Weekly Release #9
10/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Upcoming Schedule
Friday, Oct. 13 -- at Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Milwaukee, Wis.), 7 p.m. CDT
Sunday, Oct. 15 -- at Northwestern (Evanston, Ill.), 2 p.m. CDT
This Week ... On the Road Again
After playing in back-to-back home games, the Wolverines will hit the road for three straight contests. The road trip begins Friday (Oct. 13) as the Maize and Blue face Wisconsin-Milwaukee at 7 p.m. CDT on Englemann Field. Michigan will next travel to Evanston, Ill., to take on the Northwestern Wildcats Sunday (Oct. 15) at 2 p.m. CDT at the Leonard B. Thomas Athletic Complex. Michigan closes the three game road trip next week on Oct. 18 in Akron, Ohio as the Wolverines battle the Akron Zips at 7:30 p.m.
Scouting the Opponents ...
A look at Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Michigan leads series 1-0): The Panthers finished the 2005 season with a 14-4-5 record, taking second place in the Horizon League with a 4-2-1 mark. Wisconsin-Milwaukee made its fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2005, falling to New Mexico in the second round. The Panthers are currently 4-8-2. The first meeting between U-M and UWM was in 2005, when the Wolverines defeated then No. 25-ranked Wisconsin-Milwaukee 2-1 in double overtime. The win was Michigan's first win over a ranked team since the 2004 season opener against Connecticut.
Under Head Jon Coleman: After nine seasons serving as an assistant coach for the Panther program, Coleman is currently in his first season as UWM head coach. During his tenure as assistant, the team finished with a 123-59-14 record and made five NCAA Tournament appearances. Wisconsin-Milwaukee on the web: www.uwmpanthers.com.
A look at Northwestern (Michigan leads series 6-3-0): The Wildcats closed the 2005 campaign with a 9-7-2 record, going 1-4-1 for a seventh place finish in the Big Ten. NU is currently 9-4-0, sitting one spot ahead of U-M at fifth place in the Big Ten. The last time Michigan faced Northwestern, the Wolverines earned a 1-0 shutout in Ann Arbor.
Under Head Coach Tim Lenahan: Lenahan enters his sixth season with an overall record of 40-45-13. In 2004, Lenahan was named NSCAA Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year after posting a 15-6-2 record, giving NU its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. The sixth-year coach also sent Brad Napper to the Major League Soccer (MLS), as the first Wildcat to be drafted in the MLS. Northwestern on the Web: www.nusports.com.
THIS WEEK'S STORYLINES ...
Last Week... Back-to-Back Home Games
For the third time this season, the Wolverines played in back-to-back home games, going 0-1-1 this past week against No. 8 Notre Dame and Michigan State. On Oct. 4, U-M suffered a 2-0 loss to No. 8 Notre Dame, then played Michigan State to a 1-1 draw on Oct. 8 at the U-M Soccer Field. The Maize and Blue currently have a home record of 3-3-2, and are 2-3-1 in back-to-back home games this season.
Did You Know ...
Michigan is 2-1 against the Wildcats when playing at the Leonard B. Athletic Complex. The last time U-M played against NU in Evanston, the Wildcats earned a 2-1 victory in overtime.
This is Michigan's third time playing back-to-back road games, going 2-2 thus far in consecutive road contests.
The Wolverines are currently on a five game winless streak, which is the longest winless streak in program history. The Maize and Blue are currently 0-2-3 in the last five games, and have played in four double overtimes out of the five matches.
Michigan has played in four double overtime games this season, tying the most double overtime matches in program history (2000 and 2004).
Supporting Cast
This past weekend (Oct. 8) the Wolverines played to a 1-1 draw with Michigan State in front of a supporting cast of 3,009 fans, a U-M Soccer Field record for both men's and women's soccer. The previous record was set by the women's soccer team on Oct. 28, 2005 when the Wolverines played in front of 1,887 fans.
Defensive Longevity
Senior tri-captains Kevin Hall and Kevin Savitskie have proven to be defensive stalwarts for the Maize and Blue, as each Wolverine has moved up the ladder on the games played list for U-M. Hall played in his 74th career game (Oct. 4), tying him for third on the U-M all-time games played list with Mike White (2000-03) while Savitskie played in his 67th career game (Oct. 4), moving him to fifth place.
Keeper of the Net
Sophomore/freshman Patrick Sperry (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central) continues to prove that he's worthy of protecting the net for the Wolverines. Sperry has played a total 1,320:33 in 14 starts, grabbing 52 saves with a goals against average of 1.29. When matching up to former Michigan goalkeepers Peter Dzubay (2002-05) and Joe Zawacki's (2000-04) stats from their first year starting, Sperry is second in minutes behind Zawacki (1,334:24) and only seven saves away from Zawacki's season-record total of 59, which is fourth on the U-M all-time season records list. Sperry's 52 stops is also just two away from Dzubay's fifth place season saves total of 54, and his 1.29 GAA is just half a goal (0.47) more than Dzubay's 2002 U-M season record of 0.82.
Wolverines and the Big Ten
Defensively, the Wolverines currently lead all Big Ten teams in saves (54) and, offensively, Michigan is third in assists with 14 and fourth in points (46), goals per game (16), assists per game (1.08) and goals (16).
Individually, the Wolverines are currently in the top five of six offensive categories. Freshman Peri Marosevic is second in shots (37), tied for third in points (12), tied for fourth in goals (5) and fifth in goals per game (0.38). Sophomore Jake Stacy is third in shots with 34, while freshman Mauro Fuzetti is fifth (30). Sophomore Steve Bonnell is tied for third in assists (4) and assists per game (0.33).
In the individual defensive categories, sophomore/freshman Patrick Sperry is first in saves with 52, and second in saves per game (4.08).
The Book on Burns
Head coach Steve Burns is 65-55-12 in six seasons as the leader of Michigan's varsity program. Last season, Burns guided the Wolverines to an overall record of 8-10-1, tying for fifth place in the Big Ten. Since Burns took the helm in 2000, the Wolverines have posted 10 or more wins in four out of six seasons, making two NCAA College Cup appearances. 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.
Sharing the Wealth
The Wolverines have been able to net their goals with the help of sophomore Steve Bonnell (St. Clair Shores, Mich./Detroit Country Day) and freshman Mauro Fuzetti (Houston, Texas/Stratford) sharing the wealth of the ball. The pair is tied for first on the team with three assists apiece, and each have had a two-assist game this season. Bonnell's first career two-assist game was against Butler, as he set up Peri Marosevic and Jake Stacy, the latter's goal earning Bonnell his second-career game-winning assist. Fuzetti earned two assists to lead U-M to its first win of the season, defeating Northern Illinois (Sept. 1), 2-1.
Defensive Leadership
With a new face in the net for the Wolverines, the defensive back half will be key in maintaining Michigan's defensive reputation. With three senior defensemen in the backline -- Kevin Hall (Kalamazoo, Mich./Central HS), Michael O'Reilly (Spring, Texas/Klein HS) and Kevin Savitskie (Plymouth, Mich./Salem HS), the Wolverines look to produce another season that is full of defensive stability. In 2005, Hall, O'Reilly and Savitskie led a Michigan defense that tied a Michigan record of five shutouts for the season. On Sept. 1, the Wolverines demonstrated their defensive prowess versus the Detroit Titans, holding Detroit to just six shots with none on goal.
Team Leadership
The 2006 Wolverines are led by senior tri-captains Kevin Hall, Kevin Savitskie and Brian Popeney (Canton, Mich./Plymouth Salem). Hall and Savitskie were defensive leaders for the Wolverines in 2005, but also contributed key points throughout the campaign. Savitskie was fifth on the team in points (6) and third in goals (3). Hall, in his second season as captain, scored his lone goal of the season against Denver (Sept. 4), netting the game-winner in the 85th minute giving the Wolverines a victory in the MSU/Radisson Classic. Popeney will bring his leadership and experience to the table after playing in 36 games, making five starts and dishing off two assists in his career.
New Faces in Town
Michigan's 2006 recruiting class ranked 26th on the College Soccer News top 40 list, with three highly touted recruits joining the Wolverines. Freshmen Mauro Fuzetti (Houston, Texas/Stratford HS), Peri Marosevic (Rockford, Ill./Edison HS) and Julian Robles (Hacienda Heights, Calif./Damien) joined sophomore midfielder Nader Jarun (Peachtree, Ga./McIntosh HS), a transfer from Vanderbilt. In 2006, Fuzetti earned All-Greater Houston and first team all-district honors. Marosevic was a member of Parade magazine's 2006 All-America team and participated in his second year with the U.S. National Team Under-18 group, traveling to Portugal and competing with the squad in the 13th annual Lisbon International Tournament in June. Robles was named 2006 California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern California Defender of the Year after leading Damien High School to its first CIF State Championship title. Robles was also an all-state honoree after receiving all-district and all-region recognition. Jarun played in 14 of 18 matches at Vanderbilt University, tallying six shots with two on goal while bring part of an attacking front line that ranked fifth in the SEC in goals (28) and assists (27), leading the Commodores to their first winning record (9-7-2) in six years.
Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week
Freshman Peri Marosevic (Rockford, Ill./Edison Academy) was named Big Ten Conference co-Offensive Player of the Week on Monday (Sept. 25), sharing the award with Indiana's Kevin Robson. Marosevic received the first conference honor of his career after tallying five points (two goals, one assist) to lead the Wolverines to a win and a tie against Oakland and Indiana, respectively.
Marosevic is the first Wolverine to receive the weekly honor in the 2006 season. The Rockford, Ill., native is also the first U-M freshman to receive the laurel since Nov. 3, 2003, when teammate Bobby Trybula (Loveland, Ohio/Archbishop Moeller HS) earned the accolade.
Raising the Bar
Michigan finished the 2005 season with an overall record of 8-10-1 and tied for fifth place in the Big Ten Conference at 2-4-0. One of the biggest wins of the season came on Oct. 20 when the Wolverines defeated the No. 25 Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers in double overtime by a score of 2-1. The Wolverines missed making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002.
Wolverines and the Michigan Bucks
The Michigan Bucks won the 2006 Premier Developmental League (PDL) Championship with the help from three current Wolverines, sophomores Michael Holody (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston HS), Alex Morisset (Shelby Township, Mich./DeLasalle HS) and Chase Tennant (Rochester, Mich./Rochester HS) and U-M alumnus Mychal Turpin (2001-04). The No. 13 Bucks became the lowest seeded team to capture the title as they defeated the Laredo Heat, 2-1.
On the Horizon
The Wolverines will hit the road for three straight contests. The road trip begins Friday (Oct. 13) as the Maize and Blue face Wisconsin-Milwaukee at 7 p.m. CDT on Englemann Field. Michigan will next travel to Evanston, Ill., to take on the Northwestern Wildcats Sunday (Oct. 15) at 2 p.m. CDT at the Leonard B. Thomas Athletic Complex. Michigan closes the three game road trip next week on Oct. 18 in Akron, Ohio as the Wolverines battle the Akron Zips at 7:30 p.m.
Contact: Joseph Conrad (734) 763-4423
