Just days after clinching the Big Ten regular season title, IU will have a tough challenge to round out Big Ten play Sunday afternoon.
In a nationally televised matchup on ESPNU, No. 12 Michigan State will look to spoil IU’s senior day festivities. Last season, the two teams tied in the final match of the season which allowed Michigan to steal the conference regular season title from IU.
Here are three things to know about the Spartans before the Hoosiers attempt to finish Big Ten play undefeated.
Strength in numbers
The Spartans have 11 players who have found the back of the net at least once this season.
Senior forwards Ryan Sierakowski and DeJuan Jones lead the team with five goals apiece. Junior midfielder Giuseppe Barone and Sierakowski each have 14 points on the season. Barone is second in the conference with eight assists.
Michigan State also has 15 players who’ve seen action in at least 10 matches. In comparison, IU has 10 players who’ve scored at least one goal and 14 players have appeared at least 10 times.
Both teams rely on a group effort on the attacking end, but Sierakowski and Jones remain the two options that will put constant pressure on the IU backline.
Battling for second place
Heading into the season, it was expected that this matchup would decide the conference regular season champion.
But, back-to-back draws for Michigan State against Northwestern and Michigan gave IU the opportunity to claim the crown before the teams clashed. Due to the two ties, Michigan State fell to third place in the current conference rankings but remains one point behind Wisconsin.
If Michigan State pulls off the upset and Wisconsin draws or loses to Ohio State, then it would secure the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten tournament.
The Spartans could also fall back to the No. 4 seed with a loss to the Hoosiers. That would only happen if Maryland beats Michigan on Sunday to jump Michigan State
Goalkeeper Clash
One of the main reasons why the Spartans have been so successful this season has been the consistent play of senior goalkeeper Jimmy Hague.
TopDrawerSoccer tabbed Hague as the No. 12 overall player and No. 1 goalkeeper in the country. Last season he was also named the Big Ten goalkeeper of the year over IU sophomore goalie Trey Muse.
Hague has only allowed 11 goals in 16 games this season and has registered 51 saves. Muse has given up nine goals this season but only has 36 saves.
It’ll be a matchup of possibly the two best goalkeepers in the country.
