Michigan
1-0-0
Detroit
0-1-0
Saad Brothers Lead Wolverines to OT Victory Over Detroit
9/1/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (U-M Soccer Stadium)
Score: Michigan 2, Detroit 1 (OT)
Records: U-M (1-0-0), Detroit (0-1-0)
Attendance: 1,442
Next U-M Game: Friday, Sept. 3 -- vs. Drake (U-M Soccer Stadium), 7:30 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Sophomore midfielder Hamoody Saad (Dearborn, Mich./Dearborn) scored the game-winning goal in the 99th minute of action to give the University of Michigan men's soccer team a 2-1 overtime victory over Detroit in the Wolverines' season opener on Wednesday (Sept. 1) at U-M Soccer Stadium.
Hamoody Saad
The Wolverines ended the game with a minute and a half remaining in the first overtime when Saad connected with a ball out of the midfield from sophomore midfielder Latif Alashe (Northville, Mich./Northville), placing the ball just inside the lower-left corner of Detroit's goal.
U-M's offense was paced by freshman forward Soony Saad's (Dearborn, Mich./Dearborn) 10 shots, while brother Hamoody added eight, four on target, for the Maize and Blue. Senior/junior goalkeeper Chris Blais (Seattle, Wash./Kennedy Memorial) made three saves in net for the Wolverines and picked up his 12th career win.
Soony and Hamoody Saad combined for 10 of U-M's 13 shots in the first half, and Soony broke through in the 29th minute of action with a goal off a free kick. The Wolverines were awarded a free kick from 30 yards out and the freshman nailed a shot into the upper lefthand corner, quite similar to the way that his brother Soony scored his first collegiate goal a season ago.
Michigan continued to control most of the possession, keeping the ball on the Detroit side of the field. The Titans had an opportunity late in the half when Kevin Gill hit a low shot with a bit of pace on it, forcing Blais to extend down low to preserve the 1-0 lead.
Detroit, which was playing a man down after Otieno Victor received his second yellow card of the game at the 40:30 mark, scored the equalizer in the 53rd minute of action. Detroit's Adam Bedell served a long throw-in into the box and caught the head of Pat Lepera for the shorthanded header to knot the game at 1-1. The Titans used the goal as a bit of momentum and started pressuring the Michigan defense.
Sophomore defenseman Brian Klemczak (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson) made several nice defensive stops to preserve the tie. With both teams pressuring, the Wolverines got an impressive scoring chance in the 67th minute on a nice through-ball to Soony Saad from Alashe. Saad had a clear path to the net, but his shot hit the post and bounced wide.
Michigan returns to the pitch on Friday (Sept. 3) when it hosts No. 14-ranked Drake at the new U-M Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
GAME SUMMARY
| By Periods | 1 | 2 | OT | F |
| Detroit | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Michigan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- U-M, Soony Saad (unassisted), 28:07
2nd -- DET, Pat Lepara (Adam Bedell), 52:03
OT -- U-M, Hamoody Saad (Latif Alashe), 98:29
Shots: U-M 27, DET 10
Shots on Goal: U-M 4, DET 4
Saves: U-M 3 (Chris Blais 3), DET 6 (Martin Robertson 6)
Corner Kicks: U-M 10, DET 1
Fouls: U-M 15, DET 18
Cards: DET, Otieno Victor, 26:40 (Yellow); DET, Otieno Victor, 40:30 (Yellow); DET, Otieno Victor, 40:30 (Red); DET, Mike Chiandussi, 52:22 (Yellow)
NOTES
• Michigan owns a 7-0-2 record against Detroit. U-M and Detroit met last season, a 3-1 U-M victory at the U-M Soccer Complex.
• This was Michigan's first season-opening overtime game. Michigan moves to 14-10-18 in overtime contests.
• The Wolverines move to 9-2 all-time in home openers and won their fourth consecutive home opener. The last time Michigan lost a home opener was in 2006. Michigan also moves to 55-24-7 in home games.
• Michigan's 27 shots rank second on U-M's single-game list. The record is 34 set in 2006 against Detroit.
• U-M played its first-ever men's soccer game on Sept. 1, 2000, at Elbel Field, exactly 10 years to the date of tonight's contest, in which the Wolverines opened a brand new soccer-specific facility.
• Soony Saad's 10 shots rank him second on Michigan's single-game list. U-M student assistant Mauro Fuzetti (2006-09) owns the record with 11 shots against Wright State during the 2009 season.
• Soony and Hamoody Saad become the first set of brothers to score in the same game in program history and are only the second set of brothers to ever play for the Michigan men's soccer program.
• Soony Saad, Fabio Pereira, Noble Sullivan and Ezekiel Harris made their collegiate debuts in tonight's game.
Team Stats
Saad, Soony (1)
from free kick to left corner
28:07
LEPERA, Pat (1)
Assisted By: BEDELL, Adam
long throw from right flicked onto near
52:03
Saad, Hamoody (1)
Assisted By: Alashe, Latif
drilled from left lower corner from 25 y
98:29
