Cleveland State Falls 2-1 to Michigan State in First Round of NCAA Tournament

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Despite a late goal from freshman midfielder Cristian Arboleda (Medellin, Colombia), the Cleveland State Vikings were unable on Thursday afternoon to overcome an early deficit and fell 2-1 to the Michigan State Spartans in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Michigan State went up early in the contest, scoring two goals before the 20-minute mark. The first came in the 13th minute as Adam Montague delivered on an assist from Nick Wilson. Six minutes later, Wilson netted the eventual game-winner, assisted by Montague and Kevin Cope. In the contest, Spartans goalkeeper Zach Bennett made four saves and allowed a lone goal.

That goal came in the 86th minute when Arboleda scored on an 18-yard strike off an assist from fellow freshman midfielder Alfonzo Sandoval (San Juan, Puerto Rico).

This season marked the first time Cleveland State advanced to the NCAA Tournament in over 30 years. Current head coach Ali Kazemaini was a player when the Vikings last appeared in 1980. For his efforts this year, Kazemaini was named the Horizon League Coach of the Year. His team ended League play with a 4-1-2 record.

The CSU program has now qualified for nine NCAA Tournaments. To earn this season's bid, Cleveland State -- the No. 2 seed in the Horizon League Tournament -- had defeated Loyola by a 2-0 score in the championship match on Sunday.