Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
1-0
SIUE
0-1
No. 22 MSU Men's Soccer Opens Season with 1-0 Win Over SIUE
8/25/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - In a re-match of last season's NCAA Tournament game, the No. 22 MSU men's soccer team captured a 1-0 victory over SIUE to open the 2017 season. Last season, the Cougars ended the Spartans' season, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament on penalty kicks.
MSU Box Score vs. SIUE
With the win, MSU improves to 1-0, while SIUE drops its season opener to fall to 0-1.
The Spartan got on the board first with sophomore midfielder Giuseppe Barone finding the back of the net for the first goal of 2017. The Spartans were controlling the attacking half early in the game. Barone collected a rebound from junior forward Ryan Sierakowski to give Michigan State the 1-0 advantage.
"It was a gutsy win for our guys. I thought that we had a pretty good first half. It was a tough environment, and we settled down. It was a great goal by Giuseppe (Barone). It was a big time strike and a really important goal. I thought that we really controlled the first half pretty well," MSU head coach Damon Rensing said.
In an aggressive game, the Cougars ended the game with a slight 7-5 lead in shots. SIUE also had seven cornerkicks, while MSU had three. The Cougars had several shots late in the game, but the stellar Spartan defense kept the clean sheet. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Jimmy Hague earned his first shutout of the season, making two saves.
"In the second half, I think that we need to work a little on protecting the lead. We need to be a little smarter on the ball. All in all, we got the shutout and the guys stuck together in some tough conditions. It was a good start to the weekend, and we look forward to a tough game against St. Louis University on Sunday night," Rensing added.
Michigan State will now prepare for St. Louis on Sunday, Aug. 27 at 7 p.m. (ET). The game against the Billikens will feature the 50th anniversary celebration of the 1967 Co-National Championship teams. MSU and SLU battled to a 0-0 overtime tie in the National Championship game that season. Both teams will be honored before kickoff.
Spartan Notes
Junior midifelder John Frietag made his first start for MSU after transferring from DePaul.
The game-winning goal for Giuseppe Barone was the first of his career after scoring three goals as a freshman.
Seven Spartans played the full 90 minutes, including forward Ryan Sierwkowski. MSU used only two substitutions.
Team Stats
Giuseppe Barone (1)
Assisted By: Ryan Sierakowski
assisted from #11 inside box
13:24
