EAST LANSING, Mich. – Saint Mary's Men's Soccer battled back from a 2-0 deficit to cut it to 2-1 and threatened to equalize in the second half before the Michigan State Spartans held on for the win over the Gaels.
 
SMC fell behind quickly with MSU scoring two goals in the first 11 minutes of the game. Both came from close range after the Spartans got behind the Gaels defense. But from there the Gaels settled down well, and turned those steady 35 minutes in the first half into second-half momentum.
 
Saint Mary's had just one shot in the first half, compared to eight in the second half, with shots like Riley Lynch's that went off the side of the net just past the post and Tyler Hardin's that required a save in the 55th and 57th minutes.
 
The Gaels made it a 2-1 game in the 68th minute when freshman Maxwell Farnum blasted a shot from 30 yards out that forced the Spartans keeper to make a diving stop to his right, and Greg Brighton was right there on the doorstep to put the rebound home into the right side of the goal.
 
It was the first collegiate goal for Brighton and first career assist for Farnum. And the Gaels kept the pressure on from there, getting two more shots near the goal from Boyd Curry and several chances that were thwarted by the Michigan State defense, keeping the SMC from tying up the game.
 
UP NEXT
The Gaels return home after their eight-game stretch of road games to take on No. 5 Stanford on Saturday, October 15 at 1:00 p.m.