Men's Soccer Falls To Oakland, 2-1

Oct. 4, 2006

ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Michigan State men's soccer team fell to Oakland, 2-1, in Rochester, Mich., on Oct. 4. Junior Ben Pirmann scored his first collegiate goal in the loss. The Spartans' record stands at 6-4-1 on the season. Michigan State will look to rebound, playing its second in-state opponent of the week, facing Michigan on Oct. 8, in Ann Arbor.

Oakland (4-8-0) struck first, 11 minutes into the non-conference battle, when Nick Nelson accepted a pass from Brady Vance in the left side of the box and beat Spartan goalkeeper Jason Tillman.

MSU's Pirmann evened the score less than eight minutes later, notching the first goal of his career, unassisted.

Tied at halftime, the game-winning goal would come midway through the second period. Stefan St. Louis fought off a Spartan defender and put the Grizzlies ahead for good, 2-1, in the 69th minute.

OU has been a thorn in Michigan State's side over the past few years, owning a 7-2 record against the Spartans since 1998. It marked MSU's third-consecutive loss to Oakland.

Both teams fired 13 shots on the afternoon, with Michigan State placing seven on goal and OU six. Tillman made four stops for the Green and White. Grizzly goalie Steve Clark collected six saves.

Michigan State will look for its first conference win on Oct. 8, against Michigan. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.