EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State men soccer had gone all season without losing at DeMartin Stadium. Rutgers ended that run Friday, beating the No. 8 Spartans 4-1 on the night the program honored its seniors.
The Spartans are now 10-3-3, with a 5-2-2 Big Ten mark and a 7-1-3 home record, ending hopes of a first unbeaten home season since 2017. Rutgers, now 8-6-2 and 6-3-1 in the league, locked up its first Big Ten Tournament berth since 2023 with the win.
Rutgers scored in the 18th minute through Amer Lukovic and went up 2-0 on a long-range Zach Mastrodimos strike in the 42nd. The Spartans answered two minutes into the second half when junior forward Oscar Huerta finished a move started by senior Miles Merritt and set up by Brandon Munson, his third goal of the week.
The visitors pulled away from there. Erick Ruiz headed in a corner in the 60th minute, and Lukovic scored again in the 74th for his second goal of the night. Michigan State had a chance to trim the margin in the 87th minute after a foul in the box, but the Rutgers goalkeeper stopped the penalty kick from Huerta.
Head coach Damon Rensing credited Rutgers for timely counterattacks and set-piece goals that came just as his team was trying to build momentum. Seven seniors were recognized after the match, a group that includes Merritt, Will Eby, Aidan Phelan, Richie Ludwig and Colin Arce.
Seeding for the conference tournament will be at stake when Michigan State visits No. 4 Indiana on Wednesday night to wrap up the regular season.
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