MSU Men's Soccer Kicks Off 2013 Against Western Michigan
8/30/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug 30, 2013
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State men's soccer team officially kicks off the 2013 season on Sunday, Sept. 1 against Western Michigan at 2 p.m. The game, held at DeMartin Stadium, will also be student-athlete and international student's day for the men's soccer program. The Spartans will host a meet and greet, and autograph signing with the team following the conclusion of the game.
In the Rankings
MSU is ranked No. 24 in the Soccer America's preseason poll and sits at No. 25 in the College Soccer News 2013 Preseason Top-30 Poll.
Ranked No. 4 in the Big Ten by TopDrawerSoccer.com, Kevin Cope returns for his final season as a team captain for the Spartans. He was recently recognized on TopDrawerSoccer.com's Preseason Best XI second team and is ranked No. 22 of the top-100 Division I players.
Adam Montague is ranked sixth in the conference by TopDrawerSoccer.com's heading into the 2013 season after posting a goal in every game of the 2012 Big Ten Tournament. He is also No. 47 in the country on TopDrawerSoccer.com's top-100.
Conference Recognition
As the reigning Big Ten Tournament Champions, MSU enters the season ranked second in the 2013 Big Ten preseason coaches' poll with 21 returning Spartans.
Three members of the team were recognized by the Big Ten coaches as redshirt senior Kevin Cope and juniors Adam Montague and Fatai Alashe were named to the 2013 Players to Watch list.
Spartan Preseason
Michigan State went 0-1-1 in the two games of the preseason portion of the schedule. The Spartans battled No. 4 North Carolina in its first exhibition game of the 2013 preseason on Aug. 22, but came up short 2-1 to the Tar Heels. In their second exhibition game on Aug. 24, the team tied Butler with a 0-0 deadlock. The entire active Spartan roster saw action during the 2013 preseason.
Starting Strong
The Spartans have a history of opening strong on the season as they own a 47-5-5 all-time season-opening record. At home, MSU holds a record of 48-2-7 when kicking off the season.
Stout Schedule
In true Spartan fashion, MSU is slated for another tough season of quality non-conference games in addition to a challenging Big Ten conference schedule. Seven NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago, including National Champion Indiana and semifinalist Creighton, help make up the 2013 slate.
Bronco Busting
Michigan State is 27-2-8 all-time against the Broncos and 15-1-4 at home. Head Coach Damon Rensing holds a 4-0 record against Western Michigan, all in East Lansing, holding 11-2 advantage in scoring. The Broncos are led by Jason Grant who finished 2012 with five goals and two assists, followed by Oliver Mayer with four goals and four assists and Ryan Lemasters with two goals and eight assists. In goal, returner Adriano Deabreu concluded the 2012 season with a .667 save percentage and 0.72 GAA.
DeMartin Dominance
With thanks to Michigan State Sports Turf Manager Amy Foudy and her staff, DeMartin Stadium was revamped with a new field to open the 2013 season. MSU owns a 50-34-11 record while playing at DeMartin Stadium, which opened its gates in 2008. The Spartans have not had a losing season at Old College Field since 1989. In 57 years of play, MSU has had only two losing seasons at home in 1988-89.
At The Helm
Head Coach Damon Rensing is in his fifth season as head coach, but embarks on his 15th on the Spartan sideline after a standout career for the Spartans (1993-96). Rensing is 43-33-9 in his five seasons as head coach, but MSU boasts an 122-74-21 (.622) overall record with Rensing on the sidelines, including 11 or more wins in nine 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. Stannard and Pirmann have both served as the head coach of Detroit City FC, which plays in the National Premier Soccer League. Stannard made his debut in 2012, while Pirmann coached the team in 2013. Former MSU keeper Jeremy Clark, who played for MSU 2008-11, is now in his second season as the team's volunteer coach.
Big Ten Broadcast Schedule
The Big Ten Network will televise two Michigan State men's soccer games live this season. MSU's showdown with Ohio State at DeMartin Stadium is the first game (Oct. 13), and the other home game which will be shown is the Nov. 5 matchup with Notre Dame. The Spartans' games against Valparaiso (Sept. 8), Penn State (Oct. 20) and Michigan (Nov. 9) will be broadcast on Big Ten Digital Network. The Big Ten Network will also televise the Big Ten Tournament, which will be held Nov. 15-17 at Ohio State.
Next Up
The Spartans will host a home series next weekend beginning with Oregon State on Friday, Sept. 6 at 5 p.m., followed by Valparaiso on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 1 p.m.
