No. 16 Men's Soccer Travels to Maryland

Sept. 17, 2014

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The No. 16 Michigan State men's soccer team will travel to Maryland to play its first conference match of the season on Friday, Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.

"We think we've got some really positive momentum going," said Michigan State head coach Damon Rensing. "When you stay in the top-20, top-10 nationally, your recruiting base expands. A lot of kids in the state of Michigan are looking at us saying, `why do we need to go...anywhere in the country, we can go an hour down the road to East Lansing.'

"I think winning begets winning. The culture we've created makes the players expect to compete every game and to win every game. It's been good. It's been positive moving forward, but we're still not satisfied with where we're at."

Last Time Out
The Spartans rebounded from a 1-0 loss to Valparaiso on Alumni Day, earning a 1-0 victory over Loyola Chicago. Approximately 50 former players from 1960-2013 were recognized at halftime of the game.

Jay Chapman scored his first goal of the season in the in 61st minute as he headed it into an open net off a free kick from Jason Stacy. The goal was the eighth career goal for the preseason All-American. Bennett picked up his fourth shutout of the year in five games, bringing him to 20 career shutouts, which ties him for the third-most shutouts in school history.

In the Polls
MSU dropped to No. 16 in NSCAA poll following the 1-1-0 weekend. The Spartans rank No. 10 in save percentage in the country (.917), No. 3 in shutout percentage (.80) and No. 3 in team GAA (.19)

Nationally, Jason Stacy ranks 22nd in total assists (3) and 30th in assists per game (0.60). Zach Bennett has the 11th-best save percentage (.917) in the country and ranks 3rd in the nation in goals against average (.191).

The Spartans were also ranked at No. 13 by College Soccer News and No. 16 by Top Drawer Soccer.

Michigan State ranks No. 6 in the Big Ten as the only team without a conference match yet in the season. In the conference, the team ranks third in shots (71), assists (6) and assists per game (1.20). Defensively, the team is tied for first with least goals allowed (1), owns the No. 2 GAA (.19) and has the second-most shutouts (4).

Scouting Maryland
Maryland ranks No. 21 in the College Soccer News poll after dropping out of the NSCAA rankings this week. The Terrapins own a 1-2-2 record on the season. They currently have a 0-0-1 conference record, following a tie with Michigan in Ann Arbor during the squad's first ever Big Ten matchup.

"They've averaged about 6,000 fans per game," said Rensing. "It should be an electric atmosphere on Friday night. They were last year's national runner-up. They are very well-coached and one of the top teams in the country every year, so we're looking forward to it."

Senior midfielder Mikias Eticha is the team's leading scorer with three points from a single goal and assist. Four other Terrapins own one goal each. Sophomore goalkeeper Zack Steffen owns 11 saves, a 1.10 GAA and one shutout.

UMD is coached by Sasho Cirovski in his 21st season. Michigan State is 4-1-1 all-time against Maryland, with a 2-1-0 record when playing in College Park. This will be their first meeting as Big Ten opponents.

Big Ten Network
Friday's game against Maryland will air live on the Big Ten Network at 8 p.m. with Dave Johnson, Keith Tabatznik and Tony Limerzi calling the action.

Next Up
The Spartans will play Bowling Green on Wednesday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. following Friday's match against Maryland.