Michigan
3-1-2
Notre Dame
2-1-2
Biggest Crowd Ever Watches U-M Tie Irish on Stadium Dedication Day
9/18/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (U-M Soccer Stadium)
Event: U-M Soccer Stadium Dedication, Big Ten/Big East Challenge
Score: Michigan 0, Notre Dame 0 (2OT)
Records: Michigan (3-1-2), Notre Dame (2-1-2)
Attendance: 3,503
Next U-M Game: Sunday, Sept. 19 -- at Marquette (Milwaukee, Wis.), 1 p.m. CDT
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's soccer team battled to a scoreless draw against Notre Dame on Friday (Sept. 17) in front of a record crowd of 3,503 fans at the U-M Soccer Stadium, which was dedicated prior to the match.
Chris Blais
Senior forward Justin Meram (Shelby Township, Mich./Eisenhower) led the Wolverines with five shots, including three that made it on target. Freshman midfielder Fabio Pereira (Sao Paulo, Brazil/South Kent [Conn.]) also added five shots off the bench, while Michigan goalkeeper Chris Blais (Seattle, Wash./Kennedy Memorial) tied his career high with seven saves, including a point-blank save on a shot from 15 yards out in the first half and a punch over the crossbar in the second half.
Redshirt midfielder Adam Shaw (Lone Tree, Colo./Highlands Ranch) looked as though he was going to put the Wolverines on the board early. Meram collected the ball in the midfield and dribbled right through the Notre Dame defense and popped the ball back out to Shaw, who ripped a shot from 20 yards out that Notre Dame goalkeeper Will Wash jumped up to push over the crossbar.
U-M also had another shot to take a lead in the final minutes of the first half. The ball found its way to the middle of the Notre Dame box and U-M's front line of Meram and freshman forward Soony Saad (Dearborn, Mich./Dearborn). Each had a chance for a shot, but neither could connect before the end of the half.
After a scoreless second frame, the teams traded momentum in extra time, with Notre Dame holding a 2-1 shot advantage in the first overtime and the Wolverines outshooting Notre Dame, 3-2, in the second overtime.
Michigan heads to Milwaukee, Wis., to take on Marquette on Sunday (Sept. 19). Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. CDT at Valley Fields.
GAME SUMMARY
| By Periods | 1 | 2 | F |
| Notre Dame | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michigan | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Scoring, Time (Assist)
None.
Shots: U-M 23, ND 21
Shots on Goal: U-M 7, ND 7
Saves: U-M 7 (Chris Blais), ND 7 (Will Walsh)
Corner Kicks: U-M 4, ND 9
Fouls: U-M 12, ND 14
Cards: ND, Chris Sutton, 67:28 (Yellow); ND, Jeb Brovsky, 108:34 (Yellow).
NOTES
• A record crowd of 3,503 fans packed the U-M Soccer Stadium to see the Wolverines take on Notre Dame. The previous record was 3,009 set against Michigan State during the 2006 season.
• Michigan extends its streak to six consecutive games with 20 or more shots. In fact, U-M has not had less than 23 shots this season, a feat that U-M only accomplished five times all last season.
• With his start in tonight's game, Chase Tennant moves to No. 9 all-time at Michigan in games played (69).
• Michigan played its second double-overtime and its third overtime game this season. Last season, Michigan played in three double-overtime games; the record for double overtimes is 10 set in 2004.
• Chris Blais tied his career high for saves with seven.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Steve Burns
On tonight's dedication game ... "Anytime you have a game, there is this level of excitement that continues to build in the coaches, coaching staff and certainly the players; it got to a point where you saw all the people coming and two teams that were playing to win the game and playing very well and it was special for me because all of my adult life has been spent building this program and trying to take it to the highest level possible. I think it's the recognition that we're making great steps forward. At times its difficult to keep it in perspective. I said to one of my administrators that I probably won't gain perspective until after the season when I can just come out here and sit in the stadium and let things float through my mind."
On the defensive performance ... "The guys were challenged today. I thought that our team shape leading up to this was good, but we weren't good defending on the ball leading up to this point, so the players were really challenged and responded to that. It's easy to respond when you know you have a good team that you know that if you're not doing the appropriate job defensively you may get exposed. More than anything, the guys really responded to it and its great to see that at this point in the season, six games in and we continue to take good steps forward. Even though we didn't get the win, we played for the win and I thought it was a really entertaining game. I thought today we took two steps forward and that's good because now I get to hold the bar at that level and make sure the team clears it and it starts with how we defend as a team."
