Saad Completes Hat Trick With Golden Goal in Victory Over Kentucky

Wednesday, September 22

Ann Arbor, Mich.

7:00 PM

Michigan

4-1-3

Kentucky

2-4-1

OT 2

Kentucky

Michigan

Saad Completes Hat Trick With Golden Goal in Victory Over Kentucky

9/22/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer

Box Score PDF Boxscore

By: Jessica Poole

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (U-M Soccer Stadium)
Score: Michigan 3, Kentucky 2 (OT)
Records: U-M (4-1-3), Kentucky (2-4-1)
Attendance: 494
Next U-M Game: Saturday, Sept. 25 -- vs. Ohio State (U-M Soccer Stadium), 7 p.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Despite a Kentucky goal in the 90th minute to send the game into overtime, freshman forward Soony Saad (Dearborn, Mich./Dearborn) completed the hat trick with the game-winner in the 92nd minute to lead the University of Michigan men's soccer team to a 3-2 overtime win over Kentucky on Wednesday (Sept. 22) at U-M Soccer Stadium. The win runs Michigan's unbeaten streak to six games. During that span Michigan has picked up three wins and three ties.

Soony Saad

Saad, who has scored seven of Michigan's 12 goals this season, picked up his first career multi-goal game. Senior forward Justin Meram (Shelby Township, Mich./Eisenhower) recorded two assists, while redshirt junior midfielder Adam Shaw (Lone Tree, Colo./Highlands Ranch) also added an assist. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Chris Blais (Seattle, Wash,/Kennedy Memorial) made three saves for his 15th career win.

Saad opened the scoring just four minutes into the game when he connected with a Meram pass on the left side of the Kentucky box and put the ball just past Kentucky goalkeeper for the 1-0 first-half lead, Michigan's first first-half goal in the last seven games. Despite the Wolverines controlling the game, Kentucky tied the score at 1-1 just minutes into the second half on a goal that just bounced over the Michigan defense, but Saad gave U-M the lead back in the 75th minute on a free kick, his second goal on a free kick this season. The rookie forward sent the direct kick into the Kentucky wall and the ball bounced up and deflected right into the right corner for the Wolverines' second marker of the night.

A goal on a Kentucky corner kick with 45 seconds left in regulation sent the game into overtime, but Saad and Meram connected again for the game-winner just 1:41 into the first overtime to keep the Wolverines unbeaten for the sixth consecutive game.

The Wolverines return to U-M Soccer Stadium on Saturday (Sept. 25) when they open Big Ten action against rival Ohio State on Saturday at 7 p.m. Saturday's game is a part of Michigan's annual Alumni Weekend. The Wolverines will honor all Michigan men's soccer alumni at halftime and will unveil the all-decade team.

GAME SUMMARY

By Periods	1	2	OT	F
Kentucky	0	2	0	2
Michigan	1	1	1	3

Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- U-M, Soony Saad, 3:13 (Justin Meram, Adam Shaw)
2nd -- UK, Tyler Riggs, 45:36 (Sam Brooks)
2nd -- U-M, Saad, 74:55 (unassisted)
2nd -- UK, Ellis Vienne, 89:14 (Drew Midkiff)
OT -- U-M, Saad, 92:41 (Meram)

Shots: U-M 18, UK 16
Shots on Goal: U-M 8, UK 5
Saves: U-M 3 (Chris Blais), UK 5 (Tyler Beadle)
Corner Kicks: U-M 8, UK 7
Fouls: U-M 9, UK 17
Cards: UK, Jacob Kemper, 46:49 (Yellow); UK, David Harrison, 58:52 (Yellow); UK, Brad Doliner, 60:46 (Yellow); U-M, Brian Klemczak, 70:02 (Yellow); UK, Drew Midkiff, 74:53 (Yellow); UK, Sam Brooks, 80:21 (Yellow); UK, Byron Vega, 80:59 (Yellow).

NOTES

• Michigan moves to 5-1-0 against Kentucky. Prior to today's game, Michigan and Kentucky last met during the 2008 season in Lexington, Ky.

• Soony Saad becomes the seventh player in program history to record a hat trick. The last player to record a hat trick was senior Justin Meram against Bowling Green during the 2009 season. Michigan has had one player score a hat trick in each of the last three seasons.

• Michigan's first-half goal was its second first-half goal of the season. This season, U-M has scored eight second half-goals and two game-winners in overtime. Additionally, U-M is outshooting its opponents, 109-53, in the second half and 205-121 overall this season.

• Michigan's 18 shots are a season low. Prior to today's game Michigan had a streak of seven consecutive games with at least 20 shots.

• The Wolverines are now unbeaten in their last six games (3-0-3). U-M's longest unbeaten streak is nine games during the 2007 season.

• Justin Meram picked up his second two-assist game this season. He also had two assists against Illinois-Chicago on Sept. 10.

• Michigan was playing in its third consecutive overtime contest in tonight's game, which is the first time that has happed since the 2004 season when U-M played three consecutive overtime games on two occasions.

QUOTES

Michigan Head Coach Steve Burns
On the game ... "Our performance today was not out of the top shelf. We didn't out-hustle and outmuscle our opponent. We expected our skill to take over, but we didn't match the aggression of Kentucky until they made a game of it. It's a pretty simple equation really; aggression has to be matched before skill can take over. We are a very skilled team that must come to grips with this equation before we can break into the nation's elite."

On the upcoming start of the Big Ten season ... "We've played some good non-conference opponents and put our team in some difficult environments. Our young guys have learned a good deal as we get ready to face the Big Ten. We are one of the top two soccer conferences in the country. Every Big Ten team we face knows how to hit you in the mouth and beat you. Our non-conference schedule has prepared us. Raising our game to meet the standard that we'll see at home on Saturday night against Ohio State is now on us."