No. 16 MSU Men’s soccer knocked out of Big Ten Tournament
By Google News Sports ·
Michigan State junior defender Brandon Munson (5) jumps to receive the ball during the Michigan State men’s soccer game against Rutgers at DeMartin Stadium in East Lansing, Mich., on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026.
After falling 3-2 to Indiana in its regular-season finale, Michigan State men’s soccer needed a strong showing in the Big Ten Tournament to keep its postseason hopes alive. Instead, the Spartans’ first-half lack of control ended their tournament run with a 2-1 loss to Maryland.
The loss to Indiana dropped MSU to the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament. With an opportunity to advance to the semifinals, the Spartans struggled to find their footing against the fifth-seeded Terrapins.
Maryland controlled possession early, but MSU pressed aggressively and looked to create opportunities through counterattacks. The Spartans struggled to connect passes and maintain possession as Maryland dictated much of the tempo.
The Terrapins capitalized in the 33rd minute. Albi Ndrenika finished with his right foot into the bottom left corner after a heel flick opened up the opportunity.
The game took an aggressive turn when junior defender Brandon Munson earned a red card. He shoved a Maryland player who was already on the ground. The referee sent off Munson for unsporting behavior, leaving the Spartans with 10 players for the final 51 minutes.
The physicality was particularly striking for Maryland, which entered the quarterfinals having committed the fewest fouls per game in the Big Ten. But the Terrapins brought a much more aggressive approach against the Spartans and the matchup became increasingly physical as both sides contested possession. However, a man down left MSU with little room for error for the remainder of the game.
Junior goalkeeper Jake Grekowicz kept MSU within reach with an important save late in the first half, but the numerical disadvantage made the second half an uphill battle.
Maryland wasted little time taking advantage. Just minutes after the restart, Marco Wright found the back of the net off a set piece. He sent a right-footed shot into the bottom center of the goal, and Maryland doubled its lead.
MSU struggled to retain possession and build attacks, losing one-on-one duels. The Spartans were forced to spend much of the second half chasing the ball, while Maryland’s attacking quality, cutting into the defensive formation, made it difficult to regain control of the game.
MSU’s breakthrough finally arrived in the 88th minute when junior forward Mohamed Saad headed home a delivery from senior midfielder Leo Conneh for senior defenseman Aidan Phelan, cutting the deficit. The goal, however, came too late to change the result, as the Spartans fell 2-1 to Maryland.
The defeat marks the end of MSU’s Big Ten Tournament campaign, but the Spartans’ season is not necessarily over. Entering the quarterfinals at No. 11 in the NCAA’s RPI rankings, MSU positioned itself to contend for one of the 16 national seeds in the 48-team NCAA Tournament.
Those 16 seeds receive a first-round bye, advancing directly to the second round. However, the loss to Maryland could have implications for MSU’s position in the NCAA Tournament draw, potentially costing the Spartans a national seed and forcing them to play in the first round.
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Originally published by Google News Sports
