Weekly Release #2
8/22/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Upcoming Schedule
Friday, Aug. 25 -- vs. St. John's (U-M Soccer Field), 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 27 -- vs. Coastal Carolina (U-M Soccer Field), 2:30 p.m.
Fri-Sun., Sept. 1-3 -- at Michigan State Invitational (East Lansing, Mich.)
Sept. 1 -- vs. Northern Illinois, 2:30 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- vs. New Mexico, 11 a.m.
This Week ...
#17 St. John's (0-0, 0-0 Big East) at Michigan (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Friday, Aug. 25, 7:30 p.m. EDT U-M Soccer Field
Coastal Carolina (0-0, 0-0 Big South) at Michigan (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Sunday, Aug. 27, 2:30 p.m. EDT U-M Soccer Field
The Wolverines kick off their seventh season when they take on No.17 St. Johns (Aug. 25) and Coastal Carolina (Aug. 27) on the U-M Soccer Field. Michigan is currently 5-1 all-time in season openers and is coming off of a program best 7-1 home record in the 2005 season. The Wolverines are also 2-0 all-time in season openers versus ranked opponents. The last time the Maize and Blue opened the season facing a ranked opponent was in 2004 when U-M defeated No. 10 Connecticut, 1-0.
Scouting the Opponents ...
A look at No. 17 St. John's (First meeting): The Red Storm finished the 2005 season with an 11-6-5 overall record, finishing second in the Big East Conference (Red Division) with a mark of 6-2-3. St. John's made a 15th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament and a 10th consecutive appearance in the tournament's round of 16, beating Marist College and Dartmouth, before falling to No. 1 seed and eventual national champion, Maryland. The Red Storm are currently ranked No. 17 in the NSCAA/adidas poll after finishing the 2005 season ranked 13th. St. John's was picked to finish third in the the Big East preseason poll. Red Storm junior goalkeeper Jason Landers was voted 2006 Big East Goalkeeper of the Year.
Under Head Coach Dr. Dave Masur: Entering his 16th season with the Red Storm, associate athletic director/head coach Dr. Masur has guided St. John's to a 229-65-43 overall mark, making 11 NCAA Tournament appearances and winning the school's first-ever national championship of any kind in 1996. St John's on the Web: www.redstormsports.com.
A look at Coastal Carolina (First meeting): In 2005, the Chanticleers won their third straight Big South Tournament title finishing with an overall record of 11-9-1, and a Big South Conference record of 5-2. Coastal Carolina also made its fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, where they fell to an eventual NCAA Final Four Tournament team for the fourth year in a row, losing to Clemson 2-0. The Chanticleers have been picked to finish second in the Big South preseason polls, behind Winthrop.
Under Head Coach Shaun Docking: Entering his eighth season, Docking has led the Chanticleers to an overall record of 93-39-10 in seven seasons with a conference mark of 34-13-2. winning two regular season Big South Conference championships, three tournament conference championships and making four appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Coastal Carolina on the Web: www.goccuports.com.
THIS WEEK'S STORYLINES ...
Did You Know
This will be the first time Michigan faces St. John's as well as Coastal Carolina.
St. John's is the seventh team Michigan will challenge from the Big East in program history. U-M is 4-2-2 all-time against teams in the Big East.
St. John's is one of seven opponents U-M will face in 2006 that finished in the top 25 in the final NSCAA/adidas 2005 Division I rankings.
This will be the first time Michigan faces an opponent from the Big South Conference.
This will be the first time Michigan opens the season with back-to-back home games.
Coach's Corner with Head Coach Steve Burns
Heading into this week, with two back-to-back home matches, how do you hope to use this to the team's advantage, especially with competition such as St. John's and Coastal Carolina at home, as opposed to on the road
"It's always great to start the season with games at home. The home field advantage comes from the energy that the crowd brings to the game. Players feed off this energy. Since the students are not yet on campus we are mobilizing the local soccer community to come out and get reacquainted with the old players, see the new players and create this advantage for us."
How do you look to build off of the Cincinnati match, and what did you see that you can build off of
"After any game you evaluate the team's performance and give feedback to all the players and prepare for the next game. [Monday] was the players' first day off from double sessions in 13 days. They needed the break and our coaches needed the break. We'll get things cranked back up tomorrow to prepare for two strong opponents on the weekend."
How does the team match up against both St. John's and Coastal Carolina
"Both of these teams were in last year's NCAA tournament. Both of these teams are very well coached and are known for having players that have huge appetites for the game, players that are difference makers. You'll see some attractive, attacking soccer this weekend from all the teams involved."
Last Minute Heroics
In a tough 4-4 draw to the Cincinnati Bearcats (Aug. 20), the Wolverines had late goals by sophomore Jake Stacy (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central) and freshman Mauro Fuzetti (Houston, Texas/Stratford), who scored goals in the 89th and 90th minutes, respectively. The last two goals of the game not only forced a draw, but erased a two-goal deficit and stopped a streak of four unanswered goals by Cincinnati.
Season and Home Openers
The Wolverines are currently 5-1 all-time in season openers and 3-3 in home openers, while posting a 2-0 record in season openers played at home on the U-M Soccer Field. In home openers, Michigan faced a three-game losing streak from 2002-04, breaking the streak in 2005 with a 2-0 victory over Detroit. The Maize and Blue is currently on a three-game winning streak in season openers since 2003, defeating Loyola Marymount, Western Illinois and Detroit, with each victory resulting in a shutout.
Best Home Record in Program History
The Wolverines will be stepping onto the U-M Soccer Field for the first time since Oct. 23, when they defeated Wisconsin 4-2, giving the 2005 team the best home record in program history (7-1). Michigan finished the 2005 home campaign with a two-game winning streak, as it traveled on the road the final three matches, facing Akron, Penn State and Ohio State. The 7-1 home record is the best home record in program history, bettering the 2001 home record of 6-1. Of the seven wins, four came by way of shutout, while the stifling Wolverine defense allowed only four goals in the other three wins. Michigan scored a total of 14 goals and allowed only six goals on the U-M Soccer Field. The lone loss on the U-M pitch was to No. 11 Indiana, in a 2-0 defeat. The Maize and Blue bounced back by defeating No. 25 Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2-1, in a grueling double overtime match. The game-winner was scored by Trai Blanks in the 109th minute, as Michigan defeated its first ranked team since 2004. Two of the Wolverines' home victories came in the first-ever Michigan Invitational, as they claimed the first Michigan Invitational title on their home turf.
PAGE THREE ...
U-M Scheduled for Two Live Television Games on Comcast
Comcast Local is scheduled to televise Michigan home games against Notre Dame (Oct. 4, 7 p.m.) and Michigan State (Oct. 8, 2 p.m.).
Who is the New Keeper of the Net
With goalkeeper Peter Dzubay (2002-05) beginning his professional career in Major League Soccer (MLS), the question around town is, who will be the keeper of the net for the 2006 Wolverines In a four-year career, Dzubay amassed a U-M record total of 6,116 minutes in net, making the last 30 starts in goal dating back to Oct. 17, 2004. So far there are three candidates to fill the void -- senior Ryan Bennett (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS), senior/junior Alex Lubyansky (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington) and sophomore/freshman Patrick Sperry (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central). Bennett redshirted his freshman year and has played in three games in the past two seasons, grabbing six saves and allowing one goal in a total of 37 minutes. Both Lubyansky and Sperry have yet to make their collegiate debuts but have gained experience in the National Premier Developmental League (NPDL) and the Premier Developmental League (PDL), respectively. In 2006, Lubyansky led the Detroit Arsenal to a 7-2-1 record, while Sperry and the West Michigan Edge finished 6-7-3.
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 as they held them to six shots with none on goal.
"Putting the Onion in the Onion Bag"
"Putting the onion in the onion bag," "netting a goal" or just plain scoring. The 2006 Wolverines will need to replace the players that "put the onion in the onion bag," for the 2005 season as the top four point earners, Ryan Alexander (2004-05), Trai Blanks (2002-05), Ryan Sterba (2002-05) and Adam Bruh (2002-05), have all departed. Alexander led the team in points (11) with Blanks second (9). Alexander and Blanks also finished tied for first in goals (4). Sterba and Bruh finished tied for third in points (8) and tied for fourth in goals (2). Taking the reigns from the four top point earners will be senior tri-captain defender Kevin Savitskie, sophomore forward Jake Stacy (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central HS), sophomore forward Steve Bonnell (St. Clair Shores, Mich./Detroit Country Day HS) and sophomore defender Chase Tennant (Rochester, Mich./Rochester HS). Savitskie and Stacy finished the 2005 season tied for fifth in points (6), while Bonnell and Tennant finished tied for seventh in points (5).
Team Leadership
The 2006 Wolverines will be 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, not only defending but also scoring goals. Savitskie was fifth on the team in points (6) and third in goals (3). Hall, who is in his second season as a 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. Incoming freshmen Mauro Fuzetti (Houston, Texas/Stratford HS), Perica Marosevic (Rockford, Ill./Edison HS) and Julian Robles (Hacienda Heights, Calif./Damien) will join 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, as he was part of an attacking front line that ranked fifth in the conference in goals (28) and assists (27), leading the Commodores to their first winning record (9-7-2) in six years.
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.
Bruh, Dzubay and Sterba Climb Record Charts
Three seniors climbed the record charts in 2005. Adam Bruh tied for the team high with four assists, increasing his school-record assist total to 28. Peter Dzubay tied his own single-season shutout record with five clean sheets and tied his second-best season win total (8) for the third time. Dzubay also added to his career-record totals in saves (298), wins (36) and shutouts (19) while lowering his career GAA (1.21). Ryan Sterba finished his career second on the all-time list for games played with 81, just one game behind Mychal Turpin. Sterba started all 81 games of his career, ranking fifth on the all-time assists list (15) and finishing his career as Michigan's career leader for defenders in assists.
Dzubay and Alexander Drafted
Michigan has had five players signed to professional teams in the last three seasons, with two signings in 2005. Peter Dzubay was the first U-M goalkeeper to be drafted when he was taken by the New Jersey MetroStars (17th overall) in the MLS Supplemental draft. Ryan Alexander was taken by the Detroit Ignition as the first overall pick in the MISL territorial round.
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.
The Book on Burns
Head coach Steve Burns is 60-49-9 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.
Contact: Joseph Conrad (734) 763-4423
