BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Michigan State men’s soccer used an aggressive second-half effort to battle to a 1-1 draw against No. 16 Indiana at a rowdy Bill Armstrong Stadium on Friday night.
“What a great Big Ten battle. I am so proud of our guys to come on the road at Indiana with a lot of adversity against us tonight. I am just really proud of them,” MSU head coach Damon Rensing said. “We gave up a goal in the first half, but we didn’t hang our heads and re-grouped at halftime. I thought we really played well in the second half.”
The tie halted a four-game winning streak for Indiana against MSU. For the season, the Spartans now stand 2-4-2 overall and 0-0-1 in Big Ten play. The Hoosiers are 3-2-2 overall and 0-1-1 in league contests.
The Hoosiers controlled possession early on with four shots and three corner kicks within the first 11 minutes of the game. Despite the possession time, the Spartan defense stood tall, keeping Indiana off the scoreboard.
In the 28th minute, the Spartans earned their first shot with a blast by senior midfielder Jack Beck that was blocked by an IU defender. Indiana struck first in the 40th minute to take the 1-0 lead before the end of the first half. After a long throw in, the ball rattled around the box before landing at the right foot of Brett Bebej.
Michigan State found the equalizer in the 72nd minute with its first and only shot on goal. A long pass by senior midfielder Louis Sala started the action. Sala’s ball found the head of junior forward Greyson Mercer, and his header found the net to make it a 1-1 contest. The goal was the second of the season for Mercer. He is now tied for the team lead in points with senior defender Will Perkins with two goals and two assists for six points.
“It was a great team effort. It was a really great assist from Louis on Greyson’s goal. All in all, we played about 16 guys, and to come in and get a tie, was a big time performance. Now we are just really looking forward to Michigan at home on Tuesday,” Rensing added.
For the game, IU out-shot MSU, 19-8, including a final shot by Joey Maher with four seconds left on the clock. MSU graduate goalkeeper Owen Finnerty was solid in goal with five saves to hold off the Indiana attack.
The Spartans now prepare for the Battle for the Big Bear Trophy, facing in-state rival Michigan on Tuesday, Sept. 27 on 6 p.m. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network. The battle against the Wolverines will…
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