Weekly Release #3
9/4/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Upcoming Schedule
Friday, Sept. 7 -- vs. Cleveland State (Elbel Field), 7 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 8 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), 2 p.m.
Fri-Sun., Sept. 14-16 -- at Louisville Invitational (Louisville, Ky.)
Sept. 14 -- vs. Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, 5:30 p.m.
Sept. 16 -- at Louisville, 2:30 p.m.
This Week: Home and Big Ten Opener
The University of Michigan men's soccer team (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) will host its home opener on Friday (Sept. 7) against Cleveland State on Elbel Field at 7 p.m. The Wolverines' following match will start Big Ten Conference play as they take on Penn State on Sunday (Sept. 9) in State College, Pa., with kickoff at 2 p.m.
Scouting the Opponents
Cleveland State -- Cleveland State is 0-1 on the early season with a 3-2 loss to Marshall in its season opener. The Vikings were 3-13-1 in 2000, going 0-7 on the road. They return senior midfielder Marc Royer, who was third on the team in scoring last season with nine points on three goals and three assists. The Vikings also bring back both goalkeepers who split time a year ago. Senior James Kryger led the duo with 44 saves and a 2.02 goals-against average, while senior Josip Novkovic had 43 saves and a 2.82 GAA. Michigan is 1-0 against Cleveland State, with a 3-2 overtime win last year (Sept. 5). For more information on the Vikings, go to www.csuvikings.com.
Penn State -- Penn State is 1-1 so far in 2001 after winning its season opener 5-1 over Bucknell and dropping a 3-2 contest with South Carolina. The Nittany Lions were 13-6-2 overall and 3-2-1 in Big Ten play in 2000. PSU has senior Derek Potteiger, who was second in the Big Ten in scoring with 13 goals and six assists for 32 points. Junior Brent Jacquette also returns after notching 10 points off three goals and four assists a year ago. Junior goalkeeper Ryan Sickman is coming off an outstanding season, posting a 10-3 record with a 0.92 GAA while picking up 53 saves. Michigan is 0-2 lifetime against Penn State. For more information on the Nittany Lions, go to www.gopsusports.com.
Wolverines Seek Revenge
Michigan went 0-2 against Penn State in 2000, including the season-ending 2-1 defeat at the Big Ten Tournament (Nov. 9). In their first meeting (Sept. 23), the Wolverines took the No. 2-ranked Nittany Lions into overtime before losing 2-1 at home in the rain.
Gritter Awaits Cleveland State
Sophomore Tom Gritter (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) is eager to see Cleveland State come to Michigan. Last year, Gritter put two goals into the net against the Vikings, including the game-winning goal in overtime.
Last Week: Michigan State Invitational
The Wolverines opened up their regular season at the Michigan State Invitational last weekend (Sept. 1-2) in East Lansing, Mich. Michigan went 2-0 on the weekend, defeating Robert Morris 2-1 in its opener and posting a 1-0 shutout over Wisconsin-Green Bay. Junior Robert Turpin (Pontiac, Mich./University of Detroit Jesuit) and sophomore Kevin Robinson (Caro, Mich./Faith Baptist HS) notched goals in the first match, while sophomore Mike White (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson HS) scored the game-winning goal vs. Wisconsin-Green Bay at the 86:00 mark. Redshirt freshman Joe Zawacki (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson HS) allowed just the one goal in two games, making five saves in the process.
Common Place for Michigan: 2-0
Michigan is 2-0 to start the year with wins over Robert Morris (Sept. 1) and Wisconsin-Green Bay (Sept. 2). Last year, the Maize and Blue began the season 2-0 after defeating DePaul and Cleveland State. The Wolverines look to do something that they did not do in 2000, and that is start 3-0. Michigan lost to Loyola (Ill.) in its third game last season.
Zawacki Delivers in First Career Start
Joe Zawacki made his Michigan regular-season debut against Robert Morris (Sept. 1), making two stops for his first career victory. In his second match against Wisconsin-Green Bay, Zawacki stepped up his ability in goal, making three saves to preserve his first career shutout.
The Durable J.J. Kern
Senior co-captain J.J. Kern (Trenton, Mich./Lake Orion HS) started in his 17th and 18th consecutive matches over the weekend at the Michigan State Invitational (Sept. 1-2). Kern was in the starting lineup in all 16 matches for the Wolverines in their inaugural season, and he is the only Wolverine to have started all 18 games in Michigan history.
White Gets First Career Game-Winner
Sophomore Mike White scored the game-winning goal against Wisconsin-Green Bay (Sept. 2). It was the first game-winning goal for White's career. It was also his third career goal.
Big Ten Standings
All seven Big Ten teams have began their non-conference seasons. Here are the overall standings so far after the first week of play:
W L T Pct. MICHIGAN 2 0 0 1.000 Michigan State 2 0 0 1.000 Ohio State 2 0 0 1.000 Wisconsin 2 0 0 1.000 Indiana 1 1 0 .500 Penn State 1 1 0 .500 Northwestern 0 1 1 .250
Co-Captains
For the second straight season, Michigan has chosen to have a pair of captains. Senior J.J. Kern and redshirt sophomore Joey Iding (Lansing, Mich./Lansing Catholic Central HS) were selected by the coaches and team to be the leaders of the team. Kern started all 16 games last year and was a three-year member of the Michigan club team prior to the inaugural varsity season in 2000. Iding was named co-captain despite missing the entire 2000 season with a leg injury. Iding suffered the injury in the second exhibition game last season against Oakland (Aug. 29).
The Book on Burns
Steve Burns led the Wolverines to a 6-10 record during the inaugural season in 2000. Prior to Michigan soccer being granted varsity status on March 26, 1999, Burns was the head coach of the Michigan club team since 1993. Under his leadership, Michigan posted a 121-51-26 mark (.677 winning percentage) and made six consecutive appearances in the national club championship tournament. The team won back-to-back national championships in 1997 and 1998.
Contact: Steve Grialou (734) 763-4423
