Lansing Sun

EAST LANSING, Mich. - In a Labor Day match, Michigan State men's soccer was narrowly defeated by No. 5 Oregon State, 2-1, at DeMartin Stadium on Monday.

"To be honest, I just told the guys to keep the faith," Rensing said. "I mean they played really well today. That's a team that made the Final Four, and other than the two goals, I am hard pressed to find a really dangerous chance they got. I felt we were all over them, and it was an awesome place at DeMartin. I just want to thank the 2500 or so fans that were out there for a Labor Day game. I think if we just keep the faith, the goals will come."

With this loss, the Spartans fall to 1-2-1 this season while the Beavers improve to 2-1-1.

Oregon State quickly took the lead when Arnau Farnos scored from distance off an assist from Ellis Spikner in the eighth minute.

After conceding early, Michigan State settled down and limited OSU's chances for the remainder of the half. By halftime, MSU had out-shot OSU 6-4.

The Spartans began strong in the second half with freshman forward Mohamed Saad scoring his first collegiate goal in the 46th minute. Off a Beaver turnover, Saad beat Oregon State goalkeeper John Nicolson one-on-one to equalize at 1-1.

"I am happy for Big Mo," Rensing said. "He's been great; he comes in, he runs, he puts pressure on the backline. He's had a few other good chances and it's good to see him get that one under his belt. Hopefully it's the first of many in his MSU career."

In the 68th minute, Farnos scored again with another long-distance shot that beat MSU goalkeeper Zac Kelly.

Michigan State continued to push for an equalizer in the final minutes of play. In the 84th minute, junior midfielder Jack Guggemos' shot was saved by Nicolson and moments later Jonathan Stout's rebound attempt was cleared by a Beaver defender.

The Spartans will conclude their four-game homestand against Air Force on Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.