Weekly Release #11 (at Penn State)

Upcoming Schedule
Sunday, Nov. 4 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), 2 p.m.

This Week: Nittany Lions
The University of Michigan men's soccer team (10-5-2) travels to State College, Pa., Sunday (Nov. 4) to take on the Nittany Lions on Jeffrey Field at 2 p.m.

Scouting the Opponent ...
Penn State -- Michigan faces the Penn State Nittany Lions (5-8-3 overall, 1-2-2 Big Ten) of the Big Ten Sunday (Nov. 4) in State College, Pa., at 2 pm. This will be the 10th meeting between Michigan and PSU. The Nittany Lions hold a 2-6-1 edge in the all-time series. In 2006 -- the last regular season meeting between the two teams -- Michigan beat Penn State, 1-0, in Ann Arbor, Mich. Penn State on the web:www.gopsusports.com.

This Week's Storylines ...
Did You Know
The Wolverines will be looking for their first Big Ten win of the season when they take on the Nittany Lions.
Michigan's game against PSU will be U-M's last regular-season match of 2007.
U-M is 2-4 when playing away from the U-M Soccer Field this season.

Player Notables
Junior midfielder Jake Stacy(Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central) kicked the game-winning goal in Michigan's upset over No. 17 Akron Wednesday (Oct. 24). The tally marks his second game-winner of the year. Additionally, Stacy has nine assists for the season, which leads the team and ties for second in the Big Ten for most helpers. He is now tied for second place in Michigan's single-season record for assists. Former Wolverine Adam Bruh set the record with 13 in 2002.

Sophomore forward Mauro Fuzetti(Houston, Texas/Stratford) has three game-winning goals for the season, which puts Fuzetti in a third-place tie in the Big Ten for most game-winners.

Junior/sophomore Patrick Sperry(Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central) has a career- and program-best eight shutouts this season. He was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week Monday (Oct. 29).

2006 Season in Review
Michigan finished the 2006 season with an overall record of 7-10-4. The Wolverines maintained a 4-3-3 record at home, a 1-6-1 mark on the road and a 2-1-0 record at neutral sites. The team played a difficult schedule, matching up against four top 25 teams: No. 17 St. John's, No. 3 New Mexico, No. 14 Kentucky and No. 8 Notre Dame. Michigan came away with a 2-1 overtime win against No. 14 Kentucky, and was close to defeating Big Ten champion and College Cup participant Indiana but the match ended in a 2-2 draw. The Wolverines finished sixth in the Big Ten with a conference record of 1-2-3 -- a slate highlighted by a shutout win over Penn State at the U-M Soccer Field, 1-0. At the Big Ten Tournament in Columbus, Ohio, the Maize and Blue defeated Wisconsin in the first round but lost to the Buckeyes in the second round to end the season.

Diverse Freshmen Squad Ready to Take the Field
Michigan's 2007 recruiting class was ranked 37th in the country by College Soccer News. The incoming freshmen include: Goalkeeper Chris Blais(Seattle Wash./Kennedy Memorial), forwards Vinny Crumrine(Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Park) and Tex McCullough (Plano, Texas/Plano Senior), defenders Jeff Quijano(Simi Valley/Canoga Park) and Adam Keller(Franklin, Mich./Birmingham Groves) and midfielders Adam Shaw(Lone Tree, Colo./Highlands Ranch) and Alex Wood (Northville, Mich./Northville).

Marosevic All Over the Map
Peri Marosevic spent this past summer playing internationally for the Under-18 U.S. National Team. As the captain of the group, Marosevic and team traveled to Lisbon, Portugal, for the XII Lisbon International Tournament. He scored three of the team's four goals in the tournament to lead the U.S. to a third-place finish. Marosevic was also selected as a member of the 17-man roster for the U.S. Men's Pan-American Games, which took place July 13-26 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The team went 1-2, failing to earn a medal. His last summer adventure took him to the SBS Cup in Shizuoka, Japan, where the Under-18 team went 1-2, losing to the Shizuoka Youth team and the Ukraine but beating Japan. Marosevic led the 2006 Michigan men's soccer team with five goals, 12 points, 66 shots and 24 shots on goal.

Sperry Takes Over the Charts
Patrick Sperry's name is already written in the Michigan record books. He owns the lowest career GAA (600 minutes) in U-M men's soccer history with 1.10, as well as the most shutouts in a single season with seven. He is second overall in career shutouts, earning his 13th against Akron last week. He now possesses 16 career wins. The current career records for wins (37) and shutouts (19) are both owned by Dzubay.

New Records Set in '06
During the 2006 season, Michigan set season records for fewest goals allowed (24) and most shots attempted (346). Prior to the 2006 season, Michigan had allowed a season-low 25 goals and had taken a season-high 306 shots.

Wolverines and the Michigan Bucks
Five Michigan soccer players spent the summer playing with the Michigan Bucks of the Premier Development League. Michigan players on the Bucks roster included: Junior forward Steve Bonnell(St. Clair Shores, Mich./Detroit Country Day), Michael Holody, junior midfielder Alex Morisset(Shelby Township, Mich./De La Salle), Santos Perez(Troy, Mich./Athens) and sophomore forward Mauro Fuzetti(Houston, Texas/Stratford). The Bucks -- last season's PDL champions -- advanced to the championship game against the Laredo Heat again this season. The game came down to penalty kicks after a defensive battle in which regulation and overtime ended in a 0-0 draw. Fuzetti netted his attempt, but the Bucks came up short and lost the match 4-3. Holody was named a 2007 PDL all-conference selection for his consistent defensive play, participating in every minute of all 20 games during the Bucks' regular season.

Huls Joins the Club
Senior/junior goalkeeper Tom Huls(Plymouth, Mich./Salem) joins the varsity squad after two years of play on the Michigan club soccer team. Huls and his varsity high school team were conference champs during his senior year, and he was named first team all-state his sophomore and junior years. Huls saw his first game action against Florida International and preventing any scoring from the opposition.

Team Leadership
The 2007 Wolverines are led by tri-captains senior midfielder Michael Parke(Portage, Mich./Portage Central), Alex Morisset and Michael Holody. Parke played in 12 matches during the 2006 season and netted his first collegiate goal -- a game-winner -- against Northern Illinois. Morisset started and played in 20 games last season, scoring one goal. He was named to the Michigan Invitational all-tournament team. Holody led the defense last year, playing in 20 matches with 20 starts. He scored three goals and had one assist.

Coach Burns Bio
Head coach Steve Burns is 77-64-15 in seven seasons as the leader of the Michigan men's soccer team. Under Burns' guidance, the Wolverines have made two College Cup appearances (2003 and 2004). Before U-M men's soccer was granted varsity status, Burns was the head coach of the Michigan club team from 1993-99. The club team won back-to-back national championships in 1997 and 1998 and posted a 121-51-26 record (.677 winning percentage) overall.

Upcoming Schedule ...
U-M will head to the Big Ten Tournament in East Lansing, Mich., Thursday through Sunday (Nov. 8-11). The tournament schedule, including game times, is TBD.

Contact: Stacey Schwartz (734) 763-4423