Spartans beat Wildcats in Big Ten tourney

The MSU men’s soccer team is on its way to defending its Big Ten Tournament crown.

The No. 17 Spartans defeated No. 3 Northwestern on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament held in Bloomington, Ind.

Tim Granaderos, the Spartan’s lone senior and defender, netted the game’s only goal in the 52nd minute, to give MSU the 1-0 victory. The game-winner was Granaderos’ second goal of the season, and the third of his career.

After missing the last two games with a shoulder injury, junior goalkeeper Avery Steinlage made three saves in the victory.

The Spartans (11-6-2 overall) are 5-0 all time against Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament, including eliminating the Wildcats from last season’s tournament.

MSU now is 4-0 in games played on neutral sites this season.

The sixth-seeded Spartans will play second-seeded Penn State in the semifinals at 4:30 p.m. today. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.