Wolverines to Welcome WMU Wednesday, Take on OSU Sunday
9/30/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 30, 2013
THIS WEEK
Wednesday, Oct. 2 -- vs. Western Michigan (U-M Soccer Stadium), 7 p.m.
| Live Video | $3 Tickets/Concession Items
Sunday, Oct. 6 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 2 p.m.
| Live Video
WOLVERINE BITES
• The loss against No. 7 Northwestern on Saturday (Sept. 28) marked the first time this season the Wolverines have outshot an opponent this season and lost. U-M previously outshot West Virginia (win); Bowling Green, USF (tie). The Wolverines have at least 15 shots in all of those matches, highlighted by a season high against Oakland.
• U-M has outshot opponents, 110-99, this season and has 52 corner kicks to 39 for opponents. Nine players have compiled at least one point on the season, led by TJ VanSlooten (six) and James Murphy (five).
• In the first two home matches this season, U-M saw a total of 3,186 fans in attendance, the most in a two-match span since 2011, when there were 4,434 fans total in matches against Butler (Sept. 2) and Northern Illinois (Sept. 4). Against Northwestern, U-M welcomed a season-high 1,998 fans to U-M Soccer Stadium for its Maize Star event.
• Against Oakland, goalkeeper Adam Grinwis stopped 10 shots in the 0-0 draw; marking the sixth time in program history a Michigan goalie has made double-digit stops. Grinwis also holds the mark for most saves in a match in U-M history with 12, a number that was recorded on Oct. 8, 2012, against Penn State.
• Michigan's four overtime matches already equal last season's total of four. U-M was 1-2-1 in such matches in 2012. Prior to the 0-0 draw against Oakland (Sept. 24), the Wolverines last played to a scoreless draw on Sept. 17, 2010, against Notre Dame.
• According to Bennett Rankings, Michigan's strength of schedule is ranked No. 15 in the country, highlighted by U-M taking on then-No. 2 and current No. 1 Notre Dame. Three other previous opponents are in the top 30 in the rankings are South Florida (30), Marquette (28), and Northwestern (17).
• Fabio Pereira is creeping up the Michigan career record books in assists, shots attempted and games played. Most notably is the program assist record, as he holds 18, which are 10 behind program leader Adam Bruh (28). Pereira is now No. 4 in career shots attempted with 166, 21 shots behind program leader Mauro Fuzetti (2006-09), who leads the records with 186. Additionally, the Wolverine senior has played in 68 matches, which ranks just outside the top-10 in the program record book.
OPPONENT PREVIEW
Western Michigan -- Michigan leads Western Michigan, 5-2, in the all-time series, having last met on Oct. 5, 2011, as the Broncos defeated U-M, 2-1, at U-M Soccer Stadium. U-M began the series on a four-match win streak in the all-time series and is 1-2 in the last three matches in the series.
Western enters the match with a 3-5-0 record on the season. The squad is coming off a 2-0 loss against Milwaukee and was defeated by Big Ten opponent Michigan State on Sept. 1 by a 4-0 count. Matheau Rogers leads the offense with four goals and two helpers for a team-best 10 points, while Jason Grant also has two assists to tie for the team lead. Wisconsin transfer Chase Rau is the choice goalkeeper, as he has stopped 23 shots and allowed 18 goals on the season for a save percentage of 57 and a 2.56 goals-against average. WMU has been outshot, 111-76, and outscored, 18-12, on the year.
Ohio State -- The Buckeyes lead the all-time series with a 6-9-1 record, with 13 of the 16 matches being determined by one goal or less. Prior to last season, the Buckeyes won three straight matches, but the streak was broken on Sept. 30, 2012, as U-M downed OSU, 3-2, in double overtime on a Jack Brown goal.
OSU sports a 2-5-2 overall record and recently fell 2-0 to Indiana on Sunday (Sept. 29) in the Big Ten opener for both sides. The Buckeyes own victories over IPFW (2-0 on Aug. 20) and SMU (1-0 on Sept. 8). Six players have scored one goal on the season, while Sage Gardner leads the team in shots with 10. Overall, the team has been outscored, 12-6, on the season and has been outshot by a 187-86 margin. Junior goalkeeper Alex Ivanov has been the main goalkeeper, allowing nine goals in eight matches for a 1.10 goals-against average, and he has stopped 55 shots on the year. He also possesses a trio of clean sheets.
Keep Up With the Wolverines -- Stay current with everything going on with your Wolverines by following Michigan men's soccer on twitter (@umichsoccer) and "liking" the Wolverines on Facebook!
NEXT WEEK
Friday, Oct. 11 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), 7 p.m.
OTHER RELATED LINKS
Blue Collar Blog (Thursday)
Contact: Scott Kemps (734) 763-4423
