Michigan
Wisconsin
Top-Seeded Wolverines to Take on Fifth Seed Wisconsin in Big Ten Semis
11/7/2017 3:34:00 PM | Men's Soccer
» In the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament, top-seeded U-M takes on fifth seed Wisconsin, a team the Wolverines defeated, 2-1, earlier this season in Ann Arbor. A victory would result in the Wolverines taking on the winner of the No. 2 seed Indiana vs. No. 6 seed Ohio State matchup in the Big Ten Tournament final on Sunday (Nov. 12) at noon at Grant Park in Westfield, Ind.
» The Wolverines boast a 7-1-0 mark over their last eight matches and have outscored opponents 17-8 over that span. U-M's 12 wins are the most in the Chaka Daley era, the most since 2010, and the fourth-most in school history.
» U-M enters the week ranked No. 10 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, No. 17 in the College Soccer News Top-30, and No. 16 according to TopDrawerSoccer.com. U-M also checks in at No. 12 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings.
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THIS WEEK
Friday, Nov. 11 -- Big Ten Semifinals -- vs. No. 5 Wisconsin (Grand Park -- Westfield, Ind.), noon, BTN
Live Stats | Live Video
The top-seeded No. 10-ranked University of Michigan men's soccer team (12-4-2) travels to Westfield, Indiana, for the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament to take on fifth seed Wisconsin on Friday (Nov. 11) at noon at Grand Park.
WOLVERINE BITES
• The Wolverines (12-4-2) look to capture the Big Ten double by first getting through the semifinal matchup versus the Badgers, who upset fourth seed Maryland, 2-1, in College Park on Sunday (Nov. 5). U-M last advanced to the Big Ten semifinals in 2012 before falling to Michigan State in the tournament final by a 2-1 count. A victory would pit the Wolverines against the winner of No. 2 seed Indiana and No. 6 seed Ohio State on Sunday (Nov. 12) at noon in the Big Ten Tournament final.
• After completing Big Ten regular-season play at 6-1-1, U-M surpassed the previous program standard for Big Ten wins in a season (five). At 9-2-1, U-M has already tied the program record for home wins in a season, while the 12 total wins are the most in the Chaka Daley era, the most since 2010, and the fourth-most in school history.
• U-M enters the week ranked No. 10 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, No. 17 in the College Soccer News Top-30 and No. 16 according to TopDrawerSoccer.com. U-M also checks in at No. 12 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings and No. 2 in the Midwest Regional rankings.
• In the year-end Big Ten awards, U-M cleaned up with Daley taking home the program's first Big Ten Coach of the Year honor. Sophomore Jack Hallahan was named first team all-league, while juniors Francis Atuahene, Robbie Mertz and Marcello Borges earned second-team nods. A trio of Wolverines earned spots on the all-freshman team in Mohammed Zakyi, Marc Ybarra and Umar Farouk Osman, while senior Tristan Jacob was named the team's Big Ten Sportsmanship honoree.
• Hallahan leads the team in points (21), goals (seven) and assists (seven) after his two-goal performance in the victory over Northwestern (Nov. 5). The First Team All-Big Ten honoree's seven assists have him tied for fifth in the U-M single-season record books, and he has marked a goal and assist in five matches. His point total ranks No. 2 in the conference, while the goal and assist marks rank third.
• Michigan is No. 3 in the Big Ten in scoring offense (1.67 goals/match), shots per match (14.56), and No. 2 in the league -- No. 25 nationally -- in corner kicks (6.00/match). Defensively, U-M is third in the league and 37th nationally in scoring defense (0.89 goals/match). Additionally, U-M is 9-1-1 when outshooting teams, 7-2-2 in one-goal matches and 10-0-0 when scoring first in a match on the campaign.
• The Wolverines have utilized 12 different starting lineup combinations due to various circumstances, with only Mertz starting all 18 matches. Key contributors in Zakyi, sophomore Abdou Samake and juniors Daniel Mukuna, Atuahene and Ivo Cerda have all missed significant time due to injuries.
• Atuahene enters championship weekend in his best form of the season, scoring once in each of the last three matches, including the match-winning goals against Detroit (Oct. 25) and Maryland (Oct. 29). Overall, he has six goals in 890 minutes of action, which is the top goals-per-match mark in the conference (0.67). Atuahene ranks third in the U-M career record books for goals in a career with 24, and fourth in shots on goal (78).
• Michigan has outscored teams 30-17, including an 11-5 margin in the first half. The program record for fewest goals allowed in a season (20) was set in 2015, which was a season that consisted of 18 matches. The school record for fewest goals allowed in the first half of action is seven, which was set in the 2011 season.
• The Maize and Blue has played the No. 10 schedule in the country according to the NCAA strength of schedule rankings, highlighted by a 1-1 draw at then-No. 1 Indiana on Sept. 13, and a 2-1 double-overtime win at No. 9 Maryland on Oct. 29. As a whole, past opposition has combined for a 141-94-26 record (.590), which is the second-strongest mark amongst the Big Ten teams behind Michigan State.
OPPONENT PREVIEW
This Season vs. Wisconsin
The Wolverines defeated the Badgers, 2-1, in their Big Ten opener on Sept. 8 at U-M Soccer Stadium. A raucous crowd of 2,134 fans packed UMSS for the matchup, an attendance number that was the second-highest mark during the regular season. U-M's goals came in the sixth minute of play from Cerda, while Ybarra had his first score of the season in the 38th minute. Wisconsin added its lone goal with four minutes to play.
All-Time Series
Michigan owns a 14-5-5 lead in the all-time series, including a 4-1-1 lead in Big Ten Tournament play. Three of the last four meetings have gone to overtime, with the Badgers taking the 2016 edition by a 2-1 score in Madison, Wisconsin. The 2015 matchup resulted in a 3-3 draw in Ann Arbor. U-M took the 2014 matchup by a 2-1 count on the road.
Tweet of the Week
.@umichsoccer advances to the #B1GMSOC semifinals with a 4-1 victory against Northwestern. pic.twitter.com/8zYgrubYdl
— Big Ten Champs (@bigtenchamps) November 6, 2017
Keep Up With the Wolverines
Stay current with everything going on with the Wolverines by following Michigan men's soccer on Twitter (@umichsoccer), Snapchat (@umichathletics) and "liking" the Wolverines on Facebook at 'MichiganSoccer'.
NEXT WEEK
Monday, Nov. 13 -- NCAA Selection Show, 1 p.m. (NCAA.com)
