The Michigan State men's soccer program is on a mission to end an eight-year NCAA tournament drought.
The Spartans, who went 5-8-3 last season despite beating two top-five teams, have played to exhibition draws with both Loyola Chicago and perennial ACC power Notre Dame while preparing to face Albany in their season opener at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, at DeMartin Stadium.
MSU coach Damon Rensing, entering his 19th season, believes he has one of the deepest teams he's had in recent years.
"We just have to get collected, we've only been together for 10 days," Rensing said. "I like the individual pieces that we have throughout the field. I think playing Notre Dame helped, it was a real test for this group. It's about putting the individual pieces together. I still think we need to raise the defensive standard that we're used to here at Michigan State."
MSU will have to replace four starters, notably 2024 Big Ten Goaltender of the Year Zac Kelly and forward/defender hybrid Jake Spadafora. But the Spartans do have some returning scoring punch, including players accounting for 18 of the team's 19 goals last season.
Three Spartans were chosen as preseason Big Ten Players to Watch — senior midfielder Miles Merritt, junior defender Brandon Munson and sophomore midfielder Peter Soudan. Merritt, senior defender Will Eby and senior forward Richie Ludwig were named as the MSU's three captains.
"It's a big-time honor being able to lead these guys," Eby said. "It's such a good group that wants to be competitive and wants to lead themselves too. It's a group that's so motivated, and that makes my job so easy as a captain. Hopefully we'll continue to grow on and off the field."
Merritt and Soudan led the team last year with 10 points, while Ludwig and Merritt return as the leading goal scorers, each netting four in 2025.
Sophomore defender Connor O'Keefe transfers in from Saint Francis, while senior midfielder Leo Conneh comes to MSU from Liberty. Both players are expected to make an immediate impact, while transfer goalkeeper David Anderson is expected to compete with junior Jake Grekowicz for the starting spot in net.
"(O'Keefe) transferred in January, so he's been with us since the spring and has acclimated well," Rensing said. "Leo Conneh comes in from Liberty, and I think the fans will really enjoy watching him play. He's an electric player with a lot of different stuff and he's been a great personality. Sometimes it's hard to mesh somewhere new for just one year, but he's been doing great."
MSU's schedule has some notable nonconference games, including hosting Pittsburgh on Sept. 3 and playing at Kansas City, an NCAA tournament team last season, on Sept. 11. The Spartans open Big Ten play by hosting Northwestern on Sept. 15 and will also host Wisconsin, Michigan, Rutgers and 2025 NCAA champion Washington.
MSU's road conference games include Penn State, UCLA, Maryland, Ohio State and Indiana.
Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on X @Nathaniel_Bott
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU men's soccer takes aim at first NCAA tournament berth since 2018
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