“I thought it was a great game,” MSU head coach Joe Baum said. “There were lots of good chances. We just came out on the short end of it but I thought we played pretty well.”

The game started quickly for both teams as Vermont earned a corner kick in the first minute of play. They were unable to capitalize and MSU responded with a counterattack led by senior Doug DeMartin. DeMartin received a through pass right in stride and broke free of the defense, but was whistled for being offside.

Vermont scored the first goal of the game at the 37-minute mark of the first half from a corner kick. MSU redshirt freshman goalkeeper Jeremy Clark went up to grab the ball, which was driven straight across the goal line, but the ball slipped through his fingers and fell behind him nearly into net. In a desperation clearing attempt, senior David Hertel kicked the ball off the line only to see it redirected off a Vermont attacker and into the goal.

The score stayed 1-0 going into halftime.

“I was feeling pretty good at halftime,” Baum said. “I thought we could get on the board. Then I thought the first 15 minutes of the second half we played really well.”

Vermont went up 2-0 in the 57th minute after Vermont senior Jordan Crasilneck took a hard shot from well outside the 18-yard box that beat Clark to his right.

After taking the two goal lead, Vermont only kept one man in an attacking position and opted to put players back on the defensive side of the field. This made offensive chances for the Spartans hard to come by.

“It’s tough when they bring so many guys back,” DeMartin said. “There are less gaps, less room and you have to play quicker. We were still able to get chances and that’s the frustrating part –- that we still had our chances and didn’t finish them.”

The Spartans were able to put one past Vermont’s keeper when senior defender Josh Rogers ripped a shot into the upper right side of the net from about five yards outside the 18-yard box.

“I just took a touch and the defender dove in and then I had a clear lane to hit it,” Rogers said of his goal. “I just put my head down and hit it as hard as I could. I was relieved that we had a goal, but I knew there was still a lot of work to be done.”

The momentum took another swing in MSU’s favor 20 seconds later when Vermont sophomore Ryan White was sent off with a red card after committing a cleats-up tackle on MSU sophomore Spencer Thompson.

But with only seven minutes left in the game, it was too late for a Spartans comeback.

“I think if there would have been like 14 minutes left we might have got that equalizer,” Baum said. “But it was just so packed (around Vermont’s net).”

Baum thought his team played hard throughout the game, despite battling tough conditions and a solid opponent.

“We were down 2-0 and it’s 90 degrees out here and we never quit for a second,” he said. “We just kept battling and battling and battling. I thought this team showed great character today. I never saw one player lay down or take at easy. That character over the course of the season is only going to pay off for us.”