LANSING, Mich. — In a re-match of the 2018 NCAA National Semifinal, the Michigan State men’s soccer team fell to Akron 2-0 on the road Tuesday at FirstEnergy Stadium. The last time the teams met was in Santa Barbara, California in the NCAA College Cup with the Zips winning 5-1.
With the loss, the Spartans’ two-match unbeaten streak was halted, and MSU now stands 2-7-3 overall. The Zips improve to 3-8-1 with their second-straight win. The game was also MSU assistant coach TJ Kolba’s return to Akron where he was an assistant coach from 2015-2019.
Freshman forward Conner George entered the game in the 25th minute and immediately had an impact with a blast that was stopped by Akron goalkeeper Joe Bowles. Sophomore forward Farai Mutatu tried to knock in the rebound, but was unable to convert.
Akron took the lead in the 33rd minute with a goal by Will Jackson. After redshirt-sophomore Hunter Morse made a brilliant save on Jackson’s initial shot, he was able to collect the rebound and find the back of the net to give the Zips the 1-0 lead.
Despite several chances, Akron held onto the 1-0 lead after the first 45 minutes.
In the 57th minute, Akron upped the score to 2-0 after a long-range blast by David Egbo.
Michigan State looked to Mutatu to get things going in the second half. In the 73rd minute, he attempted to get the Spartans on the board with a shot that sailed high.
For the game, Akron out-shot Michigan State, 14-10, while leading in corner kicks 8-2. Mutatu led the Spartans with three shots, while redshirt-sophomore Alex Shterenberg and junior midfielder Michael Miller both had two.
Morse kept the game within reach with three saves, while Bowles made one.
Michigan State now returns to Big Ten action, hosting Ohio State on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m. for Alumni Day. The game is also the second half of a doubleheader with the Spartan women’s team, who will take on Michigan at 5 p.m.
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