Week #5: Wolverines to Welcome No. 7 PSU on Sunday
9/25/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 25, 2014
THIS WEEK
Sunday, Sept. 28 -- vs. No. 7 Penn State (U-M Soccer Stadium), 1 p.m.
Tickets | TV: Big Ten Network |
Following a 0-0 draw against the Northwestern Wildcats on Sunday (Sept. 21), the University of Michigan men's soccer team (1-3-2, 0-0-2 Big Ten) will take on the undefeated Penn State Nittany Lions (7-0-1, 2-0-0 Big Ten) Sunday (Sept. 28) at U-M Soccer Stadium in a match that will be broadcast on Big Ten Network at 1 p.m.
Dean Linke (play-by-play) and Chris Doran (color) will be on the call for the match.
Please note that the match will commence at 1 p.m., as opposed to the previously scheduled 2 p.m.
WOLVERINE BITES
• Michigan is coming off a 0-1-1 week with a 1-0 loss to Bowling Green on Tuesday (Sept. 18) and a 0-0 draw on Sunday (Sept. 20) at Northwestern. Despite a 0-1-2 mark in its past three games, U-M has allowed only two goals in those matchups.
• In the first five games of the past three seasons, U-M is 4-8-3. Following the first five matches of the campaigns, U-M is 16-12-2. Additionally, U-M is 9-5-1 in the month of October in the last three seasons.
• The Wolverines opened up conference play with a 1-1 draw against the No. 12 Terps on Friday (Sept.16) in the first-ever Big Ten athletic events for the University of Maryland. After a scoreless first half, Michigan got on the board in the 75th minute on a score from James Murphy, but U-M surrendered a goal with only 22 left in regulation before settling for a 1-1 draw. The draw was the first result for a U-M squad since Oct. 19, 2012, when U-M beat Indiana 2-1.
• Senior Adam Grinwis and freshman Evan Louro have seen significant time in net this season, with both keepers starting three matches. Grinwis has allowed two goals and made seven stops for a 0.58 goals-against average, which ranks No. 26 in the country. Louro has 10 saves and four goals allowed for a 1.33 goals against. Each keeper also owns a shutout this season. Grinwis now has 237 saves in his career, which is No. 2 in program history behind Peter Dzubay (298) as well as 13 clean sheets, which are six off the career record of 19 held by Peter Dzubay and Patrick Sperry.
• Ahinga Selemani and Tyler Arnone lead the team in shots with 14, while McAtee leads the team in goals with two. Five players are tied for the team lead in assists with one.
• Following the season opener with three goals, U-M has totaled one goal in the past five matches (James Murphy vs. Maryland).
• Michigan has been outshot in three matches this season and owns a 1-1-1 record over that span.
• With his two goals against SMU on Aug. 31, Colin McAtee has already surpassed his season total from a year ago, when he had one score. The redshirt junior has now scored four goals in his career.
• Also against SMU, Marcos Ugarte had a goal and an assist. In his first season in Maize and Blue a year ago, he scored one goal and had two helpers.
• In the 3-0 defeat at Columbia, U-M had an 11-1 corner-kick advantage. The 11 corners were the most since the 2-1 over West Virginia on Sept. 21 last season when the Wolverines had 12.
• On Aug. 29, Louro was invited to the United States Men's National Team U-20 training camp and turned down the international opportunity to remain with the Wolverine program.
• Louro earned the start in goal against SMU, making three saves. He is the third true freshman goalkeeper to earn starting nods in U-M history, joining Peter Dzubay (2002) and Patrick Sperry (2006).
• Michigan came in at No. 3 in the Big Ten Coaches' Preseason Poll, the highest ranking U-M has received during the Chaka Daley era. Maryland, the No. 2 team in the NSCAA Preseason Poll, tops the rankings, followed by No. 10 Michigan State in the No. 2 spot. The Wolverines are ranked ahead of No. 15 Penn State, which is No. 4 in the poll, as well as No. 21 Wisconsin, which is No. 7 in the poll. Indiana, which is receiving votes in the NSCAA poll, comes in at No. 5, while Northwestern is No. 6. Rutgers and Ohio State round out the poll in the No. 8 and No. 9 spots, respectively.
• Tyler Arnone, 2013 Big Ten midfielder of the Year, returns to anchor the midfield. The co-captain became the fourth player in U-M history to earn back-to-back first team All-Big Ten accolades in program history.
The redshirt senior enters his final season with 29 points in his career (nine goals, 11 assists) and 112 shots. He also has two game-winning goals.
• Arnone was also announced as one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. From the list of 30 candidates, a national media committee will select ten finalists for the 2014 Senior CLASS Award in October. Those 10 names will then be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient of the award.
• Eight starters from the 2013 season return for the 2014 campaign in leading scorer James Murphy, Arnone, redshirt junior Colin McAtee and senior Marcos Ugarte, as well as sophomore defenders Lars Eckenrode, Rylee Woods and Andre Morris. Also, three-year starter Adam Grinwis returns in goal for the Wolverines.
• Several Wolverines earned preseason accolades, headlined by Arnone earning TopDrawerSoccer.com Best XI third team honors, First Team All-Preseason Big Ten by College Sports Madness and Big Ten Player to Watch status. Grinwis and Ugarte were also members of the Big Ten Player to Watch List. College Sports Madness named freshman Ahinga Selemani as the Big Ten Preseason Freshman of the Year, while Eckenrode and TJ VanSlooten were named to the first and second teams, respectively. Lastly, freshman goalkeeper Evan Louro was named to the Top Drawer Best XI All-Freshman squad.
• U-M is 15-8-4 all-time at home under the direction of Chaka Daley.
• U-M is 2-3-5 in overtime matches under Daley.
• U-M is 0-0-1 vs. ranked teams this season after battling to a 1-1 draw against No. 12 Maryland on Sept. 12.
• Prior to the 2014 season, a new playing surface was installed at U-M Soccer Stadium. The sod derived from Graff's Turf Farm in Fort Morgan, Colo., and was installed by Bush Turf Colo. The sod was transported across the country in a pair of refrigerated trucks in rolls that were 100 feet long. The grass was grown in 90-percent sand base, which is a short cut stadium variety and is maintained at 1 inch. The previous playing surface was recycled and composted. The project was completed in April, allowing three months for the pitch to settle. The installation took five days in total.
"We are confident we now have one of the best soccer facilities in the nation," said UMSS facility manager Paul Dunlop. "Our combination of a fantastic venue and a world class playing surface are is one of the top setups in the country."
• U-M inked six prep standouts in Jacob Duska (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep), Tristan Jacob (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer), Nate Kohl (Hillard, Ohio/Hillard Darby), Evan Louro(Holmdel, N.J./St. John Vianney), Ahinga Selemani (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) and Billy Stevens (New Hyde Park, N.Y./New Hyde Park). Additionally, U-M welcomed Georgia State transfer junior midfielder William Mellors-Blair (Nottingham, England/The Nottingham Bluecoat School/Georgia State) at the mid-semester break in January. The class is ranked as the No. 2 haul in the country, according to TopDrawerSoccer.com and College Soccer News. Two players, Selemani and Louro, were recently names to the United States U-20 Men's National Team, and are consensus top-25 recruits, along with Nate Kohl.
• Five of the six members of the recruiting class have seen action this season, with Stevens making starts in all-six matches this season on the U-M backline.
• Several Wolverines made switched their kit numbers from last season to this season. Ugarte will man the No. 10 shirt, switching from his previous No. 8 digit. Additionally, sophomore Yamaan Sahlool switched from No. 24 to No. 20.
• Following the 2013 season, former volunteer assistant Jhojan Obando was promoted to full-time assistant, a position he has held for the past two seasons since head coach Chaka Daley's hiring. Obando will assist with all program duties and continue to work with the team's goalkeepers.
Also joining the team as a program assistant is former Lafayette assistant coach Justin Makar. Makar spent the past four seasons with the Leopards as a program assistant, and will day-to-day operations, film, and other duties as assigned.
• Since head coach Chaka Daley's arrival in Ann Arbor prior to the 2012 season, U-M has sent three players on to the professional ranks in Luke Coulson (Cardiff City, English Premier League), as well as Kofi Opare (D.C. United) and the most recent player, Fabio Pereira (Sounders FC).
OPPONENT PREVIEW
Penn State -- The Nittany Lions enter the match in fantastic form, sporting a 7-0-1 overall record and are 2-0 in Big Ten Play. PSU has outscored opponents 17-3 on the season and is 6-0 in home matches and has only played two road matches (1-0-1). The offense is paced by Connor Maloney (six goals, two assists) and Mikey Mintullo (four goals, three helpers), as well as Brian James, who leads the team in assists with five.
Goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton, one of the top keepers in the Big Ten, has a pristine 0.30 goals-against average and has surrendered only two goals in nearly 600 minutes of action. He also has five clean sheets on the year.
Michigan is 6-10-2 all-time against the Nittany Lions and 3-1-1 in the last five matchups. The last meeting in Ann Arbor came in 2012 as the Wolverines drew even with PSU 1-1 on Oct. 6, 2012.
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! Fans can also follow in-match commentary by following the hashtag #UMLive
NEXT WEEK
Wednesday, Oct. 1 -- vs. Western Michigan (U-M Soccer Stadium), 7:30 p.m.
Contact: Scott Kemps
