Spartan Men’s Soccer Opens the Season with Double Overtime Tie Against SIUE

Friday, August 30

East Lansing, Mich.

1 PM ET

Michigan State University

0-0-1, 0-0-0

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

0-0-1, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
SIUE	0	0	0	0	0
Michigan St.	0	0	0	0	0

Spartan Men’s Soccer Opens the Season with Double Overtime Tie Against SIUE

8/30/2019 6:29:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score MSU 0, SIUE 0 OT (PDF)

MSU goalkeeper Hunter Morse earns his first career shutout.

EAST LANSING, Mich. - In the season opener, No. 7 Michigan State men's soccer tied SIUE Friday in an afternoon battle, 0-0 in double overtime.

The game marked the head coaching debut for the Cougars Cale Wassermann, who was an assistant coach for the Spartans for four seasons, including last season's College Cup run. This was the sixth meeting in program history between the two schools, with the series now tied at 2-2-2. In the last meeting between the two programs, MSU defeated SIUE, 1-0, on the road with a first-half goal from midfielder Giuseppe Barone in 2017.

"I think it the college season's really frantic. You get two weeks of preseason and then you have to go. I thought defensively, we were pretty organized. I don't think they registered a shot, a couple corner kicks maybe the waning seconds of regulation from 40 yards out so in that regard we were good. I thought we could have created a little bit more and been a little bit more dynamic on the attack, but I think that stuff takes time. We hit the post and missed a penalty and had a couple others chances so probably a little fortune on the penalty call but that's the things we're going to have to work with," MSU head coach Damon Rensing said.

The Spartans controlled the pace for much of the game, and out-shot the Cougars, 16-3. Sophomore forward Farai Mutatu looked to end the game in the 108th minute with a penalty kick after a foul on redshirt-sophomore midfielder Alex Shterenberg. But SIUE goalkeeper Noah Heim made a brilliant save to keep the clean sheet.

Michigan State had four freshmen earn their first minutes in the Spartan Green and White, including midfielder Alaa Algahim who had three shots in 107 minutes of action. Freshmen Gianni Ferri, Nick Stone and Kellan Landefeld also saw action.

In the first half, the Spartans out-shot the Cougars 7-0 with Futatu getting things started in the fourth minute. Heim had already made two of his eight saves in the first seven minutes of the game. Despite the activity, the game was scoreless after the first 45 minutes.

Jacob Bilyeu had SIUE's first shot of the game in the 61st minute. He ended the game with two of the Cougars' three shots. Looking to score the game-winning goal, Ferri blasted a shot that was once again brought in my Heim, sending the game into overtime.

Redshirt-sophomore goalkeeper Hunter Morse made his first Spartan start and captured his first shutout of the season.

"I think most of the guys came in and gave us some stuff. We lost six guys, and I like this group a lot. I think it might just take a little more time. Unfortunately in a college season you just don't have time, you have to accumulate wins and two weeks in you're at one-fourth of your season almost," Rensing said. "Those are kind of the things we've been tasked with, but all-in-all I mean a clean sheet. That's what our programs about, created some chances and I think the goals will come in when they come and when they come they'll hopefully come in bunches."

The Spartans are back in action on Monday, Sept 2at 2 p.m., facing Florida Gulf Coast in the first meeting between the teams.