Michigan State Men’s and Women’s Soccer release 2021 schedules

Men’s Team

The Michigan State men’s soccer team returns to DeMartin stadium next Wednesday, Aug. 11 to kick off the 2021 fall season. The team is coming off a delayed and shortened spring season that saw the Spartans go 4-7 in a Big Ten only season.

The Spartans will open exhibition play in a home match against Schoolcraft, followed by a road match at Butler on Aug. 13, and a final exhibition home match against Purdue Fort Wayne on Aug. 21. Regular season play will begin with a four-game homestand starting with Cleveland State on Aug. 26, Akron on Aug. 30, Oakland on Sep. 3, and finishing with Bowling green on Sep. 6.

Following that, road matches at Tulsa on Sep. 10 and at Notre Dame on Sep. 14 will test the Spartans prior to the conference season opener at Wisconsin on Sep. 17. Michigan State will wrap up non-conference action with games against Duquesne in East Lansing on Sep. 21 and a road game at Western Michigan on Oct. 13 in-between conference games.

Following the match against Duquesne, MSU has a two-match homestand against Indiana (Sep. 26) and Penn State (Oct. 1) before hitting the road to take on Michigan (Oct. 5) and Rutgers (Oct. 10). Final home matches of the regular season come against Ohio State (Oct. 17) and Maryland (Oct. 22) before the regular season finale at Northwestern (Oct. 31).

Overall, the Spartans face four teams that reached the NCAA Tournament last season, including Bowling Green, Indiana, Maryland, and Penn State. The Hoosiers went all the way to the College Cup final before falling to eventual national champion, Marshall.

Women’s Team

The Michigan State Spartans women’s soccer team returns to action next Friday, Aug. 13, following a disappointing 1-10-1 delayed and abridged spring season that saw longtime head coach Tom Saxton announce his retirement after the conclusion of the year. Incoming head coach Jeff Hosler will be in his first season with the Spartans.

MSU opens with an exhibition match against Toledo at DeMartin Stadium in East Lansing on Friday, Aug. 13. Regular season play begins the following week with a two-game homestand against Detroit (Aug. 19) and Eastern Michigan (Aug. 22) before hitting the road to take on Central Michigan (Aug. 26).

Non-conference home matches conclude with Bowling Green (Sep. 2) and the remaining non-conference matches finish with a two-match road stretch at Oakland (Sep. 9) and at Dayton (Sep. 12).

The conference season begins on the road at Indiana (Sep. 19) before a two-match homestand against Wisconsin (Sep. 23) and Minnesota (Sep. 26). The Spartans take a western road trip after the Gophers to face off at Nebraska (Sep. 30) and at Iowa (Oct. 3).

October sees a busy stretch of matches to end the regular season as the Ohio State Buckeyes visit East Lansing on Oct. 10 before hitting the road to take on the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor on Oct. 14. The final road trip of the regular season comes Oct. 17 at Rutgers before a two-match homestand concludes the regular season with games against Maryland (Oct. 21) and Penn State (Oct. 24).

New incoming head coach Jeff Hosler was an exciting replacement hire announced earlier this summer by Bill Beekman, Michigan State’s athletic director, and looks to make a splash after an incredible run at Grand Valley State that included the highest winning percentage of any NCAA soccer coach while claiming three national titles. He has a tough schedule in his opening season at the Division I level, however, as the Spartans will face five teams that reached the NCAA Tournament last season. Four of those teams are Big Ten squads, including Iowa, Ohio State, Penn State, and Rutgers.