No. 8 Spartans Close Out Homestand Against Pitt Thursday

Thursday, September 3

East Lansing, Mich.

7 PM

Michigan State University

Pitt

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9/2/2026 1:33:00 PM | Men's Soccer

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It is also the Spartans' Salute to Spartans game.

EAST LANSING, Mich. - No. 8 Michigan State men's soccer will conclude its season-long five-game homestand against Pitt on Thursday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. at DeMartin Stadium. Thursday is also the Spartans' Salute to Service game.

Michigan State has started the season 4-0 for the first time since 2017 when the Green & White opened 7-0. This is the first time that the Spartans have been in the top 10 since August of 2019.

Jacob Maurer and Jessica Kemnitz will be on the call for the B1G+.

LOOKING AT THE PANTHERS
Pitt has started the season strong with a 2-1 record. Michigan State will be the third Big Ten team that the Panthers have faced to far this season. They started the season with a 2-1 loss to then-No. 7 Maryland on Aug. 20. Pitt also defeated in-state rival Penn State, 2-1, on Aug. 28.
Grayson Carter leads the Panthers in scoring with three points with one goal and one assist. Overall, Pitt has six goals all by different players. In goal, Jack Moxom has started all three games, allowing only four goals for a 1.33 GAA.

Panthers head coach Jay Vidovich is in his 11th season at Pitt with a record of 97-76-22.

SERIES HISTORY
Michigan State leads the series history with Pitt 6-1. Last season in Pittsburgh, the Panthers captured their first win against the Spartans, 3-2. Pitt took an early 3-0 in the first 10 minutes. Prior to last season, the teams had not met since 1967, which was the year that the Spartans won the National Championship. MSU is 3-0 at home and 3-1 on the road. The first meeting was in 1958 in East Lansing with the Spartans coming out on top 1-0. In the last meeting in 1967, Michigan State won on the road, 1-0.

LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS
The Spartans are among the leaders in the NCAA in several categories. Michigan State is third in the country in assists per game and first in the Big Ten with 5.00 apg. MSU is also fourth in the NCAA and first in the B1G in points per game with 13.0 ppg. The Spartans are second in the nation in assists with 20.

AROUND THE BIG TEN
Michigan State and Wisconsin stand atop the Big Ten standings with 4-0 records. Maryland and Ohio State are also both perfect with 3-0 records.

Senior midfielder Leo Conneh is tied for fourth in the Big Ten in points with seven, while teammates junior defender Brandon Munson and sophomore midfielder Peter Soudan are tied for seventh with six points.

MAKING BIG STRIDES
This week, the Spartans climbed the United Soccer Poll from No. 24 to No. 8. They are one of six Big Ten teams ranked this week. Maryland leads the way at No. 2. Ohio State is ranked No. 4 followed by No. 6 Indiana, No. 12 UCLA and No. 17 Wisconsin.

Michigan State is one four Big Ten teams that have both its men and women's teams ranked, along with Ohio State, UCLA and Wisconsin. This is the first time that MSU has been ranked since the 2023 season.

GETTING IN THE STARTING XI
Eight Spartans have started all four games this season. There have been 25 different players that have seen action in the first four games and among those 25 players 13 have earned a point. After missing all of last season with a torn ACL, junior forward Mohamed Saad saw his first action against Niagara on Aug. 30. Freshman Ezra Horlings made his collegiate debut in goal in the second half against the Purple Eagles.

GETTING ON THE SCOREBOARD
Thirteen different Spartans have earned a point in the first four games. Senior transfer midfielder leads the team in points with two goals and three assists for seven points. Sophomore transfer defenfer Conner O'Keefe, sophomore midifleder Peter Soudan and junior defender Brandon Munson are tied for second with six points. Nine different Spartans have found the back of the net.

Last season, Michigan State scored 19 goals in 16 games. So far in four games, MSU has netted 16 goals already.

WHAT A WEEK!
The Spartan offense came out strong last week with a 4-0 win over SIUE and a 4-1 win over Niagara. MSU ended the week with 27 points after earning eight goals and 11 assists. Six different Spartans found the back of the net with Peter Soudan and Conner O'Keefe leading the way with two goals each.

THE BICYCLE HEARD AROUND THE NCAA
Junior forward Oscar Huerta caught a lot of attention with an assist against SIUE on Aug. 27. In the 47th minute, MSU scored a SportsCenter worthy goal started by Huerta's bicycle kick pass. Huerta's kick perfectly found the head of sophomore defender Conner O'Keefe for his second goal of the year.

DID YOU KNOW?
This is the first time that both the men's and women's teams have been ranked at the same time since October of 2023. This week, the MSU men are ranked No. 8 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, while the women are No. 4.

HOME SWEET HOME
This is the first time that Michigan State has started the season with five-straight home games. After home wins against UAlbany, Seattle, SIUE, and Niagara, MSU will close out the homestand against Pitt (Sept. 3). The Spartans first road game will be at No. 23 Kansas City on Sept. 11.

MAKING AN IMPRESSION
The Spartans showed off their goal- scoring prowess with six goals in the season opener against UAlbany on Aug. 20. The six goals were the most since a 6-0 win against Western Michigan on Sept. 24, 2008. It was also the most goals scored in a season opener since a 6-1 win against UW-Milwaukee on Sept. 1, 2001. Overall, MSU has scored 12 goals in three games.

SUPER SUB TO THE RESCUE
With the game tied 1-1 in the first half against UAlbany on Aug. 20, sophomore forward Kayden Hudson entered the game at 28:07. Less than a minute later at 28:37, Hudson scored his first collegiate goal to put MSU up 2-1 off of assists from junior defender Brandon Munson and Luke Spadafora.

FULL CIRCLE MOMENT
Freshman midfielder Drew Rensing is following in his father's footsteps in becoming a Spartan. MSU head coach Damon Rensing played at Michigan State from 1993-1996. The younger Rensing has seen action in all four games.

KEEP YOUR EYES ON THEM
Michigan State men's soccer team had three players named to the 2026 Big Ten Players to Watch List. Senior midfielder Miles Merritt, junior defender Brandon Munson and sophomore midfielder Peter Soudan were all honored by the league.

Merritt, a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is in his second season at Michigan State after transferring from Incarnate Word. In 2025, he ended the season tied for the team lead with 10 points. He tied Richie Ludwig for the team lead in goals scored with four. Merritt was also named one of MSU's three captains.

Munson, a junior who hails from Spring Hill, Florida, started 11 games for the Spartans. He scored one goal with one assist for three points. He has been slowed down by injuries his first two seasons.

Soudan, a sophomore from Western Springs, Illinois, was named to the 2025 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He also earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman team last season. Soudan tied for the team lead in points scored with Merritt with 10 points. Last season, he led the team with four assists and added three goals.

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!
Ahead of the start of practice on Aug. 14, Michigan State head men's soccer coach Damon Rensing announced the three captains for the 2026 season in Richie Ludwig, Miles Merritt and Will Eby.

DID YOU ALSO KNOW?
The Spartans added a new member on Aug. 18. Assistant coach Nick Barry and his wife, Maddy, welcomed a Spartan, Charlotte.

UP NEXT
The Spartans hit the road for the first time this season, traveling to Kansas City on Friday, Sept. 11 at 8 p.m. ET.
PRESEASON PLAY
The Spartans played two exhibition games in preparation for the 2026 season. On Aug. 8, Michigan State tied Loyola Chicago, 1-1, in East Lansing. In that outing, junior Oscar Huerta scored the first goal of the exhibition slate. On Aug. 14, MSU earned a draw at Notre Dame, 2-2. Richie Ludwig and Brandon Munson were the goal scorers in that outing.

THE STAFF
MSU head coach Damon Rensing enters his 18th season at the helm of the Spartans. Nick Barry enters his seventh year at MSU. Reid Friedrichs, who enters his fourth 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.

Former Spartan Zach Carroll enters his second season as an assistant coach. He 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.

BRINGING BACK THE FIREPOWER
Michigan State brings back five of its top scorers from last season. Top point scorers Miles Merritt (10 points - 4 goals, 2 assists) and Peter Soudan (10 points - three goals, four assists) will be back to lead the Spartans. Captain Richie Ludwig was third in scoring with nine points off of four goals and one assist.

LIKE FATHER LIKE SON
MSU senior 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.