Wolverines Stymied by Top-Ranked Akron

Tuesday, October 20

Ann Arbor, Mich.

4:00 PM

Michigan

9-4-1

Akron

14-0-0

Akron

Michigan

10/20/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

Oct. 20, 2009

• Boxscore | Photo Gallery

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (U-M Soccer Complex)
Score: #1 Akron 5, Michigan 1
Records: U-M (9-4-1), Akron (14-0-0)
Attendance: 671
Next U-M Game: Sunday, Oct. 25 -- at Michigan State (East Lansing, Mich.), 2:30 p.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's soccer team held top-ranked Akron scoreless through the first 30 minutes of action and became one of only three teams in the country to score a goal on the top-ranked Zips but could not find a way to stop the Akron offense and fell, 5-1, on Tuesday (Oct. 20) at the U-M Soccer Complex.

Junior forward Justin Meram (Shelby Township, Mich./Yavapai College) scored the lone goal for the Wolverines, while freshman midfielder Hamoody Saad (Dearborn, Mich./Dearborn) picked up his sixth assist of the season. Junior/sophomore goalkeeper Chris Blais (Seattle, Wash./Kennedy Memorial) made three saves in net for the Wolverines, who finish the non-conference slate with an 8-2-1 record.

Akron looked very much like the top-ranked team in the country from the outset and controlled the pace of the game for the first seven minutes of action, but soon after, the Wolverines settled in and began working the ball around. Meram had a chance to put U-M ahead with a beautiful shot from the right side of the box. He made an excellent play on a ball from freshman midfielder Latif Alashe (Northville, Mich./Northville) and got a foot on the feed at the right side of the goalmouth, forcing Akron's goalkeeper David Meves to make a save to keep the game tied at 0-0.

The Zips penetrated Michigan's defense and created some dangerous chances in the Michigan backfield and eventually capitalized with three quick goals later in the first half, giving Akron a 3-0 advantage heading into the halftime break.

U-M responded out of the break with a goal from Meram. Saad laid the ball at the 18-yard line and Meram struck it just past Meves, who leads the NCAA in goals-against average, to cut the lead to 3-1.

Senior midfielder Mauro Fuzetti (Houston, Texas/Stratford), who was contained for most of the night by the Akron defense, broke though for a scoring opportunity on the right side in the 58th minute, but Meves made the save. The Wolverines forced Akron to chase with the long ball, but the Zips added two more goals in the second half for their 14th consecutive victory.

The Wolverines jump back into conference action on Sunday (Oct. 25) when they head to Spartan country to battle Michigan State for the Big Bear Trophy. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. at the DeMartin Soccer Complex in East Lansing, Mich.

GAME SUMMARY

By Periods	1	2	F
Michigan	0	1	1
Akron	3	2	5

Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- Akron, Teal Bunbury, 30:20 (Darlington Nagbe, Kofi Sarkodie)
1st -- Akron, Nagbe, 34:25 (unassisted)
1st -- Akron, Nagbe, 35:06 (Ben Speas)
2nd -- U-M, Justin Meram, 47:17 (Hamoody Saad)
2nd -- Akron, Michael Nachoff, 51:05 (Chris Korb, Ben Zamanski)
2nd -- Akron, Nagbe, 62:03 (Yoram Mwila)

Shots: U-M 8, Akron 22
Shots on Goal: U-M 4, Akron 8
Saves: U-M 5 (Chris Blais), Akron 3 (David Meves)
Corner Kicks: U-M 2, Akron 4
Fouls: U-M 16, Akron 15
Cards: U-M, Chase Tennant, 24:31 (Yellow); U-M, Adam Shaw, 32:25 (Yellow)

N O T E S

• After today's game with Akron, the series stands at 5-3-0 with Akron holding the slight advantage. Akron's win marks the first time in the series that the Zips have won in Ann Arbor. Prior to today's game, Michigan was 4-0 against Akron at home.

• Playing its fourth team from Ohio this season, U-M moves to 18-15-2 all-time against teams from the Buckeye state. U-M defeated Wright State, Cincinnati and Bowling Green earlier this season before falling to Akron.

• With the victory, the Wolverines conclude the non-conference schedule with an 8-2-1 record. Prior to today's loss, the Wolverines were on a nine-game unbeaten streak in non-conference action.

• The men's soccer team is one win from the program's 100th all-time. U-M's overall record is 99-76-19 in its 10th season as a varsity program. Head coach Steve Burns will also pick up his 100th career victory at the helm of the program. Burns has the distinction of being the only head coach in U-M's history.

• This is only the second game in the series with the Zips that has been decided by more than one goal. Prior to today's game, six of the last seven games were decided by one score. The lone exception to that was during the 2004 season when Michigan defeated Akron, 4-0.

• Today's loss is the first loss in non-conference action at the U-M Soccer Complex for the Wolverines this season.

Q U O T E S

Michigan Head Coach Steve Burns
On the game ... "Akron is every bit as good today as their top billing suggests. We needed nine of our players to be at their best in the game, and unfortunately, we were nowhere near that. The game has been played for over 150 years and it does not change. The team that passes the ball better and moves off the ball better usually wins. Akron showed that today."

On how the team will respond ... "There's nothing that cleanses the soul like getting the snot kicked out of you. Our team has done a good job responding all season long and we know we have many goals still within our reach."

Contact: Jessica Poole (734) 763-4423