EAST Lansing, Mich. – Sometimes it takes two to tango.

And the Michigan State women’s soccer team certainly did that, as they improved to 2-0-0 after earning a 5-2 victory over Milwaukee, September 1st, in East Lansing.The Spartan’s offense was led by sophomore forwards Rachel Van Poppelen and Allyson Krause. Van Poppelen gave the Spartans an early lead in the ninth minute when she scored the game’s first goal off a ball served from junior Lisa Vogel.

Michigan State’s second goal came in the 35th minute when a shot by Krause bounced off Milwaukee’s goalkeeper and a nearby defender, and into the Panther’s own goal.

The duo forwards continued their offensive dominance in the second half as they both assisted on redshirt freshman Jessica White’s goal in the 53rd minute. Freshman Marisa Oleksiak scored minutes later, bringing the Spartans’ second half lead to 4-0.

Krause and Van Poppelen concluded their dominance when Van Poppelen assisted Krause to a goal three minutes after the Spartans’ fourth goal. Krause’s first goal of the season was a shot taken from 20 yards, and directed straight over the head of Milwaukee goakeeper Paige Lincicum.  Krause’s goal at the 59th minute took the Spartan’s lead to 5-0, and MSU head coach Tom Saxton began using their lead to develop the team’s youth.

“It got a little weird in the second half,” said Saxton. “It’s not everyday you get a 5-0 lead, so we tried to give everybody a chance to play, but we do have a lot of freshman rookies out there and they made rookie mistakes, but you have to earn the jersey and step up. I think we were inconsistent in that area.”

Twenty-five Spartans saw action in the game. The Spartans next game is September 8 at New Mexico.

Jonathan Yales is the host of Corner Kick for Impact Sports.

Photo: Jonathan Yales