Weekly Release #14: Wolverines To Face Hoosiers in Sweet Sixteen
11/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
TAKING TO THE PITCH
Saturday, Nov. 29, 7 p.m. -- at #12 Indiana in NCAA Championship Third Round (Bloomington, Ind.)
Live Stats Live Video iuhoosiers.com Complete Bracket
The No. 11-seeded University of Michigan men's soccer team (13-5-3) will take on No. 6 seed Indiana in the NCAA Championship Sweet Sixteen round on Saturday (Nov. 29) at 7 p.m. on Jerry Yeagley Field at Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington, Ind. The No. 14-ranked Wolverines earned a first-round bye before downing No. 18-ranked UC Davis, 2-1, on Tuesday (Nov. 25). The No. 12-ranked Hoosiers received a bye of their own and beat Saint Louis, 2-0, on Tuesday (Nov. 25).
The contest will mark the third meeting of the season between the two squads with each taking home a crucial victory. The Wolverines picked up their first win all-time against IU in the form of a 1-0 win in Bloomington during the regular season on Oct. 4. Indiana claimed a 1-0 victory in the semifinals of the Big Ten Championship in Madison, Wis. (Nov. 14). Michigan and Indiana also have a history together in the NCAA Championship, meeting in the second round of the 2004 tournament. The Wolverines fell in a 1-0 decision at then-No. 2 seed Indiana in the second round. U-M was tied with the Hoosiers until the final five minutes of the game but IU scored the game-winner at 86:10.
Tickets
Tickets will be available at Armstrong Stadium on game day at $7 for adults and $5 for seniors/students/under 18.
MICHIGAN BY THE NUMBERS
Complete Stats: Through 11/25/08 (PDF)
2008 Leaders
| Name | GP | G | A | P |
| Peri Marosevic | 19 | 13 | 3 | 29 |
| Mauro Fuzetti | 20 | 9 | 6 | 24 |
| Jake Stacy | 21 | 8 | 5 | 21 |
| Name | GP | W-L-T | GAA | SV% | SO |
| Patrick Sperry | 20 | 12-5-3 | 1.04 | .744 | 6 |
RANK AND FILE
The Wolverines finished with the No. 14 ranking according to the final regular-season NSCAA/adidas national rankings released Nov. 18. The NSCAA/adidas Great Lakes Region poll puts the Wolverines fourth in the region. Michigan's scoring offense, which averages 1.90 goals per game, was ranked 27th in the nation prior to NCAA second-round action. The Maize and Blue was tabbed No. 13 in the College Soccer News poll released Nov. 17.
WOLVERINE BITES
Wolverines in the NCAA Championship -- The Wolverines improved to 3-2-1 all-time in the national tournament with their 2-1 win over UC Davis in the second round on Tuesday (Nov. 25). Michigan will make its second Sweet Sixteen appearance, joining the 2003 squad that advanced to the Elite Eight. The Maize and Blue earned its third NCAA Championship bid and first since 2004. The No. 11 seed is the highest U-M has received in three NCAA appearances. The 2003 squad was tabbed with the No. 12 seed followed by the unseeded 2004 team.
It is a Team Game -- The Wolverines need one more victory this season to reach 14 wins and match the program record. The Wolverines trail only the 2003 team, who went 14-7-1. One record that 2003 team will not retain is the program standard for winning percentage. No matter what happens the rest of the season, this year's squad is guaranteed at least a share of the U-M winning-percentage record. The 2008 team has a .690 winning percentage coming into its third-round meeting with IU. Advancing, via win or tie, would guarantee the current team the records while a loss would match the .659 of the 2003 season.
You Cannot Stop Him, You Can Only Hope to Contain Him -- With a goal against UC Davis (Nov. 25), junior Peri Marosevic(Rockford, Ill./Edison Academy) moved into sole possession of second place on the U-M single-season goal-scoring list with his 13th goal of the campaign. Only Mychal Turpin dented the twine more in a season when he scored 14 times during the 2003 campaign while leading the Wolverines to the Elite Eight. Marosevic needs just one point to become the third player in program history to record 30 points in a season. He will join the likes of Mychal Turpin (33, 2003) and Knox Cameron (33, 2003) in the exclusive club.
Firing Blanks -- Senior/junior Patrick Sperry's (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central) next shutout will put him alone atop of the U-M career shutout list. Sperry recorded the 19th blank slate of his career at Wisconsin in the opening round of the Big Ten Championship (Nov. 8). Sperry and Peter Dzubay (19, 2002-05) share the program record. Sperry is 1-2-1 all-time against Indiana with one shutout.
Everyone is a Winner -- The 2008 Michigan squad boasts two of the most clutch scorers Ann Arbor has ever seen. Two of the four players that make up the top three on the single-season and all-time game-winning goal list are on the current roster. Peri Marosevic matched Knox Cameron's (5, 2003) program record for game-winning goals in a single season with his fifth such marker against UC Davis (Nov. 25). Junior Mauro Fuzetti(Houston, Texas/Stratford), Mychal Turpin (4, 2003) and Mike White (4, 2002) arein a tie for third on the single-season list with four. Marosevic's nine career winners trail only Knox Cameron (12, 2001-04) for the program record. Fuzetti (7) and Mychal Turpin (7, 2001-04) are close behind in a tie for third on the career list.
Still Trying To Help -- Mauro Fuzetti's two-assist performance against UC Davis (Nov. 25) propelled him into a tie for second in the Big Ten with six assists. Junior/sophomore Matt Schmitt(Muskegon, Mich./Reeths-Puffer) remains at the top of the conference with seven helpers this season. Schmitt is tied for fifth on the U-M single-season record list with Mike White (2002) and Ryan Sterba (2004).
Scoring Touch -- Marosevic leads active U-M players with 24 career markers and is third on the U-M career list. He needs four goals to catch Knox Cameron (28, 2001-04) and nine scores to best Mychal Turpin (33, 2001-04) to complete his ascension on the list. Fuzetti and Stacy both have 15 goals in their careers and sit fifth on the career list. Senior Michael Holody(Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) also ranks in the top 10 in career scoring, sitting tied for eighth with nine career goals.
They Are Seniors, But They Are Active Seniors -- Seniors Jake Stacy(Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central) and Steve Bonnell(St. Clair Shores, Mich./Detroit Country Day) made the 78th appearances of their careers, the fourth-highest total for any Wolverine, on Tuesday (Nov. 25). Meanwhile, senior Michael Holody made the 72nd start of his career, matching the third-most appearances in the starting lineup in program history. He is tied with Adam Bruh (2002-05) on the list. Senior Alex Morisset's (Shelby Township, Mich./De La Salle) 65 starts are eighth most by a Wolverine, followed by Stacy's 62 and Bonnell's 60 to round out the top 10.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Indiana -- The sixth-seeded Hoosiers (13-6-3), who are making their 22nd-straight NCAA appearance, advanced to the third round with a 2-0 victory over Saint Louis on Tuesday (Nov. 25). IU boasts four All-Big Ten players, including leading scorer Andy Adlard, and two All-Big Ten freshman team members led by conference Freshman of the Year Will Bruin. Senior netminder Chay Cain has had success against the Maize and Blue, mirroring U-M goalie Patrick Sperry with one goal allowed in two contests this season. Junior midfielder Eric Alexander set up Bruin on the Hoosiers' lone score against Michigan this season. The Wolverines defeated IU on their last trip to Bloomington, shutting out the Hoosiers by a 1-0 score on Oct. 4. The two teams have split the season series with a win each, but Indiana leads the all-time series with Michigan 10-1-1. The Maize and Blue is 1-5-1 when taking on IU in Bloomington. The state of Indiana was the scene of U-M's other Sweet Sixteen appearance when U-M ousted then No. 3-ranked Notre Dame on penalty kicks in 2003 in South Bend.
THE LEADER OF THE MAIZE AND BLUE
Head coach Steve Burns is in his ninth season at the helm of the Michigan men's soccer team. During his tenure, the Wolverines have gone 90-71-18. Under Burns' guidance, the Wolverines have made three NCAA Championship appearances (2003-04 and 2008). 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 overall.
THE WEEK THAT WAS
After enjoying a bye as the NCAA Championship's No. 11 seed, the Wolverines punched their ticket to the Sweet 16 with a 2-1 victory over UC Davis Tuesday (Nov. 25) at the U-M Soccer Complex. With temperatures hovering around freezing, the Wolverines took advantage of home field and improved to 3-0-0 all-time when hosting NCAA Championship games. Jake Stacy and Peri Marosevic scored for the Wolverines. Goalkeeper Patrick Sperry made one save to earn the victory in goal.
GETTING SOME NEW DIGS
On Oct. 12, the Wolverines played their first game at the new U-M Soccer Complex, downing Western Michigan by a 5-1 margin on the west practice field. The Maize and Blue inaugurated the competition field by hosting an NCAA second-round match with UC Davis on Nov. 25, beating the Aggies 2-1. The new home of Michigan soccer features a regulation, lighted competition field and separate practice fields for both the men's and women's programs. The fields are located west of the tennis complex on South State Street.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Fri-Sun., Dec. 5-7 -- NCAA Championship Quarterfinals (Campus Sites)
Fri-Sun., Dec 12-14 -- NCAA Championship College Cup (Frisco, Texas)
Contact: Ryan Sosin, Jeremy Reid (734) 763-4423
