This is the first meeting between the teams since 2019.
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State men's soccer will open the 2024 season, traveling to No. 25 SIUE on Thursday, Aug. 22 at 9 p.m. ET at Ralph Korte Stadium. This is the earliest start to the season for the Spartans. This is the first time that the teams have met since 2019 when the two squad battled to a 0-0 tie in East Lansing.
The Spartans ended the 2023 season with a 7-2-7 record and a 3-1-4 mark in Big Ten action. Michigan State broke the school record with seven ties.
LOOKING AT THE COUGARS
The series between the Spartans and the Cougars is tied 2-2-2. The last time the teams met was in 2019 in East Lansing ending in a 0-0 draw. The 2019 matchup was the first season for Cale Wassermann, who was an assistant coach under head coach Damon Rensing for four seasons.
SIUE was picked to finish first in the Ohio Valley Conference after an historic 2023 season. Last season, the Cougars went 16-1-3 in 2023, including going 9-0-1 in OVC play. SIUE's only loss came against Memphis on the road in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
SERIES HISTORY
The series history is limited between the two teams meeting only six times. MSU is 0-1-2 in East Lansing, while standing 1-1 in Edwardsville. The Spartans hold the slight 1-0 advantage on neutral ground with a 4-0 win in Boca Raton, Florida in 1995. In 2016, the teams met in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, battling to a 1-1 tie with the Cougars advancing on penalty kicks, 9-8.
PRESEASON HONORS
Michigan State men's soccer team had three players named to the Big Ten Players to Watch List, as announced by the conference office on Wednesday.
Juniors Jeremy Sharp, Jake Spadafora and Jonathan Stout were all honored by the league.
The Big Ten preseason poll was also released Tuesday, as voted on by the 11 conference coaches. This is first season the league has expanded to 11 teams with the addition of UCLA and Washington. MSU was voted to pick fifth, while Indiana was once again picked to win the league. Penn State was voted second, while newcomer UCLA was picked third.
Sharp, who hails from Roseville, Michigan, earned a spot on the B1G Player to Watch list for the first time in his career. Last season, the defender earned second-team All-Big Ten honors, playing in all 15 games. Sharp ended the season with third-team All-North Region honors. He was tied for third on the team in scoring last season with seven points on one goal and a team-high five assists.
Stout, a native of Wyoming, Michigan, was second on the team in scoring last season with 10 points on five goals. The midfielder was named to the preseason list last season as well. Stout was also named first-team All-Big Ten as a sophomore. He also captured first-team All-North Region honors.
Spadafora, a forward who hails from Northville, Michigan, was tied for third on the team in scoring with three goals and one assist for seven points. He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors last season, as well as capturing second-team All-North Region accolades. Spadafora was also named to the watch list last season.
PRESEASON PLAY
The Spartans played two exhibition games to prepare for the 2024 season. On Aug. 12, MSU defeated Butler on the road 3-2. The Spartans fell in their final exhibition to UIC 1-0 on Aug. 16 at DeMartin Stadium.
NEWCOMERS
The Spartans welcome eight new players to the 2024 roster with four freshmen and four transfers. Senior midfielders Levin Gerhardt and Shion Soga come to MSU from CSUN and South Florida, respectively. Redshirt-junior goalkeeper Michael Sly Jr. comes to the Spartans from Oakland, while redshirt-sophomore defender Ryan Van De Winkle transferred from Loyola Chicago.
The Spartans also welcome freshmen: goalkeeper Jake Grekowicz, forward Oscar Huerta, defender Brandon Munson and midfielder Jared Smid.
GUESS WHO'S BACK
Michigan State brings back its top eight scorers from last season, including leading scorer senior midfielder Sean Kerrigan, who led the team with six goals for 12 points. Junior midfielder Jonathan Stout was second in scoring with 10 points on five goals. Juniors Jake Spadafora and Jeremy Sharp were tied for third in scoring with seven points.
Redshirt-junior goalkeeper Zac Kelly returns in net for the Spartans. Kelly had a fantastic season last season, allowing only 15 goals in 16 games for a 0.94 GAA.
UP NEXT
After the season opener, MSU will prepare for the home opener, facing Bowling Green at home on Monday, Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. The Spartans then host Villanova on Friday, Sept. 30 at 12 p.m.
THE STAFF
MSU head coach Damon Rensing enters his 16th season at the helm of the Spartans. Assistant coaches T.J. Kolba is in his sixth season, while Nick Barry enters his fifth year at MSU. Reid Friedrichs, who enters his second 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.
Release courtesy of MSU Athletics.
