Spartans Close Out Non-Conference Action against Kansas City Sunday on Senior Day
10/25/2025 4:47:00 PM | Men's Soccer
MSU will celebrate its seven seniors after the game.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -Â Michigan State closes out their tw0-game homestand on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 1 p.m. at DeMartin Stadium. The Spartans will celebrate seniors Zac Kelly, Josh Adam, Josh Mason, Michael Sly, Jr., Ryan Van De Winkle, Jack Guggemos and Jake Spadafora following the game. This is the final non-conference game of the season for MSU.
The Spartans are in search of their first win of October starting the month with two  losses and two ties. Michigan State holds a 5-6-2 overall record and a 2-4-2 mark in Big Ten action. Kansas City holds a 8-2-4 record and are 3-1-0 in the Summit League.
Charlie Schmidgall and William Szczesny will be on the call for the B1G+.
LOOKING AT THE ROOS
Kansas City holds 8-2-4 record so far this season and are 3-1-0 Summit League action. The Roos are currently in the midst of a four-game winning streak and have won six of their last seven. Â KC has wins this season against Missouri State, SIUE, Omaha and most recently Tulsa.
Jeremy Francou leads the team in scoring with 17 points off of seven goals and three assists. Wade Muttitt is second with three goals and two assists for eight points. Marc Popow has started 13 games, allowing only 10 goals. He has an impressive 0.77 goals against average.
SERIES HISTORY
This is the first-ever meeting between the Spartans and the Roos.
PACKING THE STANDS
Through the first seven home games, the Spartans stand eighth in the nation in average attendance, averaging 2,438 fans. Indiana stands second (3,224), while Maryland is third (2,860).Â
FRESH FACES
Dealing with injuries throughout the season, the Spartans have depended on freshmen all season. Five different MSU players have started a game this season, led by Luke Spadafora who has started all 13 and Peter Soudan who has started 12. Overall, seven Michigan State seven freshmen have seen action this season.Â
LOOKING AT THE STANDINGS
With the regular season coming to a close, Washington has taken the lead in the standings with 21 points. Maryland stands second with 20. Michigan is in third with 16 points, UCLA holds the final spot with 14 points. The Spartans are seventh with eight points. This season, only four teams advance to the Big Ten Tournament.
PLAYING AGAINST THE BEST
This week, there are four teams in the Big Ten that are ranked. MSU is 2-1-0 against those teams, not yet having played No. No. 4 Maryland. Michigan State has wins over No. 14 Indiana and No. 13 Michigan. The Spartans suffered a 1-0 road loss to No. 17 Washington.
MORE THAN ROWDY
Against Penn State on Oct. 3, Michigan State set a new men's record for attendance with 4,861 fans at DeMartin Stadium. The previous record was 4,678 against Maryland on Sept. 22, 2017. The overall record at DeMartin is held by the MSU women with 5,145 fans at DeMartin Stadium against Michigan on Oct. 5, 2024.
GETTING TOP MARKS
Two of the three top scorers for Michigan State are freshmen with the third being a newcomer. With the game-winning goal against No. 3 Indiana on Sept. 23, freshman Peter Soudan is tied for the team lead with three goals and two assists for eight points. Transfer Miles Merritt is tied for the team lead in points with eight points on three goals and two assists. Freshman Luke Spadafora and junior midfielder Richie Ludwig are third in scoring with six points. Freshman Chim Okeke, who has served as a spark plug off the bench, scored his first collegiate goal against Ohio State on Sept. 19.Â
WHAT A WEEK!
Four weeks ago was one for the record books for the Spartans. Michigan State started the week with a 1-0 win over then-No. 3 Indiana on Sept. 23. It was MSU's first win over a top-5 team since defeating Indiana on No. 5, 2014 in Bloomington. The Spartans then defeated then No. 5 Michigan to retain the Big Bear on Sept. 26, 2-1, in Ann Arbor. It was the first time in Michigan State history that the team had defeated two top-5 teams in the same week.
AROUND THE BIG TEN
Indiana's Palmer Ault is first in the Big Ten in goals scored with 15. He is also first in the league in points with 38 (15 goals, 8 assists). Redshirt-senior goalkeeper Zac Kelly is tied for third in shutouts with five.
REACHING A MILESTONE
With a win against Detroit Mercy on Sept. 1, MSU head coach Damon Rensing reached the 150 win-plateau. He is the second winningest coach in Spartan history. Hall of Famer Joe Baum is the all-time leader with 320 career wins. Rensing holds a career record of 153-118-51 in 17 seasons in the Green and White.
GETTING IN THE STARTING XI
Only five players have started all 13 games in Zac Kelly, Luke Spadafora, Colin Arce and Josh Adam. Richie Ludwig, Jack Guggemos, Peter Soudan, Will Eby and Miles Merritt have also started in 12 games. Chim Okeke has played in all 13 games, while earning his first start against Northwestern on Oct. 11. While fighting injuries, Brandon Munson has started seven games, returning to the starting lineup against Wisconsin on Oct. 17.
PUTTING IN THE MINUTES
Several Spartans are logging in the minutes on this season. Goalkeeper Zac Kelly has played all 1,170, while defender Josh Adam is second in minutes with 1,143. Midfielders Richie Ludwig (1,015 minutes) and Colin Arce (1,092) are next in minutes played.
DID YOU KNOW?
With five shutouts so far this season, redshirt-senior goalkeeper Zac Kelly now has 17 career clean sheets. He is now eighth in the MSU record books. He passed T.J. Lieckfelt (1997-00), Joe Baum (1967-68) and Paul Zimmerman (1983-85).
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UP NEXT
After taking on Kansas City, the Spartans will hit the road to take on Rutgers on the road in a Halloween battle at 7 p.m.
PRESEASON HONORS
Michigan State men's soccer team had three players named to the Big Ten Players to Watch List.Â
Kelly, who hails from Holt, Michigan, is the reigning Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year. Last season, he was the first Michigan State athlete to earn B1G Goalkeeper of the Year honors since Jimmy Hague in 2017. Kelly started all 17 games for MSU last season, earning seven shutouts.
Merritt, a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was named a United Soccer Coaches Midfielder to Watch. The midfielder is in his first season with the Spartans after playing two years at Incarnate Word.Â
Munson, a sophomore who hails from Spring Hill, Florida, was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team last season.Â
O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!
Ahead of the start of practice on Aug. 5, Michigan State head men's soccer coach Damon Rensing announced the three captains for the 2025 season in Zac Kelly, Josh Adam and Will Eby.
LAST TIME OUT
Spartan men's soccer battled to a 0-0 draw against UCLA Monday on a chilly late night at DeMartin Stadium.
With the tie, Michigan State stands to 5-6-2 this season and 2-4-2 in Big Ten action. UCLA is 3-6-4 overall record and is 3-3-2 in league play. The Spartans have been shutout in their last three contests.
One of the Spartans' best chances came with less than 10 seconds remaining in the game. Freshman forward Chim Okeke took a deep pass and his shot with time elapsing was saved by UCLA netminder Kevin Box.
In the first half, the Michigan State offense starting getting going in the 29th minute when freshman midfielder Luke Spadafora's shot was blocked. Senior forward Jack Guggemos followed with a shot on goal in the 29th minute.
THE STAFF
MSU head coach Damon Rensing enters his 17th season at the helm of the Spartans. Assistant coach T.J. Kolba is in his seventh season, while Nick Barry enters his sixth year at MSU. Reid Friedrichs, who enters his third year with Michigan State. Friedrichs has plenty of experience in the Green and White as a player, including Big Ten Player of the Year honors in 1996.
This year there is a new face on the Spartan  bench in former Spartan Zach Carroll, who was the No. 38  overall pick in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft by the New York Red Bulls. He earned first-team All-Big honors in 2015.
LIKE FATHER LIKE SON
MSU junior midfielder Colin Arce is following in his father's footsteps. Steve Arce played at Michigan State from 1998-01 when current head coach Damon Rensing was an assistant coach.
KELLY AND SOUDAN EARN LEAGUE HONORS
Michigan State men's soccer players Zac Kelly and Peter Soudan both captured Big Ten honors on Sept. 30.
Kelly, a native of Holt, Michigan, captured Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week honors for the first time this season. He also was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week. He led the team to a pair of wins over top five teams for the first time in MSU history. Against No. 3 Indiana, he earned a clean sheet with a season-high five saves. In the Spartans' road win against No. 5 Michigan, he allowed only one goal in MSU's 2-1 win.
This is Kelly's second career Goalkeeper of the Week honor. His first honor came on Oct. 1, 2024.
Soudan is the third Spartan to earn B1G Freshman of the Week honors. The 2024 season was the first season that the award was given. Midfielder Brandon Munson was named Freshman of the Week on Oct. 1, 2024. Luke Spadafora also captured Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors on Sept. 2, 2025.
The midfielder, who hails from Western Springs, Illinois, scored the game-winning goal in MSU's 1-0 victory over Indiana on Sept. 23. He also drew the penalty that led to a penalty kick goal in the 2-1 victory at Michigan on Sept. 26. Soudan is tied for the team lead in points with three goals and two assists for eight points.
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The Spartans are in search of their first win of October starting the month with two  losses and two ties. Michigan State holds a 5-6-2 overall record and a 2-4-2 mark in Big Ten action. Kansas City holds a 8-2-4 record and are 3-1-0 in the Summit League.
Charlie Schmidgall and William Szczesny will be on the call for the B1G+.
LOOKING AT THE ROOS
Kansas City holds 8-2-4 record so far this season and are 3-1-0 Summit League action. The Roos are currently in the midst of a four-game winning streak and have won six of their last seven. Â KC has wins this season against Missouri State, SIUE, Omaha and most recently Tulsa.
Jeremy Francou leads the team in scoring with 17 points off of seven goals and three assists. Wade Muttitt is second with three goals and two assists for eight points. Marc Popow has started 13 games, allowing only 10 goals. He has an impressive 0.77 goals against average.
SERIES HISTORY
This is the first-ever meeting between the Spartans and the Roos.
PACKING THE STANDS
Through the first seven home games, the Spartans stand eighth in the nation in average attendance, averaging 2,438 fans. Indiana stands second (3,224), while Maryland is third (2,860).Â
FRESH FACES
Dealing with injuries throughout the season, the Spartans have depended on freshmen all season. Five different MSU players have started a game this season, led by Luke Spadafora who has started all 13 and Peter Soudan who has started 12. Overall, seven Michigan State seven freshmen have seen action this season.Â
LOOKING AT THE STANDINGS
With the regular season coming to a close, Washington has taken the lead in the standings with 21 points. Maryland stands second with 20. Michigan is in third with 16 points, UCLA holds the final spot with 14 points. The Spartans are seventh with eight points. This season, only four teams advance to the Big Ten Tournament.
PLAYING AGAINST THE BEST
This week, there are four teams in the Big Ten that are ranked. MSU is 2-1-0 against those teams, not yet having played No. No. 4 Maryland. Michigan State has wins over No. 14 Indiana and No. 13 Michigan. The Spartans suffered a 1-0 road loss to No. 17 Washington.
MORE THAN ROWDY
Against Penn State on Oct. 3, Michigan State set a new men's record for attendance with 4,861 fans at DeMartin Stadium. The previous record was 4,678 against Maryland on Sept. 22, 2017. The overall record at DeMartin is held by the MSU women with 5,145 fans at DeMartin Stadium against Michigan on Oct. 5, 2024.
GETTING TOP MARKS
Two of the three top scorers for Michigan State are freshmen with the third being a newcomer. With the game-winning goal against No. 3 Indiana on Sept. 23, freshman Peter Soudan is tied for the team lead with three goals and two assists for eight points. Transfer Miles Merritt is tied for the team lead in points with eight points on three goals and two assists. Freshman Luke Spadafora and junior midfielder Richie Ludwig are third in scoring with six points. Freshman Chim Okeke, who has served as a spark plug off the bench, scored his first collegiate goal against Ohio State on Sept. 19.Â
WHAT A WEEK!
Four weeks ago was one for the record books for the Spartans. Michigan State started the week with a 1-0 win over then-No. 3 Indiana on Sept. 23. It was MSU's first win over a top-5 team since defeating Indiana on No. 5, 2014 in Bloomington. The Spartans then defeated then No. 5 Michigan to retain the Big Bear on Sept. 26, 2-1, in Ann Arbor. It was the first time in Michigan State history that the team had defeated two top-5 teams in the same week.
AROUND THE BIG TEN
Indiana's Palmer Ault is first in the Big Ten in goals scored with 15. He is also first in the league in points with 38 (15 goals, 8 assists). Redshirt-senior goalkeeper Zac Kelly is tied for third in shutouts with five.
REACHING A MILESTONE
With a win against Detroit Mercy on Sept. 1, MSU head coach Damon Rensing reached the 150 win-plateau. He is the second winningest coach in Spartan history. Hall of Famer Joe Baum is the all-time leader with 320 career wins. Rensing holds a career record of 153-118-51 in 17 seasons in the Green and White.
GETTING IN THE STARTING XI
Only five players have started all 13 games in Zac Kelly, Luke Spadafora, Colin Arce and Josh Adam. Richie Ludwig, Jack Guggemos, Peter Soudan, Will Eby and Miles Merritt have also started in 12 games. Chim Okeke has played in all 13 games, while earning his first start against Northwestern on Oct. 11. While fighting injuries, Brandon Munson has started seven games, returning to the starting lineup against Wisconsin on Oct. 17.
PUTTING IN THE MINUTES
Several Spartans are logging in the minutes on this season. Goalkeeper Zac Kelly has played all 1,170, while defender Josh Adam is second in minutes with 1,143. Midfielders Richie Ludwig (1,015 minutes) and Colin Arce (1,092) are next in minutes played.
DID YOU KNOW?
With five shutouts so far this season, redshirt-senior goalkeeper Zac Kelly now has 17 career clean sheets. He is now eighth in the MSU record books. He passed T.J. Lieckfelt (1997-00), Joe Baum (1967-68) and Paul Zimmerman (1983-85).
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UP NEXT
After taking on Kansas City, the Spartans will hit the road to take on Rutgers on the road in a Halloween battle at 7 p.m.
PRESEASON HONORS
Michigan State men's soccer team had three players named to the Big Ten Players to Watch List.Â
Kelly, who hails from Holt, Michigan, is the reigning Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year. Last season, he was the first Michigan State athlete to earn B1G Goalkeeper of the Year honors since Jimmy Hague in 2017. Kelly started all 17 games for MSU last season, earning seven shutouts.
Merritt, a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was named a United Soccer Coaches Midfielder to Watch. The midfielder is in his first season with the Spartans after playing two years at Incarnate Word.Â
Munson, a sophomore who hails from Spring Hill, Florida, was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team last season.Â
O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!
Ahead of the start of practice on Aug. 5, Michigan State head men's soccer coach Damon Rensing announced the three captains for the 2025 season in Zac Kelly, Josh Adam and Will Eby.
LAST TIME OUT
Spartan men's soccer battled to a 0-0 draw against UCLA Monday on a chilly late night at DeMartin Stadium.
With the tie, Michigan State stands to 5-6-2 this season and 2-4-2 in Big Ten action. UCLA is 3-6-4 overall record and is 3-3-2 in league play. The Spartans have been shutout in their last three contests.
One of the Spartans' best chances came with less than 10 seconds remaining in the game. Freshman forward Chim Okeke took a deep pass and his shot with time elapsing was saved by UCLA netminder Kevin Box.
In the first half, the Michigan State offense starting getting going in the 29th minute when freshman midfielder Luke Spadafora's shot was blocked. Senior forward Jack Guggemos followed with a shot on goal in the 29th minute.
THE STAFF
MSU head coach Damon Rensing enters his 17th season at the helm of the Spartans. Assistant coach T.J. Kolba is in his seventh season, while Nick Barry enters his sixth year at MSU. Reid Friedrichs, who enters his third year with Michigan State. Friedrichs has plenty of experience in the Green and White as a player, including Big Ten Player of the Year honors in 1996.
This year there is a new face on the Spartan  bench in former Spartan Zach Carroll, who was the No. 38  overall pick in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft by the New York Red Bulls. He earned first-team All-Big honors in 2015.
LIKE FATHER LIKE SON
MSU junior midfielder Colin Arce is following in his father's footsteps. Steve Arce played at Michigan State from 1998-01 when current head coach Damon Rensing was an assistant coach.
KELLY AND SOUDAN EARN LEAGUE HONORS
Michigan State men's soccer players Zac Kelly and Peter Soudan both captured Big Ten honors on Sept. 30.
Kelly, a native of Holt, Michigan, captured Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week honors for the first time this season. He also was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week. He led the team to a pair of wins over top five teams for the first time in MSU history. Against No. 3 Indiana, he earned a clean sheet with a season-high five saves. In the Spartans' road win against No. 5 Michigan, he allowed only one goal in MSU's 2-1 win.
This is Kelly's second career Goalkeeper of the Week honor. His first honor came on Oct. 1, 2024.
Soudan is the third Spartan to earn B1G Freshman of the Week honors. The 2024 season was the first season that the award was given. Midfielder Brandon Munson was named Freshman of the Week on Oct. 1, 2024. Luke Spadafora also captured Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors on Sept. 2, 2025.
The midfielder, who hails from Western Springs, Illinois, scored the game-winning goal in MSU's 1-0 victory over Indiana on Sept. 23. He also drew the penalty that led to a penalty kick goal in the 2-1 victory at Michigan on Sept. 26. Soudan is tied for the team lead in points with three goals and two assists for eight points.
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