Nicolas Rewey
After tying the Michigan Wolverines in the Big Bear Trophy game, the 19th-ranked Michigan State men’s soccer team returned to the field to face the Maryland Terrapins on the day Alumni Appreciation Hall at DeMartin Stadium. The Spartans entered this game as one of six undefeated teams in the country and the only undefeated team in the Big Ten. The Spartans would recover from a 2-0 deficit, come away with a tie and remain undefeated on the season.
The Terps came out fast, scoring a goal in the second minute of play. Senior defender Kento Abe perfectly set up freshman forward Luke Van Heukelum for the first goal.
Maryland would strike again to make it 2-0 in the 16th minute with a goal from sophomore forward Max Riley, with the assist coming from freshman forward Kimani Stewart-Baynes. The Spartans would have numerous scoring opportunities in the first half, getting many good looks, but would head into the locker room at halftime with a score of 2-0.
The Terrapins would finish the first half with seven shots and three shots on goal, with the Spartans having six shots in the first half and one shot on goal. Elijah Howe and Sean Kerrigan would lead the Spartans first with 2 shots each.
In the second half, the Spartans scored in the 58th minute with sophomore forward Jake Spadafora scoring his third goal of the season off a nice assist from senior midfielder Jack Zugay.
In the 77th minute, Jonathan Stout found the back left of the net to level the score at 2-2 with Jeremy Sharp crossing a perfect ball for the assist. It was Stout’s second goal of the season for the Spartans.
The Spartans would threaten to break the tie in the final 13 minutes of the game; however, the Terps and Spartans would draw in a hard-fought game by both teams. Jake Spadafora and Jonathan Stout would lead the Spartans, with Spadafora scoring a goal and recording four shots, while Stout scored a goal with two shots. Sean Kerrigan would also contribute with three shots.
With the draw, the Spartans are now in a three-way tie for first place with 10 points with Northwestern and Penn State.
The Spartans will travel to Evanston, Ill., on Friday to take on the Northwest Wildcats in a battle of teams for first place, before returning home for their final two home games of the regular season against Ohio State on October 24 and Drake on October 24. 27.
