Michigan State University Athletics
Men's and Women's Soccer Opens 1998 Campaigns
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
September 1, 1998
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State University men's and women's soccer teams open their respective seasons on Tuesday, Sept. 1. The women's team hosts No. 2 Notre Dame starting at 4:00 p.m. at Old College Field while the men's squad plays at the University at Buffalo in a 4:00 p.m. start. This Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 5-6), the men's team will host the MSU/Quality Suites Classic at Old College Field. Joining the Spartans in the tournament are Northwestern, Wisconsin-Green Bay and Eastern Michigan.
The MSU women's team returns 21 letterwinners, including nine starters from last year's team that posted an overall record of 9-10-1. The Spartan women booters return their top five point producers from a year ago including sophomore forward Gina Dawson (Bloomfield Hills/Country Day HS), who tallied a team-best 18 points on seven goals and four assists, and junior midfielder Laura Monticello (Troy/Athens HS), who ranked second on the club last season with 17 points on six goals and five assists.
MSU has experience in goal with sophomore with Sara Kloosterman (Farmington/Harrison HS) looking to nail down the starting spot once again after starting all 20 games as a freshman in 1997. Named the state of Michigan's Miss Soccer Award winner in 1997, Kloosterman finished with an overall mark of 9-9-1 last year and a goals-against average of 1.95.
The Spartans will have their work cut out for them as the Fighting Irish have posted a glittering 47-3-1 won-lost slate over the last two seasons. Notre Dame has advanced to the NCAA semifinals the last four years, claiming the national title in 1995. Last year, Notre Dame finished the year with an overall mark of 23-1, losing only to Connecticut, 2-1, in the national semifinals.
"Playing Notre Dame will certainly be a great challenge for our team," said MSU head coach Tom Saxton, who enters his eighth season at the helm of the program. "Year in and year out they are one of the premier programs in the nation and should be loaded once again this year."
Following the Notre Dame contest, the MSU women's team will play at Valparaiso on Friday (Sept. 4) and at Eastern Michigan on Sunday (Sept. 6).
The MSU men's team, under the direction of 22nd-year head man Joe Baum, welcomes back 15 letterwinners from last year's team that finished with a 6-9-4 record. Included in the returnees are eight starters from the '97 club including leading scorer Chris Slosar (Grand Blanc/Grand Blanc HS), a senior forward who notched 16 points on seven goals and two assists en route to second-team All-Big Ten honors. Senior forward Jeff Fliss (Plymouth/Canton HS) held down the No. 2 spot on the team in scoring last year with 11 points on four goals and three assists and is expected to be a key contributor.
MSU figures to be stingy on the defensive end of the field led by standout senior backs James Whitmore (Ann Arbor/Pioneer HS), and Jason Jaroch (Romeo/Romeo HS) while junior Keith Gordon (Birmingham/Groves HS) and sophomore John Benoist (St. Louis, MO/De Smet Jesuit HS) look to hold down the other starting positions.
After playing at Buffalo, the owners of a 8-9-1 record last season, MSU will host the second annual MSU/Quality Suites Soccer Classic. On Saturday (Sept. 5), the Spartans will battle Northwestern starting at 2:30 p.m. (following the Wisconsin-Green Bay vs. Eastern Michigan contest at noon). On Sunday, Eastern Michigan and Northwestern will open the day's action at noon while the Spartans battle the Phoenix at 2:30 p.m.
"Opening the year on the road at Buffalo will be a good test for our team," said Baum. "They are usually a pretty solid team and this year they are joining the Mid-American Conference. This is an out-of-region game for us, so it is important that we do well as the NCAA Tournament Committee views these games with importance.
"As for the MSU/Quality Suites Classic, our game on Saturday against Northwestern has added significance because it is a Big Ten Conference game. We were able to beat them twice last year, so they'll be looking for some revenge. Eastern Michigan and Wisconsin-Green Bay have young teams which are improving."
