MSU Men Make NCAAs

The Michigan State men’s soccer team received its bid yesterday to continue play this postseason in search of an NCAA championship.

The Spartans, who will host Oakland University on Thursday, Nov. 18 at 1 p.m. at DeMartin Stadium, will be participating in the national tournament for a fourth-straight season. MSU and Oakland last met in the NCAA Tournament in 2007, with the Golden Grizzlies claiming a 2-1 victory.

The Spartans (11-7-1) have faced a difficult schedule to get to this point. Out of its 19 opponents so far, nine are ranked in the RPI top 26. MSU itself is ranked No. 12 in this system, and is the second-highest in the Big Ten behind No. 8 Indiana.

After starting the season with crucial wins against Maryland and Notre Dame and racking up the wins early in Big Ten play, the team has slumped down the stretch, winless in its last five games. While the slump cannot be attributed to the amount of effort given, as injuries have taken a toll on the squad, the Spartans will hope to be hitting on all cylinders during Thursday’s first-round contest.

MSU will be relying on experienced seniors Avery Steinlage (GK), Colin Givens (D), Jake Fullerton (D), Nosa Iyoha (D/M) and Spencer Thompson (M) to lead the Spartans to postseason glory. Together, this senior class became the first class in Michigan State history to earn an NCAA Tournament bid in each of the four years of their playing careers.

Did you know? Michigan State is making its 14th NCAA Championship appearance and sixth since 2001. MSU is 17-10-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and is hosting an NCAA game for the fourth consecutive year. The Spartans joined Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, and Indiana as the other Big Ten schools that received bids to the national tournament this season.