Michigan
Bowling Green
Wolverines Blanked by Bowling Green in Mud Bowl
10/11/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
CANTON, Mich. -- Despite a valiant effort, the University of Michigan men's soccer team found itself on the losing end of a 1-0 game against Bowling Green on Thursday (Oct. 11) in a match where the rain never stopped, rendering the field virtually unplayable. The loss marked Michigan's third of the season, with the Wolverines being held off the board in each defeat.
The game was scoreless through the first half, with Michigan recording five shots -- three on goal -- to Bowling Green's one shot on goal. Michigan's best chance of the first half came when Robert Turpin (Pontiac, Mich./University of Detroit Jesuit HS) spun around a defender and centered the ball to freshman Knox Cameron (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman HS). Cameron sent a rocket shot from 20 feet out toward goalkeeper David DeGraff, who got a hand on the ball and tipped it away from the net.
The Wolverines had a few chances in the second half, including a breakaway shot from Jody Keeling (Odessa, Fla./Berkeley Preparatory) that hit the crossbar and resulted in a goal kick at 73:30. Although Michigan outshot the Falcons 12-3, Bowling Green was able to capitalize on its first opportunity of the second half when Matt Leardini blasted a shot from 30 feet out that beat goalkeeper Joe Zawacki (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson HS) at 70:20 and put the Falcons up for good.
Cameron and Keeling led the Wolverines in offensive opportunities, recording five and four shots, respectively. Zawacki finished out the game with two saves, one in each half. Michigan was called for 21 fouls and no cards, while the Falcons had 19 fouls and a yellow card at 67:00.
Michigan (7-3-1, 1-2 Big Ten) looks to even its record in the Big Ten Conference as the Wolverines travel to East Lansing, Mich., to face intrastate rival Michigan State on Sunday (Oct. 14) at 2:30 p.m.
GAME SUMMARY
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
| Bowling Green | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Michigan | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- BGSU, Matt Leardini, 70:20 (unassisted)
Shots: U-M 20, BGSU 7
Saves: U-M 2 (Joe Zawacki), BGSU 5 (David DeGraff)
Corner Kicks: U-M 8, BGSU 3
Fouls: U-M 21, BGSU 19
Cards: BGSU, Matt Leardini, 67:00 (yellow)
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Steve Burns
On the game ... "I couldn't be more proud of how we just played. That was a classic game right there. It was back and forth. They had some chances, I thought ours were more dangerous, but that's the game of soccer. They netted one great goal to win it 1-0. That was just a classic game and I'm extremely proud of our effort and the way we played. That's the way we are right now, we're in form. If we can play this way against Michigan State, we're going to have a great game as well."
On the budding rivalry between the two schools ... "There were a lot of changes in the game, a lot of drama in it, but we didn't win. Now there's a great rivalry that's established between these two schools. It's something where we've got them on the schedule for the next two years, and now we know that we need to beat them twice to even the series with Bowling Green."
On the team ... "This is a pretty special team, I think. It's a good group of guys that know how to 'file it' as we say. They know how to let the past be the past and stay in the present. The last two matches I thought we put two good games together. We haven't won, but we put two games together. The message to these guys is you keep doing that and we'll be able to do what we want to do."
Contact: Gene Skidmore (734) 763-4423
