Michigan State’s run in the Big Ten Tournament ended Sunday with a 2-1 loss to Maryland in the quarterfinals at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana.
The No. 4-seeded Spartans were forced to play most of the match down a man after a red card in the 38th minute, and they also had to manage injuries along the way. Maryland, the No. 5 seed, advanced to the semifinals and will meet No. 1-seeded Indiana on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
MSU got the first look at goal when Ludwig sent a shot just wide left in the eighth minute, but Maryland was the side that struck first. In the 33rd minute, Albi Ndrenika finished to the bottom left corner after passes from Lilian Fichelle and Marco Wright to put the Terrapins ahead 1-0.
The game turned even tougher for Michigan State in the 39th minute, when junior defender Brandon Munson was sent off with a red card. From there, Maryland spent much of the rest of the half pressing in the attacking end, and the Spartans went into the break trailing by one.
Maryland added to its lead early in the second half. In the 51st minute, Marco Wright scored his first goal of the season, placing his shot to the center of the goal and beating MSU goalkeeper Jake Grekowicz to make it 2-0.
Michigan State kept pushing and finally broke through late. In the 88th minute, senior midfielder Leo Conneh initiated the move by getting the ball to senior defender Aidan Phelan on the left side, and Phelan’s pass found junior forward Mohamed Saad for a header and his first goal of the season.
That was as close as the Spartans would get. Maryland closed it out for the 2-1 win.
The Terrapins finished with a 12-9 edge in shots, while Michigan State held a 5-4 advantage in corner kicks. Grekowicz made three saves to keep the Spartans in it.
Michigan State drops to 10-5-3 overall and has now lost three straight. The Spartans had already played in Bloomington earlier this week, falling 3-2 to top-seeded Indiana in the regular-season finale on Wednesday.
These teams also met earlier this season, with Michigan State winning in College Park on Oct. 9.
The Spartans now turn their attention to the NCAA Selection Show, set for Monday, Nov. 16 at 1 p.m.
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For Fitzgerald, the value of the victory goes beyond the scoreboard. Michigan State did not just survive a difficult afternoon, it showed the sort of toughness and structure that coaches spend months trying to build, especially when the roster is stretched thin. A win like this can become a reference point for a new era, and the Spartans now have one to point to as they keep shaping what this team is supposed to look like. [Read more 🡒]
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Michigan Just Exposed A Bigger Problem Than Losing To Michigan State
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For Michigan State, the win was the cleanest possible answer to a game the Wolverines were expected to control, but the bigger takeaway for the maize-and-blue side is how many problems surfaced at once. The offense never found rhythm, the coaching decisions came under scrutiny and even special teams became part of the conversation, leaving Michigan with more to sort through than a single bad result. [Read more 🡒]