U-M to Host Rutgers Saturday in #FutbolB4Football
10/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 8, 2015
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THIS WEEK
Saturday, Oct. 10 -- vs. Rutgers (U-M Soccer Stadium), 11:30 a.m.
Tickets |
PROMOTIONS
• Football Ticket Redemption -- Receive free admission by showing your Michigan vs. Northwestern football ticket at the U-M Soccer Stadium Ticket Office. Re-entry to the stadium will not be permitted in the first half of action. [ more ]
PARKING ADVISORY
Brown and commuter lot parking will follow football game-day protocol ($20) and will be limited in capacity.
THINGS TO KNOW
Riding a five-match unbeaten streak (3-0-2) and sitting atop the Big Ten table at the midpoint of the campaign with eight points, the University of Michigan men's soccer team (5-2-3, 2-0-2 Big Ten) closes out the week with #FutbolB4Football, with a Big Ten matchup against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday (Oct. 10) at 11:30 a.m. from U-M Soccer Stadium. The match precedes the U-M vs. Northwestern football game that begins at 3:30 p.m.
WOLVERINE BITES
• Michigan is receiving votes in the NSCAA Poll (24) and comes into the week ranked No. 25 in the College Soccer News Top 30 poll.
• Following a 1-1 draw at No. 7 Notre Dame on Wednesday (Oct. 7), U-M improved to 1-0-3 in overtime matches this season, and remained unbeaten against top-10 opponents in overtime after drawing with No. 4 Maryland (0-0) on Sept. 11.
• The 5-2-3 mark at the midway point of the season is the best mark at the halfway point in the Chaka Daley era, and it is the best ledger since the 2009 since when U-M began the season with a 7-2 record.
• Michigan finds itself as the No. 2 offense in the Big Ten, ranking second in the conference in points per game (5.67) and in goals with two per game. Freshman Francis Atuahene paces the conference and ranks 14th in the country in goals with nine and also tops the B1G and is No. 11 nationally in total points with 19 (nine goals, three assists). Junior Rylee Woods is No. 4 in the Big Ten in helpers with four, while senior William Mellors-Blair ranks No. 7 in the Big Ten with nine points (three goals, three assists).
• Francis Atuahene has scored a goal in each of his last five matches, dating back to the Northwestern match on Sept. 20. Over that span, he has also dished out three assists and has 28 shots, with 17 coming on goal. Atuahene also paces a freshman class that has contributed 10 of U-M's 19 goals on the season.
• The Wolverines have outshot opponents by a 166-111 and have nearly doubled up opponents in the goal category, owning a 19-10 advantage. U-M also owns the top goal margin during Big Ten play (+5). Over the last five matches, U-M has outscored opponents, 13-5.
• Senior Colin McAtee, the team's leading scorer from a season ago, notched a brace in the 3-3 draw vs. Wisconsin on Saturday (Oct. 3). The multi-goal performance is the third of his career. He followed up the effort on Wednesday in a 1-1 draw at No. 7 Notre Dame with a helper on Francis Atuahene's goal in the 23rd minute.
• In the draw in South Bend, goalkeeper Evan Louro made a career-high eight saves, with five in the second half and overtime combined. He has surpassed the five-save plateau on four occasions this season.
OPPONENT PREVIEW
Rutgers -- Rutgers, which most recently knocked off Yale 5-2 in non-conference action, carries a 5-4-1 mark and is 1-3 in B1G play this season. The Big Ten win, a signature win thus far, came on Sept. 20 in Bloomington, Indiana, as RU defeated the Hoosiers, 4-1. The Scarlet Knights, outscoring opponents, 13-4, over the last three matches, are led offensively by dynamic attacker Jason Wright, who boasts eight goals and two assists for 18 points, as well as playmaker JP Correa, who has four goals and five assists. RU has been dominant in the first half this season, outscoring teams, 13-5, in the opening stanza. Overall, the Knights are outshooting opponents 162-106.
Defensively, goalkeeper David Greczek is the man in goal, stopping 72 percent of shots faced and boasts a 1.34 goals-against average to go along with a pair of clean sheets. U-M owns a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series and is 1-0 against the Scarlet Knights in Big Ten play, defeating RU, 3-0, last season in Piscataway, New Jersey.
Keep Up With the Wolverines -- Stay current with everything going on with the Wolverines by following Michigan men's soccer on Twitter & Periscope (@umichsoccer), on Snapchat (@umichathletics) and "liking" the Wolverines on Facebook! Fans can also follow in-match commentary by following the hashtag #UMLive.
NEXT WEEK
Tuesday, Oct. 13 -- vs. Duquense (U-M Soccer Stadium.), 7:30 p.m. [ BTN Plus ]
Communications Contact: Scott Kemps
