Michigan
10-6-4
Ohio State
10-6-2
| Team | 1 | 2 | OT 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michigan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Michigan "Knox" Off Favored OSU in Big Ten First Round
11/11/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (U-M Soccer Field)
Event: Big Ten Championship (First Round)
Score: Michigan 1, Ohio State 0 (OT)
Records: U-M (10-6-4), OSU (10-6-2)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Nov. 12 -- vs. Northwestern in Big Ten Semifinals (U-M Soccer Field), 2:30 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 7-seeded University of Michigan men's soccer team scored an overtime upset victory today (Thursday, Nov. 11) over No. 2 seed Ohio State in the opening round of the Big Ten Championship at the U-M Soccer Field. Senior forward Knox Cameron (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman HS) scored the game-winning goal at 96:22 to vault the Wolverines into the semifinals. For Cameron, it was his first goal of the season after missing 17 games due to injury. Goalkeeper Peter Dzubay (Sylvania, Ohio/Northview HS) notched his fifth shutout of the season, making four saves in net for the Wolverines.
Both teams started the game slowly, with neither team creating a scoring chance in the first 30 minutes of play. Ohio State came up with the first opportunity, finding Justin Cook on a through ball to beat the Michigan defense. Dzubay came out to meet Cook just inside the penalty box to make the save and preserve the 0-0 tie as the teams headed to the locker room.
The defenses continued to dominate throughout most of the second half, but the Buckeyes began to gain an advantage as the game wore on. In the 66th minute, Cook received a centering pass about 25 yards from the net. He then sent a shot back across the net, but it sailed wide and out of play. With just over four minutes to play, Cook had another chance, receiving a cross from Kevin Nugent right in front of the U-M net. However, due to the defensive pressure of Michael O'Reilly (Spring, Texas/Klein HS), his attempt once again sailed high.
The Wolverines were the aggressors in the overtime session. In the first minute of extra time, Mychal Turpin (Pontiac, Mich./University of Detroit Jesuit HS) took the ball down the right sideline and slotted it into Cameron at the near post. Cameron's attempt, however, went wide and the game continued.
Finally, at 96:22, Michigan sealed the game with Cameron's goal. After getting the ball on the left sideline at around the 45-yard mark, Ryan Sterba (Westlake, Ohio/St. Ignatius HS) found Cameron at the touchline by the near post. Cameron fired a shot that went across the net and slipped inside the right post for the goal.
Michigan's contest was the third of three 1-0 games Thursday. In other first-round action No. 5 seed Michigan State defeated No. 4 Wisconsin, and No. 3 seed Northwestern defeated No. 6 Penn State in overtime.
The Wolverines (10-6-4) advance to the Big Ten Championship semifinals to face Northwestern at 2:30 p.m. Friday (Nov. 12) at the U-M Soccer Field. That games will be preceded by the 11:30 a.m. semifinal contest between top-seeded Indiana, which received a first-round bye, and Michigan State.
GAME SUMMARY
| Team | 1 | 2 | OT | F |
| Ohio State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michigan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Shots: U-M 15, OSU 17
Saves: U-M 4 (Peter Dzubay), OSU 2 (Ray Burse)
Corner Kicks: U-M 2, OSU 4
Fouls: U-M 17, OSU 18
Cards: U-M, Kevin Hall, 68:15 (yellow); U-M, Michael O'Reilly, 79:25 (yellow); OSU, Xavier Balc, 81:50 (yellow); OSU Jim Fisher, 84:29 (yellow); U-M, Craig VandeVusse, 88:34 (yellow).
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Steve Burns
On the game ... "The challenge was to rebound from that loss in the last regular-season game to Ohio State and show that we had the will to win and the will to compete for the entire game. We didn't know the game would go into overtime, but you have to credit our guys. Give a lot of credit to Ohio State too, because they are very good. They had their chances, but it wasn't their day today and it was ours. We got our chances and I couldn't be happier for Knox (Cameron) to get that goal."
On Knox Cameron's goal ... "Knox is in a tough position because he never got a preseason to get himself to a level to where he is going to show as a real effective player. He has been working hard at it and for him to score that goal in overtime, I think tears came to all the guys on the bench who have seen how hard he is working and seen how he has shown so much character to fight through the frustration of knowing you can play better than you're showing. I think that's the biggest thing for Knox, is his character is showing and he was rewarded for it."
On getting a goal ... "I didn't even think about that because we see them score a lot in practice. Hopefully it is a sign that our offense is coming around again. Now we have a strong opponent in Northwestern. They are a team that has done an incredible job building their program and now they are right where they want to be."
U-M Senior Forward Knox Cameron
On the goal ... I made a diagonal run and Ryan Sterba found me. He played a great pass and while he made the pass, Mychal Turpin was yelling at me to turn since no one was on me. When I looked I saw that there was no one really on me I took a touch and concentrated on the shot and buried it far corner."
On feeling so close to a goal without having one in regulation ... "The way our season has been going is that teams have been making us pay for our mistakes. We just thought that we might just get one chance. I got that and I missed it. I was fortunate to get a second chance I was able to finish it."
NOTES
• U-M's streak of being held without a goal was snapped with Cameron's overtime score. The streak extended 466:18 and dated back to Michigan's match against Akron (Oct. 29).
• Michigan's upset victory marked the second straight year the No. 7 team knocked off the No. 2 team in the Big Ten Championship. Last year No. 2 Michigan fell 2-1 to No. 7 Northwestern.
• Michigan topped Ohio State 1-0 in overtime after losing to the Buckeyes 2-0 in the regular-season finale on Nov. 6.
• Knox Cameron scored his first goal of the season after missing the first 17 games of the year due to injury.
• Peter Dzubay earned his fifth shutout of the season and his third in the last four games.
Team Stats
Cameron, Knox (1)
Assisted By: Sterba, Ryan
GOAL by MICH Cameron, Knox (FIRST GOAL), Assist by Sterba, Ryan, goal number 1 for season.
96:22
