Michigan
1-0
Louisville
0-1
Alexander's Tally Holds Up; Michigan Blanks Louisville
9/9/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's soccer team won its first game of the Michigan Invitational by a score of 1-0 against Louisville on Friday (Sept. 9) at the U-M Soccer Field. Senior Ryan Alexander (Southfield, Mich./University of Detroit Jesuit) scored the game's lone goal at 67:10.
Throughout the first half, the Cardinals were dominating and doing what they wanted. They only led with one shot more on goal (6-5) but were able to maintain possession of the ball on Michigan's half of the half line, forcing senior Peter Dzubay (Sylvania, Ohio/Northview) to make two tough saves in the first half.
Even though the Cardinals took a total of 14 shots, with five on goal, the Wolverines still displayed a resilient defense. Junior Kevin Savitskie (Setauket, N.Y./Chaminade) proved this when he was able to stop a four-on-two break by intercepting a Cardinal pass. Dzubay also stepped up his role, making five saves for his third shutout of the year. His most memorable save was with just 6:30 left in the game when a Louisville player shot a rocket at his chest from the goal mouth, the ball rebounded, and Dzubay was able to force the rebounded shot up high over the crossbar.
At the 67:10 mark, U-M saw its determination and hard work pay off when freshman Jake Stacey (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central) dribbled down the right side of the field through three defenders on a two-on-three break and slipped the ball to a streaking Alexander for a cross-field goal that beat the goalie to his right side. Spurred by the atmosphere after the goal, the U-M defense allowed only two more shots the rest of the game.
The Wolverines will close the Michigan Invitational on Sunday (Sept. 11) when they meet Long Island at 2 p.m. at the U-M Soccer Field.
GAME SUMMARY
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
| Louisville | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michigan | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Scoring, Time (Assist)
2nd -- U-M, Ryan Alexander, 67:10 (Jake Stacey)
Shots: U-M 14, Louisville 14
Saves: U-M 5 (Peter Dzubay 3, Team 2), Louisville 2 (Charlie Edwards)
Corner Kicks: U-M 8, Louisville 2
Fouls: U-M 19, Louisville 15
Cards: Louisville, Gerard Voutier, 42:43 (yellow); U-M, Ryan Alexander, 53:19 (yellow); Louisville, Frank Jonke, 56:29 (yellow)
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Steve Burns
On the game ... "It was really a tale of two halves. Louisville is a solid team, and they came out in the first half and did exactly what they wanted to do, other than score. They put the energy in, they controlled the middle of midfield, they were tougher than us, and they worked harder than us. Halftime, the whip came out, and our team responded. We see that's maybe the personality of our team -- they need to have people on them, to be challenged from the opening, because we certainly looked like a different team in the second half and scored a classy goal."
On what contributed to the second-half comeback ... "It was the job that was done in the middle of midfield. Whoever controlled that part of the field was going to win the game, and first half they had dominated there, created some decent chances out of it, and did everything but score. Second half, I think Santos Perez gave us a bit of an advantage. He helped us win-collect second balls, the 50/50 balls that were popping out, and he's got that guile to his game where he was able to change the point of attack for us from the middle of the field."
On the determining factor for Sunday's game ... "I think it's a case of our team recognizing that we're playing at home and it's the next biggest game on our schedule and we have to come to play."
On the new student section, The M-Pire ... "They were brilliant, they were absolutely brilliant, and they want to see it continue. I thought the atmosphere was awesome. I thought they enjoyed a great second half and a classy goal, and hopefully next time we can put 90 minutes together for them."
Contact: Joseph Conrad (734) 763-4423
Team Stats
Alexander, Ryan
Assisted By: Stacy, Jake
9 dribbled thru 3 defenders to pass to 3
67:10
