Michigan
0-1-0
St. John's
1-0-0
Wolverines Drop Season Opener to No. 17 St. John's
8/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's soccer team dropped a close home opener to No. 17 St. John's in 2-0 decision Friday (Aug. 25) on the U-M Soccer Field.
Redshirt freshman Patrick Sperry (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central) made his debut start in net for the Wolverines as he grabbed seven saves and allowed two goals in 90 minutes. One of the biggest saves of the night came in the 75th minute as he stopped St. John's Billy Hole from scoring on a penalty kick. After forcing a Michigan foul, Hole stepped to the ball to launch a shot to the left, but Sperry guessed correctly and made a diving save to knock the ball out wide, forcing a corner kick and keeping the game at 2-0.
The first goal of the night came at the 17:30 mark. After Andy Foote of the Red Storm made a pass to Patrick Engstrom, Engstrom's shot ricocheted off the right post into the net. The Wolverine defense continued to fight back as Sperry made two back-to-back saves just minutes after the goal, keeping Michigan within reach heading into halftime down 1-0.
The Wolverine offense took a total 13 shots, with three on goal, forcing St. John's goalkeeper Jason Landers to grab three saves. Leading the Maize and Blue was sophomore Jake Stacy (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central), who took six shots with one on goal. Stacy's shot on goal was taken after senior Bobby Trybula (Loveland, Ohio/Archbishop Moeller) fed him the ball from the left flank, where Stacy took a wide shot against Landers.
Freshman Mauro Fuzetti (Houston, Texas/Stratford) took five shots with two on goal in his collegiate debut. One of Fuzetti's best opportunities came in the 29th minute when he forced a header to sail high after laying out for a through ball from senior Kevin Savitskie (Plymouth, Mich./Salem). The freshman forward had one more scoring chance after sophomore Santos Perez (Troy, Mich./Athens) restarted play, sending the ball to Fuzetti, who then volleyed a laser in point blank range, only to hit the right post and sail wide.
The Wolverines continue non-conference play as they take on Coastal Carolina on Sunday (Aug. 27) at 2:30 p.m. at the U-M Soccer Field.
GAME SUMMARY
Team 1 2 F St. John's 1 1 2 Michigan 0 0 0
Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- STJ, Patrick Engstrom, 17:30 (Andy Foote)
2nd -- STJ, Jeff Stepan, 60:59 (unassisted)
Shots: U-M 13, STJ 13
Shots on Goal: U-M 9, STJ 3
Saves: U-M 7 (Patrick Sperry), STJ 3 (Jason Landers)
Corner Kicks: U-M 8, STJ 6
Fouls: U-M 16, STJ 9
Cards: STJ, Patrick Engstrom, 67:29 (yellow)
Contact: Joseph Conrad (734) 763-4423
Team Stats
ENGSTROM, Patrik
Assisted By: FOOTE, Andy
GOAL by STJ ENGSTROM, Patrik (FIRST GOAL), Assist by FOOTE, Andy.
17:30
STEPAN, Jeff
Header GOAL by STJ STEPAN, Jeff.
60:59
