Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Travel To Bowling Green
8/28/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug. 28, 2012
FOLLOW LIVE: MSU at BGSU Live Statistics
• Michigan State looks for its first win of the 2012 season when it road trips to Bowling Green, Ohio to take on the Falcons on Wednesday evening. The Spartans have opened with a 0-1-1 record in a pair of home games - a scoreless draw with Valparaiso, and a heartbreaking double-overtime loss to New Hampshire on Sunday.
• Michigan State heads to Bowling Green for a midweek tilt on Wednesday evening. BG is coming off a victory in its lone match last week, a 3-0 victory over St. Bonaventure. Keeper Michael Wiest was named MAC Player of the Week for his seven-save shutout in the opening game.
Head coach Eric Nichols begins his fourth season at the helm of the Falcons, and welcomes back a total of 13 letterwinners, including six starters, from last year's team. BG went 7-8-3 overall in 2011 and 1-4-1 in MAC action, and was picked eighth in the 2012 MAC pre-season poll. .
• The Spartans had a lot to reflect on in a positive light from the opening weekend, but the game results were tough to swallow. Against Valpo, the teams battled through 110 minutes of scoreless play. The Spartan defense held the Crusaders without a shot on goal over the first 55 minutes, and redshirt junior Bryce Dobbins made his collegiate debut, and was forced to make just two saves on the afternoon.
An indirect kick for the Wildcats from eight yards out in the 103rd minute was the difference in the New Hampshire game, as the Wildcats scored on just their third shot in the contest. The Spartans held the edge in every statistical category save for the final score; MSU outshot their visitors 19-7, had nine corner kicks to the Wildcats' 2, and had seven shots on net to UNH's three.
The story of the weekend was missed opportunities, as the Spartans generated chances, but ended up with nothing more than a significant amount of near-misses. As hoped, the MSU defense was strong, limiting chances and snuffing out most dangerous chances on the weekend. Over two games and nearly 220 minutes of play, Dobbins was forced to make just six saves and gave up the one goal .
• Michigan State was selected third in the pre-season Big Ten men's soccer poll. In conjunction with the pre-season survey, Senior Domenic Barone , junior Kevin Cope and sophomore Adam Montague were mentioned on the Big Ten 2012 Players to Watch List.
• One of MSU's largest September hurdles a year ago has turned into a huge asset as the Spartans begin the 2012 season. The losses of Domenic Barone and Kevin Cope to season-ending injuries before the 2011 season was two games old forced the coaching staff to audition some of the team's younger players for larger roles at an advanced pace. Despite a roster with 16 freshmen and sophomores in 2012, the Spartans boast depth and experience at every position which finds them not only ready, but anxious to test themselves against one of the most difficult schedules in the country.
• Five teams on MSU's 2012 slate appear in the Soccer America pre-season Top 25. A sixth, Duke, was on MSU's pre-season slate, a game in which the Spartans came away with a 1-0 victory.
• Head Coach Damon Rensing is in his fourth season as head coach, but embarks on his 14th on the Spartan sideline after a standout career for the Spartans (1993-96). Rensing is 31-23-9 in his three seasons as head coach, but MSU boasts an 110-64-21 (.619) overall record with Rensing on the sidelines, including 11 or more wins in eight seasons.
Kylie Stannard and Ben Pirmann serve as the Spartan assistants. Pirmann is also a former Spartan letterwinner, and previously served the program as the volunteer assistant before returning to his alma mater after a coaching stint at Western Michigan. Stannard is a graduate of Creighton, which reached the Elite Eight twice in his career and the semifinals once. Prior to coming to MSU, he was an assistant coach at Northern Illinois. This past summer, Stannard made his debut as the head coach of Detroit City FC, which plays in the National Premier Soccer League. Former MSU keeper Jeremy Clark, (2008-11), is now in his first season as the team's volunteer coach.
• There are lots of great ways to follow the soccer program - as well as all 25 of MSU's varsity sports - other than gameday. Videos, previews, and game recaps can be found at www.MSUSpartans.com, while coverage of the team on twitter can be found at @MSUMSoccer and @MSU_Athletics . On facebook, "like" us at www.facebook.com/pages/Michigan-State-Mens-Soccer
• The Big Ten Network will televise three Michigan State men's soccer games live this season. MSU's showdown with 2011 regular-season and Big Ten Tournament champion Northwestern at DeMartin Stadium is the first game (Sept. 30), and the other home game which will be shown is the Oct. 21 date with Wisconsin. The Oct. 14 game at Penn State is the other live broadcast for MSU during the regular season. The Big Ten Network will also televise the Big Ten Tournament, which will be held Nov. 7-11 at Northwestern.
• MSU will prepare for its biggest game of the young season on Monday, when it welcomes top-ranked Connecticut to DeMartin Stadium. Gametime is 1 p.m.
