No. 3 Seed MSU Men’s Soccer Team Ready for Glory

It’s been 46 years since Michigan State has gotten to hoist the most coveted trophy in collegiate soccer. Trending upwards, the Spartans must only have their eyes on gold in 2014.

With the third seed in the bracket, expectations will be deservedly high for the Spartans, who kick off the tournament Sunday at 1 PM against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. The Spartans lost a 2-0 contest when playing at Oakland earlier this year.

Four years ago, as a few members of the team will remember, Michigan State beat Oakland in the first round only to be stifled by UNC ten days later in the third round.

If there is one thing that Michigan State will be relieved about, it is that Notre Dame is on the opposite side of the bracket, meaning that the Spartans would not have to deal with their tourney rivals unless both teams made the championship. Notre Dame has been the kryptonite to the Spartans’ title dreams in the past two years, both times knocking the Spartans out of the tournament. The South Bend squad went on to capture the title last year.

However, MSU already drew Notre Dame on the road this year thanks to a Tim Kreutz goal. If the matchup arose again, the vengeful Spartans would certainly seek reparation for the disappointment that the Irish have dealt out the past two years.

This current crop of talent has a great shot of surpassing the mark set by previous teams, but MSU will need to win the fight for possession, a battle that can decide the war for a defensive team like Michigan State. If the Spartans play their best, the school’s first solo national championship could be well in reach.


Isaac Constans is a multimedia journalist for Impact Sports.

Photo: Hannah McEnroe/Impact Sports