan State and Rutgers. The No. 5 ranking is its highest since 2010.
Quin Rogers leads the team in points with six off of three goals. Shuma Sasaki and Kyle Pierson are tied for second with five points off of two goals and one assists.
Wolverine goalkeeper Isaiah Goldson has started all seven games this season. She has allowed only six goals in seven games for a 0.86 GAA. He and MSU goalkeeper  Zac Kelly are tied for first in the Big Ten in shutouts with three.
PACKING THE STANDS
Through the first five home games, Â the Spartans stand ninth in the nation in average attendance, averaging 2,138 fans. Indiana stands second (3,692), while Maryland is fourth (2,774).Â
ON THE STAT SHEETS
The Spartans are eighth in the league in shots with 119 so far this season. Â Redshirt-senior goalkeeper Zac Kelly is tied for first in the Big Ten in shutouts with three.
FABULOUS FRESHMEN
Two of the three top scorers for Michigan State are freshmen with the third being a newcomer. Â With the game-winning goal against No. 3 Indiana, freshman Peter Soudan holds the team lead with three goals and two assists for eight points. Freshman Luke Spadafora and transfer Miles Merritt are tied for second in points with six points on two goals and two assists. Freshman Chim Okeke, who has served as a spark plug off the bench, scored his first collegiate goal against Ohio State on Sept. 19. Freshman Charlie Norkett made his first collegiate start against Ohio State on Sept. 19.
AROUND THE BIG TEN
Indiana's Palmer Ault is first in the Big Ten in goals scored with seven. He is also first in the league in points with 17 (7 goals, 3 assists). Freshman midfielder Peter Soudan is tied for eighth in points with eight off of three goals and two assists.Â
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 152-115-49 in 17 seasons in the Green and White.
GETTING IN THE STARTING XI
Seven players have started all eight games in Zac Kelly, Luke Spadafora, Miles Merritt, Richie Ludwig, Jack Guggemos, Colin Arce and Josh Adam. Peter Soudan and Chim Okeke have also played in all eight games. Will Eby and Peter Soudan have both started seven games, while fighting injuries Brandon Munson has started six games.
PUTTING IN THE MINUTES
Several Spartans are logging in the minutes on this season. Goalkeeper Zac Kelly has played all 720, while and defender Josh Adam is second in minutes with 702. Midfielders Richie Ludwig (664 minutes) and Miles Merritt (622) are next in minutes played.
DID YOU KNOW?
With three shutouts so far this season, redshirt-senior goalkeeper Zac Kelly now has 15 career clean sheets. He is now tied for eighth in the MSU record books. He would be tied with T.J. Lieckfelt (1997-00), Joe Baum (1967-68) and Paul Zimmerman (1983-85).
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UP NEXT
The Spartans open October returning home to host Penn State on Friday, Oct. 3 at 5 p.m.
PRESEASON HONORS
Michigan State men's soccer team had three players named to the Big Ten Players to Watch List.Â
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.Â
Munson, a sophomore who hails from Spring Hill, Florida, was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team last season.Â
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 upset No. 3 Indiana, 1-0, Tuesday night at DeMartin Stadium for the Spartans' highest-ranked upset win since 2014. The Spartans were boosted by a second-half goal from freshman midfielder Peter Soudan and outstanding defense spearheaded by senior goalkeeper Zac Kelly.
Tuesday was MSU's highest-ranked upset win since beating No. 2 Indiana, 3-2, on Nov. 5, 2014 on the road in Bloomington.
Unlike that meeting with five goals, Tuesday's tangle between the Spartans and Hoosiers was decided by a single goal, coming in the 49th minute from Soudan, and the resolute MSU defense denied IU's offense, with Kelly making some key saves late in the match to deny the Hoosiers' frantic finish.
The Spartans broke the scoreless match in the 49th minute, when junior forward Richie Ludwig bent a corner kick into the box, where IU goalkeeper Holden Brown punched out, but Soudan corralled the ball just inside the 18-yard box and fired a sliding shot over Brown and that kissed off the far post and into the net for the Spartans' 1-0 lead.
PRESEASON PLAY
The Spartans played two exhibition games in preparation for the 2025 season. On Aug. 10, Michigan State defeated Butler at DeMartin Stadium, 2-0. On Aug. 15, the Spartans came away with a 2-1 win at UIC.
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.
LUKE SPADAFORA EARNS LEAGUE HONOR
Luke Spadafora was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Sept. 2.
Spadafora is the second 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.
The midfielder, who hails from Northville, Michigan, scored the game-winning goal in MSU's 1-0 victory over Detroit Mercy on Sept. 1. His first goal in the Green and White was a game winner in the 78th minute was the game winner for the Spartans.Â
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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