Lansing Sun

After a tense match that lasted 110 minutes without a goal, Michigan State's men's soccer team concluded its Big Ten Tournament journey with a penalty shootout loss to Washington. The quarterfinal game at SeatGeek Stadium ended in a 5-3 victory for the Huskies, who now advance to face Ohio State in the semifinals.

Michigan State ends their season with a record of 5-7-5, while Washington moves forward with an 8-4-6 standing. MSU head coach Damon Rensing commented on the match saying, "First off, it was a hard-fought match. I thought that we played well at times. Washington is a really good team. This was typical of what a college soccer playoff game should look like."

The Spartans started strong with early attempts from senior midfielder Shion Soga and junior midfielder Cristiano Bruletti. Freshman forward Mohammed Saad also made significant contributions during the first half. In the second half, senior midfielder Sean Kerrigan and junior midfielder Jack Guggemos had opportunities but could not score.

Washington responded consistently but was unable to penetrate Michigan State's defense. After regular time and two overtime periods, neither team scored, leading to penalty kicks where Washington succeeded with all five attempts.

Reflecting on the season's conclusion, Rensing stated, "This is not how we wanted our season to end," adding optimism about future prospects given many returning players. He expressed gratitude towards the seniors for their contributions.

This marked Michigan State's first penalty kick scenario since their Elite Eight matchup against Indiana in 2017 and mirrored their Sweet Sixteen victory over Washington in 2014.

Goalkeeper Zac Kelly achieved his seventh shutout this season during the game where Washington out-shot Michigan State 15-13. Kelly recorded five saves compared to four by UW's Jadon Bowton.