No. 11 Michigan State put together the kind of night that can change the feel around a season, and it did it in front of a packed, appreciative DeMartin Stadium crowd.
The Spartans blanked No. 13 Wisconsin 3-0 on Friday, riding a Richie Ludwig brace and a dominant stretch around halftime to keep rolling in Big Ten play.
The evening carried extra meaning beyond the result. MSU was celebrating 70 years of Spartan Men’s Soccer on Alumni Night, with roughly 50 alumni on hand. They were recognized at halftime, a group that stretched from members of the 1967 National Championship team to recent graduates.
“I thought it was a complete performance against a very good Wisconsin team. Obviously, a little bit fortunate with the red card.
They were tired, and we moved the ball,” MSU head coach Damon Rensing said. “Sometimes that leads to those types of tackles, and I thought our guys took advantage of it.
I think the second goal right before halftime was a backbreaker. Credit to Dom (Dono).
We went out and got that third goal. We wanted to get that third one and put the game away.
We also are just so thrilled to have a strong performance in front of our amazing alumni.”
The breakthrough came after a first third of the match that played out end to end without a goal. Wisconsin was reduced to 10 men with a red card in the 35th minute, and Michigan State wasted little time turning that edge into a lead.
Ludwig opened the scoring in the 42nd minute, finishing off a move set up by junior defender Brandon Munson and freshman midfielder Dom Dono. Just 90 seconds later, Dono added his first collegiate goal, with sophomore midfielder Peter Soudan collecting the assist to send the Spartans into halftime ahead 2-0.
“We've obviously had some big wins here and there, and to finally put a complete 90 minutes of just straight hunger and motivation together with this group is amazing. I just really wanted to put this group and this program back to where it's been for the past years, and finally starting that trend is really nice,” Ludwig said.
The Spartans came out of the break and struck again quickly. In the 49th minute, Munson started the counterattack with a long pass from the top MSU’s box, then fed senior midfielder Leo Conneh, who slipped a cross-field pass through the Wisconsin defense to Ludwig. The senior forward finished past Wisconsin keeper Judewellin Michel for his second goal of the night and MSU’s third.
That was enough to put the game out of reach, even against a Wisconsin defense that had been stingy all season. Michel entered the match having allowed just five goals in eight games, and the Badgers had not given up more than one goal in any game before Friday.
They had tied No. 2 Indiana 1-1 on Sept. 22, tied No.
3 Ohio State 1-1 on Sept. 11 and lost only 1-0 to No. 8 Maryland on Sept.
Wisconsin’s best chance to get back into it came in the 67th minute. The Badgers earned a penalty kick after a foul on MSU in the box, and VAR confirmed the call, but the shot sailed high and wide, landing beyond the goal at DeMartin Field.
Michigan State’s defense did the rest. Junior goalkeeper Jake Grekowicz made one save, giving him six saves and three shutouts in Big Ten play.
The Spartans have now posted three straight clean sheets, all in conference action, and have yet to allow a league goal. Friday marked MSU’s fifth shutout of the season, with all five coming in the last seven matches.
“What a great night. The attack was there.
The defense was there,” Grekowicz said. “It's just so awesome to play with the guys.
I love each and every one of them. When we all click, it's like a family.
We're a team. And there's not many people that can stop us when we're at our best.”
The win pushed Michigan State to 3-0-0 in Big Ten play, the best start to league action in program history. The Spartans are 7-1-1 overall and have now won four of the last five meetings with Wisconsin. MSU improved to 10-8-3 in East Lansing against the Badgers, and Friday’s three-goal margin was the largest in the series since March of 2021, when the Spartans won 4-1.
It also extended a run of success in the matchup that includes three straight shutouts in the series and four shutouts in the last five meetings. Wisconsin, meanwhile, dropped to 5-2-2 overall and 0-2-2 in Big Ten play.
Michigan State was able to spread minutes late, with 21 of 27 Spartans on the roster seeing action. Ludwig entered the night ranked third in the NCAA in assists with seven, and he left it with two goals added to his season line.
The Spartans head to UCLA on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m.
PT, then travel to Maryland on Friday, Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
MSU returns to DeMartin Field on Tuesday, Oct. 13 for the Battle for the Big Bear Trophy against Michigan at 7 p.m.
In Other News...
Michigan State Pulled Out A Huge Late Big Ten Escape
Michigan State needed every bit of late composure it could find at DeMartin Stadium, and the Spartans got it in a tense 3-2 win over Nebraska in Big Ten womens soccer. Kennedy Bell and Shelby Vaughn each found the net earlier in the night, while Bella Najera set up two goals to keep Michigan State in position before the finish tightened.
Nebraska kept answering, including Ella Guyotts penalty kick that pulled the visitors level and set up a nervous closing stretch. Emerson Sargeant provided the decisive moment in the 87th minute, delivering the kind of late winner that can swing a conference season and leave a home crowd exhaling only after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan States Big Ten Opener Could Change Fast For Two Spartans
Michigan State heads into its Big Ten opener against Nebraska with the kind of uneven expectations that make early conference games so interesting. The Spartans are still trying to establish a rhythm, but this matchup has already drawn some confident forecasts about how it could swing, with the preview leaning on both team trajectory and the possibility of a sharper performance from a few key contributors.
Kenny Soares Jr. is one of the names getting the spotlight on defense, while Jayden Savoury is being viewed as a player who could help tilt things on the other side of the ball if Michigan State finds its footing. The broader theme is simple enough: this is the kind of game where a couple of individual breakouts can quickly reshape the tone around a team, especially with conference play just getting started. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Athletes Get A Perspective Fans Will Appreciate
Michigan States baseball and softball programs once again turned McLane Stadium into more than a game venue, hosting the Beautiful Lives Project Field of Dreams event for the fourth straight year. The gathering gave people with disabilities a chance to take part in baseball and softball activities alongside Spartans student-athletes, creating a setting built around inclusion, interaction and a shared love of the game.
Bryce Weiler, the co-founder of the Beautiful Lives Project, was on hand and spoke about why events like this matter beyond the field. For Michigan State, it has become a meaningful annual tradition that connects its teams to the community in a direct way, while giving participants an experience designed to build confidence, connection and a sense of belonging. [Read more 🡒]