Lansing Sun

On August 30, 2024, the Michigan State men's soccer team secured its first win of the season with a 1-0 victory over Villanova at DeMartin Stadium. The match's start time was moved from noon to 11 a.m. due to potential inclement weather and the busy campus schedule, which included a football game later in the evening.

"That was a great environment. I think everything is kind of crazy around here," said MSU head coach Damon Rensing. "We are going to be rooting for a big win for Jonathan Smith's first win tonight, but we really appreciate all of our fans who came out. I really applaud our guys who are leaders for adjusting to the time changes. Usually, you are waiting around until 7:00 p.m., today we got up at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast, and I told them good teams adjust and good teams find a way to win no matter the circumstances. Credit to our guys they did that."

The Spartans now hold a record of 1-1-1 this season while Villanova drops to 0-2-1.

Michigan State dominated possession in the first half, taking three shots within the initial five minutes and leading in shots by halftime with ten compared to Villanova's five.

"It was great to see the ball get in, and we probably had a couple of other chances where it should have gone in, got a little deflection, and a little love from the soccer gods. If you create good chances and put pressure on teams good things will happen, and we did that. So very happy for the guys and the win today," Rensing commented.

The decisive moment came in the 64th minute when junior midfielder Jonathan Stout assisted sophomore forward Richie Ludwig inside the 18-yard box for his first goal of the season.

"We had so many chances to put the ball in the back of the net in the last game, and we ended up losing. So to end up putting it in the back of the net and winning this one meant a lot for us," Ludwig stated.

Overall, Michigan State out-shot Villanova 24-8. Wildcat goalkeeper Sebastian Cutler-DeJesus made seven saves while MSU redshirt-junior Zac Kelly recorded his first clean sheet with three saves.

The Spartans will continue their four-game homestand against No. 5 Oregon State on Monday, September 2 at 1 p.m.