Tuesday, October 11
East Lansing, Mich.
7 PM
Michigan State University
5-5-2, 2-1-1
2
vs
1
Saint Mary's
5-5-2, 0-1-1
1
2
F
Saint Mary's (CA)
0
1
1
Michigan St.
2
0
2
Spartan Men's Soccer Grounds Gaels, 2-1, On Rainy Tuesday Night
10/11/2022 10:26:00 PM | Men's Soccer
MSU gets early goals from Perkins and Beck to wrap up non-conference action with a win.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State men's soccer got early goals from Will Perkins and Jack Beck on the way to a 2-1 Victory for MSU over visiting Saint Mary's in a non-conference match Tuesday night at a wet and rainy DeMartin Stadium.
Michigan State wrapped up its non-conference action with Tuesday's match with Saint Mary's, as the Spartans evened its record at 5-5-2 overall in the 2022 season. SMC completed its eight-match road stretch, also leveling its ledger at 5-5-2 for the season, as the Gaels finished their road stretch 3-3-2, going 0-3-2 in their last five matches after opening with three wins.
Senior midfielder Louis Sala assisted on both Spartan goals, and he now leads the team with four helpers to go with one goal for six total points.
"It was a good win tonight," MSU head coach Damon Rensing said. "Our first 25 minutes were brilliant, we really moved the ball well and were sharp. We had two great finishes from our captains, and Sala got us going from the 10 spot. Towards the end, I don't know if it was tired legs or we got sloppy. St. Mary's is a good team, they are well-coached. They didn't come all the way from California to get back on the bus."
Tuesday's match was MSU's Breast Cancer Awareness game.
"We all wore some pins, and they had pins for the fans," Rensing said. "This is a very good cause, any time we create awareness we are glad to do that."
Spartan graduate senior goalkeeper Owen Finnerty made three saves on the night.
MSU got the scoring early on, as in the eighth minute, Perkins took a beauty of a long pass from Beck into space, and the redshirt-senior defender fired a shot off past SMC keeper Jack Landreth, off the left post and into the net for the early 1-0 Spartan advantage.
"I bounced it back to Jack, and Jack whipped it over and then, I was thinking about cutting it in half, taking it to my right and across the goal," Perkins said. "Jack and I have been waiting for that probably since we have been to MSU, so it was good to see that go in."
Perkins netted his third goal of the season, but his first since Sept. 12, after missing three games with an injury.
"It feels good, like I said earlier in the season I want to get in, I want to score goals," Perkins said about scoring a goal in just his second match back in action. "So just to come back after being out for two and a half weeks, it was really good to score."
Less than three minutes later after the Perkins goal, Sala took a pass and dished to freshman forward Jonathan Stout near midfield, who drove deep into SMC territory, then slotted a nifty pass off the left to an on-coming Beck. The graduate midfielder fired a left-footed shot from just inside the 18-yard box and into the bottom right corner of the net for the 2-0 lead for the Green & White.
"Coming out in the first half we were really coming off of the response from our last one, coming out strong, press them, put good pressure. That was exactly what we did we had an early goal and we didn't back off, kept doing the same thing and the second one came. I was fortunate enough to get the second one," Beck said.
The score stayed 2-0 into halftime, as the Spartans were efficient in both their shots on goal, both going in, while keeping SMC to just one shot and no shots on goal.
After the rain increased during intermission and remained steady throughout the second half, Saint Mary's broke through in the 70th minute. Greg Brighton put back a rebound from a long shot by Maxwell Farnum that Finnerty made a diving save on, but bounced right to Brighton for the putback goal.
The visiting Gaels pressured for the equalizer, but Finnerty directed the Spartan backline anchored by junior defender Elijah Howe and sophomore defender Josh Adam, to keep the score at 2-1, and clinch the Victory for MSU.
The Spartans continue their two-match homestand at DeMartin Stadium when the Green & White resumes B1G action taking on Rutgers on Sunday, Oct. 16 at 2 p.m.
"It was good to see the ball go into the back of the net tonight, to get three points and to get to five hundred," Beck said. "So certainty focusing up on Rutgers, tighten up on some fielding out of the back, cleaning up some passes. I think we'll be good going into Rutgers, and we're excited to play them at home."
Sunday marks the penultimate home match for the Spartans, who have just four matches overall remaining in the regular-season, all conference contests. The four-match B1G stretch starts Sunday with Rutgers, before hitting to road to play at Maryland on Oct. 21 and at Ohio State on Oct. 25, before the regular-season finale vs. Northwestern on Oct. 30.
MSU and Rutgers enter Sunday's showdown both 2-1-2 in B1G action, tied for third in the league standings.
"As far as the Big Ten goes, this is a massive game," Rensing said. "They are good and well-coached, we are going to have to put a full 90 together and if we do that we have a great chance to win the game."
Michigan State wrapped up its non-conference action with Tuesday's match with Saint Mary's, as the Spartans evened its record at 5-5-2 overall in the 2022 season. SMC completed its eight-match road stretch, also leveling its ledger at 5-5-2 for the season, as the Gaels finished their road stretch 3-3-2, going 0-3-2 in their last five matches after opening with three wins.
Senior midfielder Louis Sala assisted on both Spartan goals, and he now leads the team with four helpers to go with one goal for six total points.
"It was a good win tonight," MSU head coach Damon Rensing said. "Our first 25 minutes were brilliant, we really moved the ball well and were sharp. We had two great finishes from our captains, and Sala got us going from the 10 spot. Towards the end, I don't know if it was tired legs or we got sloppy. St. Mary's is a good team, they are well-coached. They didn't come all the way from California to get back on the bus."
Tuesday's match was MSU's Breast Cancer Awareness game.
"We all wore some pins, and they had pins for the fans," Rensing said. "This is a very good cause, any time we create awareness we are glad to do that."
Spartan graduate senior goalkeeper Owen Finnerty made three saves on the night.
MSU got the scoring early on, as in the eighth minute, Perkins took a beauty of a long pass from Beck into space, and the redshirt-senior defender fired a shot off past SMC keeper Jack Landreth, off the left post and into the net for the early 1-0 Spartan advantage.
"I bounced it back to Jack, and Jack whipped it over and then, I was thinking about cutting it in half, taking it to my right and across the goal," Perkins said. "Jack and I have been waiting for that probably since we have been to MSU, so it was good to see that go in."
Perkins netted his third goal of the season, but his first since Sept. 12, after missing three games with an injury.
"It feels good, like I said earlier in the season I want to get in, I want to score goals," Perkins said about scoring a goal in just his second match back in action. "So just to come back after being out for two and a half weeks, it was really good to score."
Less than three minutes later after the Perkins goal, Sala took a pass and dished to freshman forward Jonathan Stout near midfield, who drove deep into SMC territory, then slotted a nifty pass off the left to an on-coming Beck. The graduate midfielder fired a left-footed shot from just inside the 18-yard box and into the bottom right corner of the net for the 2-0 lead for the Green & White.
"Coming out in the first half we were really coming off of the response from our last one, coming out strong, press them, put good pressure. That was exactly what we did we had an early goal and we didn't back off, kept doing the same thing and the second one came. I was fortunate enough to get the second one," Beck said.
The score stayed 2-0 into halftime, as the Spartans were efficient in both their shots on goal, both going in, while keeping SMC to just one shot and no shots on goal.
After the rain increased during intermission and remained steady throughout the second half, Saint Mary's broke through in the 70th minute. Greg Brighton put back a rebound from a long shot by Maxwell Farnum that Finnerty made a diving save on, but bounced right to Brighton for the putback goal.
The visiting Gaels pressured for the equalizer, but Finnerty directed the Spartan backline anchored by junior defender Elijah Howe and sophomore defender Josh Adam, to keep the score at 2-1, and clinch the Victory for MSU.
The Spartans continue their two-match homestand at DeMartin Stadium when the Green & White resumes B1G action taking on Rutgers on Sunday, Oct. 16 at 2 p.m.
"It was good to see the ball go into the back of the net tonight, to get three points and to get to five hundred," Beck said. "So certainty focusing up on Rutgers, tighten up on some fielding out of the back, cleaning up some passes. I think we'll be good going into Rutgers, and we're excited to play them at home."
Sunday marks the penultimate home match for the Spartans, who have just four matches overall remaining in the regular-season, all conference contests. The four-match B1G stretch starts Sunday with Rutgers, before hitting to road to play at Maryland on Oct. 21 and at Ohio State on Oct. 25, before the regular-season finale vs. Northwestern on Oct. 30.
MSU and Rutgers enter Sunday's showdown both 2-1-2 in B1G action, tied for third in the league standings.
"As far as the Big Ten goes, this is a massive game," Rensing said. "They are good and well-coached, we are going to have to put a full 90 together and if we do that we have a great chance to win the game."
Team Stats
STMAR
MSU
Goals
1
2
Shots
9
7
Shots on Goal
4
3
Saves
1
3
Corners
2
2
Fouls
11
9
Scoring Plays
Will Perkins (3)
Assisted By: Jack Beck , Louis Sala
GOAL by MSU Perkins, Will Assist by Beck, Jack and Sala, Louis.
07:37
Jack Beck (2)
Assisted By: Jonathan Stout , Louis Sala
GOAL by MSU Beck, Jack Assist by Stout, Jonathan and Sala, Louis.
10:18
Greg Brighton (1)
Assisted By: Maxwell Farnum
GOAL by STMAR Brighton, Greg Assist by Farnum, Maxwell.
67:56
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
mid
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
2
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Players Mentioned
GK
/ Men's Soccer
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/ Men's SoccerD
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/ Men's SoccerF
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