Weekly Release #11: Wolverines Face PSU to Close Regular Season
11/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
TAKING TO THE PITCH
Saturday, Nov. 8, 2 p.m. -- vs. Penn State (U-M Soccer Complex - West Practice Field)
Live Stats gopsusports.com
The No. 12-ranked University of Michigan men's soccer team (11-4-2, 3-1-1 Big Ten) closes out the 2008 regular season on Saturday (Nov. 8) with Penn State at 2 p.m. on the U-M Soccer Complex'swest practice field. The Wolverines will celebrate the senior class of Steve Bonnell(St. Clair Shores, Mich./Detroit Country Day), Michael Holody(Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston), Nader Jarun(Peachtree City, Ga./McIntosh), Alex Morisset(Shelby Township, Mich./De La Salle), Santos Perez(Troy, Mich./Athens) and Jake Stacy(Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central) as well as fifth-year senior Michael Parke(Portage, Mich./Portage Central). Michigan is seeking a school-best eighth home win of the season and is looking to carry a three-game winning streak into the Big Ten Tournament for the first time in program history.
PROMOTIONS
Senior Night -- Come honor the 2008 seniors who will be playing their last regular season home game in the Maize and Blue.
Cider and Doughnuts -- Celebrate the fall season with cider and doughnuts while you cheer on the Wolverines.
MICHIGAN BY THE NUMBERS
Complete Stats: Through 11/1/08
2008 Leaders
| Name | GP | G | A | P |
| Peri Marosevic | 15 | 10 | 3 | 23 |
| Mauro Fuzetti | 16 | 9 | 4 | 22 |
| Jake Stacy | 17 | 7 | 5 | 19 |
| Name | GP | W-L-T | GAA | SV% | SO |
| Patrick Sperry | 16 | 10-4-2 | 1.19 | .725 | 4 |
WOLVERINE TO WATCH
| Senior Midfielder Jake Stacy Senior Jake Stacy(Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central) has played well against PSU in each of his three appearances against the Nittany Lions. Three of his nine career points in conference games have come against Penn State. Stacy scored a goal in the 2005 contest and added an assist last season. |
RANK AND FILE
The Wolverines advanced six spots in NSCAA/adidas National Rankings, ending the week No. 12 in the latest NSCAA/adidas ranking, released Tuesday (Nov. 4). The NSCAA/adidas Great Lakes Region poll remained unchanged as far as the second-place Wolverines were concerned. In the latest NCAA RPI ranking released on Monday (Oct. 27), the Maize and Blue is sixth. Michigan's scoring offense, which averages 2.12 goals per game, is ranked 12th in the nation. The Maize and Blue also sit at No. 8, up five spots from last week, in the College Soccer News poll this week (Nov. 2).
NSCAA/adidas ranking (Nov. 4)
Rank School Points Prev. W-L-T 1. Wake Forest (23) 575 1 16-0-1 2. Creighton 537 3 11-1-2 3. St. John's 526 4 13-1-3 4. Akron 508 2 14-1-3 5. Maryland 494 5 14-3-0 6. Loyola (Md.) 457 7 16-0-1 7. Tulsa 403 9 12-3-2 8. Northwestern 389 6 12-2-2 9. Illinois-Chicago 369 13 12-2-4 10. Saint Louis 340 16 9-2-5 11. UC Irvine 304 20 10-1-6 12. Michigan 302 18 11-4-2 13. Notre Dame 280 19 11-5-2 14. California 243 7 7-3-5 15. UC Davis 239 10 12-3-3 16. South Florida 237 11 11-4-2 17. Connecticut 224 15 9-3-6 18. Michigan State 209 25 11-5-1 19. UC Santa Barbara 142 14 10-5-2 20. North Carolina 131 12 11-5-1 21. Pennsylvania 116 23 10-2-3 22. UCLA 82 RV 8-4-6 23. Indiana 71 17 9-5-3 24. Butler 48 RV 13-2-4 25. Duke 41 RV 10-5-2
WOLVERINE BITES
Tournament Time -- Seeding for the upcoming Big Ten Tournament, which will take place Nov. 13-16 in Madison, Wis., still has much to be determined as only the top and bottom slots have been filled. Michigan State claimed the No. 1-seed and a first-round bye, while host Wisconsin sits in seventh place and has completed its conference slate. The Wolverines can wrap up the second seed and a date with the Badgers with a tie or a victory against Penn State on Saturday (Nov. 8). A U-M tie and Northwestern win would level the two programs at 11 points, but Michigan would retain the No. 2-seed after winning the head-to-head contest, 3-1, on Oct. 25. This weekend's opponent, Penn State, is locked in a three-way tie with Indiana and Ohio State for fourth place. Ohio State is done with Big Ten play, while the Hoosiers host Northwestern Saturday evening.
Lucky Sevens -- This year's Wolverines are the third U-M team to score seven home victories and will be going for a program-record eighth home win as they close out the 2008 regular season. Michigan is 7-2-0 in friendly confines -- Hornet Stadium, Scicluna Field and the U-M Soccer Complex -- this season, matching the 2005 and 2007 teams in victories. The 2005 squad was 7-1-0 and the 2007 team was 7-1-2 on the U-M Soccer Field.
Firing Blanks -- Senior/junior Patrick Sperry(Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central) pulled closer to the U-M shutout record with the 17th blank slate of his career on Saturday (Nov. 1) against Ohio State. Sperry needs to post two moreperfect gamesto match the 19 career shutouts posted by Peter Dzubay (2002-05).
A Season to Remember -- Junior Peri Marosevic(Rockford, Ill./Edison Academy) reclaimed the team lead in scoring with his 10th goal of the season against Ohio State (Nov. 1). Marosevic is third in the Big Ten in goals and second in points (23) and is followed closely by junior Mauro Fuzetti(Houston, Texas/Stratford), who sits tied for fourth with nine markers. Marosevic's 10 goals moved him into a three-way tie for third for the U-M single-season goal scoring mark, matching Knox Cameron (2002) and Mychal Turpin (2002). Fuzetti is sitting sixth all-time along with Mike White, who registered nine markers on two separate occasions (2002 & 2003). Mychal Turpin (2001-04) holds the single-season school record with 14 goals in 2003.
Scoring Touch -- Marosevic leads active U-M players with 21 career markers and is fourth on the U-M career list. He needs one goal to catch Mike White (22, 2000-03) to enter the hallowed top three. Fuzetti's 15 goals rank fifth on the career list and senior Jake Stacy(Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central) is sixth on the all-time list with 14 goals. Senior Michael Holody(Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) also ranks in the top 10 in career scoring, sitting tied for eighth with nine career goals.
That's The Point -- Stacy and Marosevic lead all active U-M players with 49 career points apiece, and share fourth place on Michigan's career scoring list. Marosevic needs one more point to move into a tie for fifth place on the single-season list with Mike White (24, 2003). Fuzetti has recorded 40 career points, ranking him seventh all-time, and senior Steve Bonnell(St. Clair Shores, Mich./Detroit Country Day) is in ninth place with 27 points.
ACTIVE STREAKS
Peri Marosevic-- Points -- 2 Games (1g, 1a)
Cam Cameron--Points -- 2 Games (1g, 1a)
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Penn State -- The Nittany Lions (5-9-3, 2-3-0 Big Ten) come headlong into the season's last weekend, coming off of an upset win over then-No. 17 Indiana, 1-0, on Saturday (Nov. 1) and a 1-1 tie with then then-No. 2 Akron on Wednesday (Oct. 26). Sophomore forward Treavor Gelsinger's six goals account for 32 percent of the PSU offense. Freshman goalkeeper Warren Grosstook over goaltending duties last week, combining to make nine saves and allowing just one goal against two ranked teams in the third and fourth starts of his career. As a result, Gross was honored with a Big Ten weekly accolade on Monday(Nov. 3). Michigan trails the all-time series with the Nittany Lions by a 2-7-1 record. Of those seven losses for U-M, only one was by more than a goal (0-4, Sept. 9, 2001). The Penn State took last season's meeting, 2-1, in State College, Pa., but has not won in Ann Arbor since 2002.
THE WEEK THAT WAS
Michigan, then-ranked No. 18,continued its winning ways thanks to a goal from Peri Marosevic(Rockford, Ill/Edison Academy) in the 82nd minute that delivered a 1-0 victory over Ohio State on Saturday (Nov. 1). Junior/sophomore Cam Cameron(Ann Arbor, Mich./Saline) earned the assist on the winning marker and senior/junior Patrick Sperry(Hinsdale, Ill/Hinsdale Central) made six stops, earning his fourth shutout of the season.
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. 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
Thu-Sun., Nov. 13-16 -- Big Ten Tournament (Madison, Wis.)
Fri-Sat., Nov. 21-22 -- NCAA Championship First Round (Campus Sites)
Contact: Ryan Sosin (734) 763-4423
