Michigan
Indiana
Wolverines Ousted by No. 18 Hoosiers in Big Ten Semifinals
11/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Event: Big Ten Championship (Semifinal Round)
Score: #18 Indiana 1, #10 Michigan 0
Records: U-M (12-5-3), Indiana (12-5-3)
Next U-M Game: TBD
Boxscore | Photo Gallery
MADISON, Wis. -- The No. 10-ranked University of Michigan men's soccer team came up short in a 1-0 loss to No. 18-ranked Indiana in the semifinals of the 2008 Big Ten Championship on Friday afternoon (Nov. 14) at the McClimon Track/Soccer Complex. Senior/junior Patrick Sperry(Hinsdale, Ill/Hinsdale Central) had two saves in the game, both of the spectacular variety.
Indiana applied the pressure early and was able to break through on its second shot of the game 8:14 into the game. IU gained possession down low and sent a pass to Will Bruin in front of the net where he snapped a shot past the outstretched arm of Sperry to put IU up by a 1-0 tally.
The Wolverines got a pair of good chances in the middle of the stanza but were unable to convert. In the 20th minute, senior Steve Bonnell(St. Clair Shores, Mich./Detroit Country Day) fed a pass into senior Jake Stacy(Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central) in the middle of the box where he bicycle kicked the ball over his right shoulder just missing wide. Eight minutes later, senior Alex Morisset(Shelby Township, Mich./De La Salle) sent a pass from midfield into the attacking third ahead of junior/sophomore Cam Cameron(Ann Arbor, Mich./Saline) where he chased it down on the left side and sent a feed across the goal mouth just steps ahead of a charging Stacy on the far bar.
Michigan came out strong in the second half as it attempted to tie the match. Six minutes into the half, Cameron and Stacy tried to connect again on a low pass that Stacy sent just wide. Two minutes later, IU was stifled in its attempt to expand its lead when Sperry made a sprawled-out save on a shot from 10 yards out.
The Wolverines had a pair of mirror-image opportunities on corner kicks off the foot of Stacy and head of junior Julian Robles(Los Angeles, Calif./Damien). In the 68th minute and again 11 minutes later, Stacy struck the ball over the pack in the penalty area right to the head of Robles on the far side where he got a clean shot off, but the Hoosier goalkeeper was able to make the save on both occasions.
Michigan will now await the NCAA Tournament seeding on Monday (Nov. 17), which will be announced on ESPN News beginning at 6 p.m.
GAME SUMMARY
| By Periods | 1 | 2 | F |
| Michigan | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Indiana | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- IU, Will Bruin, 8:14 (Eric Alexander)
Shots: U-M 16, IU 11
Shots on Goal: U-M 6, IU 2
Saves: U-M 2 (Patrick Sperry), IU 6 (Chay Cain)
Corner Kicks: U-M 5, IU 5
Fouls: U-M 10, IU 15
Cards: IU, Kevin Alston, 41:27 (Yellow).
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Steve Burns
On the game... "Everybody's heart is broken right now because our run at the Big Ten championship is over. We want to wish Indiana good luck. I really thought, on the day, Michigan deserved a lot better than they got."
On the strategy... "This was really more like Big Ten football. It was three rushing attempts and then a punt trying to pin them back in the end zone. They did a good job of doing that against us early in the game and that is how the goal was scored. Those same tactics resulted in a lot of chances for us, but not the one for the equalizer."
U-M Junior/Sophomore Cam Cameron
On how the team will react to the loss... "One of our main goals was to win a Big Ten championship, so we are all a little disappointed. But we know that we are going to be in the NCAA Tournament, so we have a great opportunity to make up for it. I think this won't deter us in any way. It will just fire us up more."
U-M Junior Peri Marosevic
On the loss... "This is a tough loss for us. We really wanted to come out and beat Indiana and get a chance to play Michigan State in the finals. What can you do about it now, it is in our past. We are going to have to take a look at this game, the good things and the bad things, and put them into perspective as we head into the NCAA Tournament. That is our next focus and we will see on Monday who we are going to play and go from there."
Contact: Ryan Sosin, Jeremy Reid (734) 763-4423
