Michigan
9-5-3
Penn State
9-3-6
Michigan Battles No. 19 Nittany Lions to Scoreless Draw
10/31/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (U-M Soccer Field)
Score: Michigan 0, #19 Penn State 0 (2OT)
Records: U-M (9-5-3, 1-3-1 Big Ten), PSU (9-3-6, 1-3-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Wednesday, Nov. 3 -- vs. Oakland (U-M Soccer Field), 2:30 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's soccer team fought No. 19 Penn State to a 0-0 stalemate through two overtimes Sunday afternoon (Oct. 31) at the U-M Soccer Field. The Wolverines were outshot 17-8 in the game, but junior goalkeeper Peter Dzubay (Sylvania, Ohio/Northview HS) matched a season high with eight saves to help preserve the tie.
Michigan was the aggressor on offense in early stages of the contest with four solid scoring chances in the first 20 minutes. Senior forward Karl Lopata (Farmington Hills, Mich./Farmington HS) recorded U-M's first shot off a Ryan Sterba (Westlake, Ohio/St. Ignatius HS) corner kick with 35:37 left in the first half, but it was stopped by PSU goalkeeper Conrad Taylor.
Three minutes later, senior forward Mychal Turpin (Pontiac, Mich./University of Detroit Jesuit) brought the ball up the right side and made a short cross to junior forward Trai Blanks (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS), but his chip was wide of the net. Turpin found himself with the ball in the same position on U-M's next possession and made another centering pass to a charging Blanks, but his shot was scooped up once again by a diving Taylor.
With just over 24 minutes remaining in the half, junior midfielder Adam Bruh (Roslyn Heights, N.Y./Wheatley HS) received a through ball on the break, but his blast was kicked clear of danger by Taylor.
The Nittany Lions (9-3-6, 1-3-2 Big Ten) earned their first shot on goal with 12 minutes left until the break, as Anthony Calvano's header off a corner kick was slapped up and over the crossbar by Dzubay. Another header by Kenji Treschuk with 2:10 left on the clock was again stopped by Dzubay and the two teams went scoreless heading into halftime.
The Wolverines came out of the break and nearly put one in the back of the net in the first four minutes, but Blanks' cross fell into the hands of a charging Taylor before Turpin could get a foot on the ball. Penn State had a difficult time finding its offensive rhythm in the second half, tallying its first shot on a header by Treschuk with 13:58 left.
PSU continued to apply pressure down on the Michigan end in the final 10 minutes of regulation, with Yan Karvalho making a cross to Chad Severs for a shot that was saved at 6:36, and Richard Costanzo centering to Servers for an attempt that went wide at 4:31.
Neither team was able to end the game in the first 10 minutes of extra time, as Dzubay batted a shot by Calvano out of bounds, and Taylor made a stop on a Chris Glinski (Rochester, Mich./Lourdes HS) header with just over a minute left. In the final seconds of the first extra session, Markku Viitanen served a perfect ball from midfield into the box, but Dzubay snagged the ball before Carvalho could get to it.
The Wolverines took possession on the opening whistle of the second overtime and moved the ball forward up the right side to an open Blanks, but a PSU defender caught up and booted the ball out of play before a shot could be fired. The Nittany Lions' best chance at a goal came with 3:13 remaining, as David Walter blasted a shot from inside the box just wide of the left post.
With under two minutes left, Dzubay made a huge leaping save on a Brian Devlin shot to end any hopes of a PSU victory. Meanwhile, Blanks' cross with seconds left on the clock just missed the head of Bruh, and the two teams went home with a tie and a point in the Big Ten Conference standings.
Michigan (9-5-3, 1-3-1 Big Ten) continues its four-game homestand Wednesday (Nov. 3) with a non-conference matchup against Oakland. Game time is set for 2:30 p.m. at the U-M Soccer Field.
GAME SUMMARY
| Team | 1 | 2 | OT | OT | F |
| Penn State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michigan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Shots: U-M 8, PSU 17
Saves: U-M 8 (Peter Dzubay), PSU 4 (Conrad Taylor)
Corner Kicks: U-M 5, PSU 6
Fouls: U-M 15, PSU 17
Cards: PSU, Markku Viitanen, 58:20 (yellow); U-M, Craig VandeVusse, 91:29 (yellow)
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Steve Burns
On the game ... "I am pleased becuase, effort-wise, everything we asked from our players, they did. The chances were there for us and the chances were there for Penn State. It was really a just result. You don't want the tie, but overall for our chances for an NCAA bid, it doesn't help us and it doesn't hurt us. We still have two more games with opponents in the region and one of the teams we are playing, Oakland or Ohio State, will get an NCAA Tournament bid."
On the lack of offense in regulation ... "In the game against Akron, everything came together for us. The chances were there and we finished. If you finish your early chances, it just turns into a completely different game. We had our early chances with Mychal (Turpin) getting around the endline and slotting the ball into Trai (Blanks) and I think Trai got around the endline once and we just weren't able to convert. That is the game of soccer. Often times, your expectations go more frustrated than realized. This was a game where there was a lot of expectations and neither team was able to realize it."
On the physical nature of the game ... "We are a team that has a lot of heart and plays with a lot of heart. I think that is more of what you saw than anything. These guys, their fuel tanks were empty and they were just going on heart and guts. They created chances to win it but couldn't quite pull it out, but certainly a strong team that know how to get the tie and not give it away."
On the play of Peter Dzubay ... "He looks good. We are at a point in the season where we are playing as best as we can. Everyone has a huge role to perform, including the guys that come off the bench. Dzubay is executing his role very well. He is confident and we know he is a great shot-stopper. Here he is keeping us in games. He kept his team in the game long enough for us to figure out a way to win it, we just couldn't quite figure it out today."
NOTES
• Today's game marked Michigan's first scoreless tie in the five-year history of the program.
• Peter Dzubay collected his third shutout of the season and the 12th of his career.
• Dzubay tied a season high with eight saves. He also became the first U-M goalkeeper to compile 200 saves in his career and now has 203 stops in his three years as a Wolverine.
