Michigan
1-0
William & Mary
0-1
Penalty-Kick Goal Lifts Wolverines Over Tribe in Opener
8/25/2017 10:15:00 PM | Men's Soccer
» Freshman Mohammed Zakyi had the lone marker of the match in the 10th minute off a penalty kick.
» The Wolverine defense was stifling all night, allowing only one shot and zero shots against the run of play.
» Sophomore Andrew Verdi made his first career appearance, making one save for the clean sheet.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (U-M Soccer Stadium)
Score: Michigan 1, William & Mary 0
Attendance: 433
Records: U-M (1-0-0), William & Mary (0-1-0)
Next U-M Event: Monday, Aug. 28 -- vs. Valparaiso (U-M Soccer Stadium), 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's soccer team defeated the William & Mary Tribe, 1-0, in its season-opening match Friday (Aug. 25) at U-M Soccer Stadium. Freshman Mohammed Zakyi had the lone goal of the match in the 10th minute, as he capitalized on a penalty-kick opportunity.
Michigan (1-0-0) came out of the gates fast. Zakyi, making his first appearance for the Maize & Blue, had a try on frame in the sixth minute. The attempt came just inside the 18-yard box but was parried out by W&M goalkeeper Phil Breno for a corner.
Minutes later, sophomore Jack Hallahan collected a loose ball on the right wing off a poor clearance by the Tribe back line. He then whipped a low cross that deflected off a W&M defender's hand to result in the referee awarding the penalty. It was Zakyi who calmly put home the attempt from the spot as U-M took the early 1-0 lead.
William & Mary's best opportunity of the opening stanza came in the 32nd minute, as Ryder Bell ripped a shot that went wide left from the top left of the 18-yard box.
The Wolverines took it to the Tribe in the early going, as they owned a 5-2 shot margin in the opening half as well as a 6-2 margin in corner kicks. Much of the credit went to Hallahan and junior captain Robbie Mertz, who gave the Tribe fits in the opening half.
In the second stanza, the Tribe began to settle into the match, but the Wolverine back line shined, allowing zero shots on goal in the run of play and six shots in all.
Sophomore Andrew Verdi was up to the task when called upon, with his night highlighted in the 77th minute. Following a foul giveaway by U-M, W&M's consensus preseason All-American Antonio Bustamante struck a stellar free-kick from 24 yards out that was gloved by Verdi in sprawling fashion.
In all, U-M debuted six players, including Zakyi as well as fellow freshman Umar Farouk Osman (one shot) and classmate Marc Ybarra, who controlled the center of the pitch all night. Another freshman, Austin Swiech, played 10 minutes in his U-M debut, while sophomores Abdou Samake (90 minutes) and Lucas Rosendall (41 minutes) also saw action.
The Wolverines will return to action on Monday (Aug. 28), hosting the Valparaiso Crusaders at 7 p.m. from U-M Soccer Stadium.
Team Stats
Zakyi, Mohammed (1)
MICH Zakyi, Mohammed PENALTY KICK GOAL, goal number 1 for season.
10:04
