Oct. 28, 2009
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Notre Dame dropped a 2-1 decision to Michigan State on Wednesday afternoon in non-conference men’s soccer action at Old College Field. Sophomore midfielder Adam Mena (Holland, Mich./West Ottawa) netted his first career goal for the Fighting Irish.
Michigan State (10-4-1) got on the board in the 15th minute with a goal from Rubin Bega. The sequence began with a Kevin Cope corner kick and Stephen Lucianke headed the ball and Bega redirected it into the back of the net.
Notre Dame (9-7-1) evened the match in the 37th minute as Mena, who was playing in his home state, headed in a cross from junior forward Jeb Brovsky (Lakewood, Colo./Green Mountain).
The match was knotted 1-1 at halftime. The Fighting Irish held a 7-5 shot advantage in the first period.
“This was a tough one for sure,” said Irish head coach Bobby Clark. “I felt we held the territorial advantage in the game today. They scored first off a scramble after a corner kick as their guy poked the ball in. I felt (Michael) Rose and (Adam) Mena did a good job coming on in the wide areas of the midfield for us. We really had the ball in their half of the field for the last 15 minutes of the first half.”
The Spartans regained the lead in the 57th minute on a goal from Cyrus Saydee, who took the ball down the left side and sent a shot into the upper right corner.
“It was disappointing because I really felt we needed to get this one today,” commented Clark. “But they (Michigan State) were deserving because they have good players. Their last goal was a very nice play. Their guy slipped by a couple of our defenders and sent a rocket by Quinny (Andrew Quinn). After that, we kept pressuring and taking chances, but they were dangerous on the counterattack.”
Notre Dame senior goalkeeper Andrew Quinn (Silver Spring, Md./DeMatha) did not make a save in the match as the Spartans connected on their only two shots on goal. His counterpart Avery Steinlage had three stops for Michigan State. The Fighting Irish out shot the Spartans 14-8, including 7-3 in the second half. Notre Dame also earned one more corner kick (5-4) during the match.
The Fighting Irish will return home to close out the regular season with a key BIG EAST Blue Division match against No. 5 Connecticut on Saturday, Oct. 31. Game time is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. (ET) at Alumni Stadium.
Old College Field • East Lansing, Mich.
October 28, 2009
Notre Dame (9-7-1) 1 0 – 1
Michigan State (10-4-1) 1 1 – 2
MSU: Rubin Bega (Stephen Lucianke, Kevin Cope) 14:59; ND: Adam Mena (Jeb Brovsky) 36:32; MSU: Cyrus Saydee (unassisted) 56:28
Shots: ND 7-7 – 14, MSU 5-3 – 8
Corner Kicks: ND 1-4 – 5, MSU 3-1 – 4
Saves: ND 0 (Andrew Quinn – 90:00 – 2 ga – 0 svs – L); MSU 3 (Avery Steinlage – 90:00 – 1 ga – 3 svs – W)
Fouls: ND 10, MSU 4
Offsides: ND 0, MSU 0