Spartans earn all-conference honors

Four players from the MSU men’s soccer team were honored by the Big Ten Thursday.

Junior goalkeeper Avery Steinlage and junior midfielder Spencer Thompson were named to the All-Big Ten First-Team, while junior defender Colin Givens earned a spot on the All-Big Ten Second-Team.

Freshman defender Kevin Cope was named the Co-Freshman of the Year and also was unanimously selected to the conference’s All-Freshman Team.

Steinlage was named the First-Team goalkeeper for the second consecutive year, and is only the second MSU goalkeeper to earn the honors.

Thompson has started ever game for the Spartans this season, recording two goals and four assists, en route to his first All-Big Ten accolade.

After defeating Northwestern 1-0 Thursday in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, the Spartans were eliminated in the semifinals by Penn State, losing to the Nittany Lions 3-0 Friday.

The Spartans (11-7-2 overall, 2-4-0 Big Ten), who finished in sixth place in the Big Ten, will discover if they received an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament when the field of 48 teams is announced at 5:30 p.m. today on ESPNews.