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Michigan State men’s soccer looking to make deep NCAA Tournament run

By Ryan Kay

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 12: Soccer balls are laid out during a Melbourne Victory Training Session at AAMI Park on March 12, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 12: Soccer balls are laid out during a Melbourne Victory Training Session at AAMI Park on March 12, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images) /
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We talk about Spartan football and basketball, but what’s Michigan State men’s soccer up to these days? Well, the NCAA Tournament, for starters.

For many Spartan fans the argument is, is Michigan State a football or basketball school? The answer is both. You can also make the case that hockey and women’s basketball even though they don’t get the attention that the men’s basketball and football programs get, they do have a strong following and their attendance for their games can easily be in the thousands and not hundreds.

Then there are the sports at Michigan State like soccer and baseball that have a following but not that of the above mentioned. The reason being if you’re not paying close attention, you may be missing out on a Spartan team’s success and, in this case, run in the NCAA Tournament.

One example of this is the men’s soccer team which, on Thursday night, won their NCAA Tournament opening round game against Illinois-Chicago by a final score of 2-0 in snowy conditions.

Michigan State will have face a more formidable opponent as it goes on the road to play No. 4-ranked Louisville in the second round of the tournament. Michigan State will not be favored and may not win but it is good to be aware of their success and maybe, just maybe, watch them online or check their Twitter account to see how they are playing.

Fun Facts

  • At one point during the season, the men’s soccer team was ranked as high as No. 1 by one poll called Top Drawer Soccer, and ranked as high as No. 6 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll.
  • They did not suffer their first loss until their 11th game of the season.
  • Michigan State has six shutout wins on the season.
  • They did not lose to Ohio State, Penn State, Notre Dame and Michigan with a combined record of 3-0-1.

Player Stats

Leading Goal Scorer: Ryan Sierakowski (6 goals)
Assists Leader: Giuseppe Barone (10 assists)
Leading Points Player: Giuseppe Barone, Ryan Sierakowski (16 points)
Leading Goaltender: Jimmy Hague (69 saves, 0.65 GAA)

Next Game Information

Date: Sunday, Nov. 18
Time: 5:00 p.m. ET
Where: Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium (at Louisville)
Watch or Stream: Televised/streamed on ESPN3 and live stats will be available at msuspartans.com and GoCards.com. Also, follow on Twitter updates @MSUmsoccer.
NCAA Tournament Bracket: https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/soccer-men/d1/2018

Next. MSU basketball: 10 bold predictions for 2018-19. dark

Can the Spartans pull off the upset of Louisville and put the men’s soccer team on the NCAA map? Find out this Sunday.

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