Monday, August 25
Pittsburgh, PA
7 PM
Michigan State University
at
No. 7 Pitt
Spartans Hit the Road to Face No. 7 Pitt Monday
8/23/2025 4:46:00 PM | Men's Soccer
This is the first meeting between the two teams since 1967.
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State men's soccer will face its first road test of the season at No. 7 Pitt on Monday, Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. at Ambrose Urbanic Field. This is the first meeting between the two teams since 1967.
The Spartans improved to 1-0 this season with a 2-0 win over UC Riverside on Aug. 21 at DeMartin Stadium. The MSU defense stood tall to capture its first shutout of the season.
Paddy Foss and Joseph Malfa will be on the call for the ACC Network.
LOOKING AT THE PANTHERS
Pitt opened the season with a 1-0 win over Quinnipiac at home on Aug. 21. Santiago Ferreira scored the game's only goal to lift the Panthers to the season-opening victory.
In 2024, the Panthers lost to eventual national champion Vermont in the national quarterfinals. Pitt returns ACC Defensive Player of the Year and MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist Casper Svendby. The Panthers return three starting defenders from last year in Svendby, Jackson Gilman and Niklas Soerensen. The defense recorded seven shutouts and a program record 0.90 GAA last season.
SERIES HISTORY
Michigan State leads the series history with Pitt 6-0, but the teams have not met since 1967, which was the year that the Spartans won the National Championship. MSU is 3-0 at home and 3-0 on the road. The first meeting was in 1958 in East Lansing with the Spartans coming out on top 1-0. In the last meeting in 1967, Michigan State won on the road, 1-0.
SEASON OPENERS
During Coach Rensing's tenure, the Spartans are 12-2-3 in season openers. Michigan State is 8-2-2 at home to start the season and 4-0-1 on the road.
HEADING TOWARD A MILESTONE
With 149 career wins, MSU head coach Damon Rensing is nearing 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 149-112-49 in 17 seasons in the Green and White.
PRESEASON HONORS
Michigan State men's soccer team had three players named to the Big Ten Players to Watch List, as announced by the conference office on Tuesday.
Perennial favorites Indiana was picked first, while Maryland and Ohio State were voted second and third, respectively. Michigan State was picked to finish to finish seventh.
Kelly, who hails from Holt, Michigan, is the reigning Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year. He is also one of the Spartans' three captains along with senior Josh Adam and junior Will Eby. 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. He played in 16 games in 2024, scoring one goal.
Munson, a sophomore who hails from Spring Hill, Florida, was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team last season. The defender played in 14 games before sustaining a season-ending injury that kept him out of the final two games of the season.
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.
"The 2025 team is in good hands with Josh, Zac, and Will as their captains," Rensing said. "These three possess all the qualities we look for in a captain at MSU soccer. Off the field, they are very good students and represent MSU soccer and MSU athletics with character and class. In training, they are some of our hardest workers. On the field, they are very good communicators and demand high standards for our team. They have also played in big games for MSU Soccer. I am happy for them and the team!"
PRESEASON PLAY
The Spartans played two exhibition games in preparation for the 2025 season. On Aug. 10, Michigan State defeated Butler at DeMartin Stadium, 2-0. On Aug. 15, the Spartans came away with a 2-1 win at UIC.
NEWCOMERS
Michigan State welcomes 12 newcomers to the 2025 team. Eleven of the 12 newcomers played in the Spartans' two exhibitions to start the season. Andrew Darakdjian, a transfer from Oakland, is out for the season after tearing his ACL in the Spring. Against Butler, transfer Miles Merritt had an assist, while Kayden Hudson scored MSU's second goal. In the road win at UIC, freshman Chim Okeke scored both Spartan goals.
GUESS WHO'S BACK?
Despite losing its top two scorers in Jonathan Stout and Sean Kerrigan, Michigan State four of its top seven scorers. Junior forward Richie Ludwig was third in scoring with two points and two assists for six points.
Senior goalkeeper Zac Kelly returns in net for the Spartans. Kelly is the reigning Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year. Last season, he had a 1.14 GAA with six shutouts.
For the game, MSU out-shot UCR 12-7 and had eight corner kicks to UC Riverside's three. Senior goalkeeper Zac Kelly picked up the shutout, making two saves.
LAST TIME OUT
Behind a pair of own goals, the Michigan State men's soccer team opened the 2025 season with a 2-0 win over UC Riverside Thursday evening at DeMartin Stadium on Welcome Back Students Night.
This was the fourth time in the last five years that the Spartans' have opened the season with a win. MSU improves to 1-0, while the Highlanders fall to 0-1.
UP NEXT
After facing No. 7 Pitt, the Spartans return home to DeMartin Stadium to take on Detroit in a Labor Day battle on Monday, Sept. 1 at 2 p.m.
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.
The Spartans improved to 1-0 this season with a 2-0 win over UC Riverside on Aug. 21 at DeMartin Stadium. The MSU defense stood tall to capture its first shutout of the season.
Paddy Foss and Joseph Malfa will be on the call for the ACC Network.
LOOKING AT THE PANTHERS
Pitt opened the season with a 1-0 win over Quinnipiac at home on Aug. 21. Santiago Ferreira scored the game's only goal to lift the Panthers to the season-opening victory.
In 2024, the Panthers lost to eventual national champion Vermont in the national quarterfinals. Pitt returns ACC Defensive Player of the Year and MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist Casper Svendby. The Panthers return three starting defenders from last year in Svendby, Jackson Gilman and Niklas Soerensen. The defense recorded seven shutouts and a program record 0.90 GAA last season.
SERIES HISTORY
Michigan State leads the series history with Pitt 6-0, but the teams have not met since 1967, which was the year that the Spartans won the National Championship. MSU is 3-0 at home and 3-0 on the road. The first meeting was in 1958 in East Lansing with the Spartans coming out on top 1-0. In the last meeting in 1967, Michigan State won on the road, 1-0.
SEASON OPENERS
During Coach Rensing's tenure, the Spartans are 12-2-3 in season openers. Michigan State is 8-2-2 at home to start the season and 4-0-1 on the road.
HEADING TOWARD A MILESTONE
With 149 career wins, MSU head coach Damon Rensing is nearing 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 149-112-49 in 17 seasons in the Green and White.
PRESEASON HONORS
Michigan State men's soccer team had three players named to the Big Ten Players to Watch List, as announced by the conference office on Tuesday.
Perennial favorites Indiana was picked first, while Maryland and Ohio State were voted second and third, respectively. Michigan State was picked to finish to finish seventh.
Kelly, who hails from Holt, Michigan, is the reigning Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year. He is also one of the Spartans' three captains along with senior Josh Adam and junior Will Eby. 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. He played in 16 games in 2024, scoring one goal.
Munson, a sophomore who hails from Spring Hill, Florida, was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team last season. The defender played in 14 games before sustaining a season-ending injury that kept him out of the final two games of the season.
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.
"The 2025 team is in good hands with Josh, Zac, and Will as their captains," Rensing said. "These three possess all the qualities we look for in a captain at MSU soccer. Off the field, they are very good students and represent MSU soccer and MSU athletics with character and class. In training, they are some of our hardest workers. On the field, they are very good communicators and demand high standards for our team. They have also played in big games for MSU Soccer. I am happy for them and the team!"
PRESEASON PLAY
The Spartans played two exhibition games in preparation for the 2025 season. On Aug. 10, Michigan State defeated Butler at DeMartin Stadium, 2-0. On Aug. 15, the Spartans came away with a 2-1 win at UIC.
NEWCOMERS
Michigan State welcomes 12 newcomers to the 2025 team. Eleven of the 12 newcomers played in the Spartans' two exhibitions to start the season. Andrew Darakdjian, a transfer from Oakland, is out for the season after tearing his ACL in the Spring. Against Butler, transfer Miles Merritt had an assist, while Kayden Hudson scored MSU's second goal. In the road win at UIC, freshman Chim Okeke scored both Spartan goals.
GUESS WHO'S BACK?
Despite losing its top two scorers in Jonathan Stout and Sean Kerrigan, Michigan State four of its top seven scorers. Junior forward Richie Ludwig was third in scoring with two points and two assists for six points.
Senior goalkeeper Zac Kelly returns in net for the Spartans. Kelly is the reigning Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year. Last season, he had a 1.14 GAA with six shutouts.
For the game, MSU out-shot UCR 12-7 and had eight corner kicks to UC Riverside's three. Senior goalkeeper Zac Kelly picked up the shutout, making two saves.
LAST TIME OUT
Behind a pair of own goals, the Michigan State men's soccer team opened the 2025 season with a 2-0 win over UC Riverside Thursday evening at DeMartin Stadium on Welcome Back Students Night.
This was the fourth time in the last five years that the Spartans' have opened the season with a win. MSU improves to 1-0, while the Highlanders fall to 0-1.
UP NEXT
After facing No. 7 Pitt, the Spartans return home to DeMartin Stadium to take on Detroit in a Labor Day battle on Monday, Sept. 1 at 2 p.m.
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.
Players Mentioned
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