20th-Ranked Wolverines to Host Oakland, Travel to Penn State

» U-M has outscored teams by 4-1 margin in the first half. The program record for fewest goals allowed in the first half of action is seven, a mark that was established in 2011.
» Michigan is ranked No. 20 in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll, No. 25 in the College Soccer News poll, and No. 16 by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
» U-M has outscored teams 12-7 this season. The seven goals against through nine matches mark the fewest conceded goals in any nine-match stretch since 2012.

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• Match Day Information: U-M Soccer Stadium Information | Ticket Information

THIS WEEK
Wednesday, Sept. 27 -- vs. Oakland (U-M Soccer Stadium), 7:30 p.m.
Tickets | Live Stats

Sunday, Oct. 1 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), 1 p.m. (TV: BTN Plus)
Live Stats | Live Video

The 20th-ranked University of Michigan men's soccer team (5-2-2, 2-1-1 B1G) will host the Oakland Grizzlies on Wednesday (Sept. 27) at 7:30 p.m. from U-M Soccer Stadium before making the trek to State College, Pennsylvania, to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions on Sunday (Oct. 1) at 1 p.m.

WOLVERINE BITES

• The Wolverines (5-2-2, 2-1-1 B1G) are off to their best start to a season since 2009 (7-1-0). At 2-1-1 in the Big Ten, U-M sits fifth in the conference standings with seven points and is second in the conference in goals during Big Ten play with six. A win on Sunday (Oct. 1) would give U-M its best start in Big Ten play since 2013.

• Michigan is No. 4 in the Big Ten in shots per game (12.22) and is third in the conference in assists (1.55/match). Sophomore Jack Hallahan, who is coming off his second match of the season with a goal and an assist, leads the team in goals (3) and assists (3), and he is also tops in the shot category with 22 (2.44/match), ranking him No. 5 in the Big Ten.

• Freshman Jackson Ragen, who notched the first goal of his collegiate career in the 56th minute in the 3-1 win over Northwestern (Sept. 24), marked the fourth newcomer to the 2017 Wolverines squad to score a goal. Junior transfer Daniel Mukuna is second on the team in goals with a pair, while freshmen Mohammed Zakyi and Marc Ybarra have each scored once apiece.

• Michigan has outscored teams 12-7 on the season, including a 4-1 margin in the first half. The seven goals through nine matches mark the fewest conceded goals in any seven-match stretch since 2012, when U-M made its run to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The program record for fewest goals allowed was set in 2015, when the Wolverines conceded 20, while the record for fewest goals allowed in the first half of action is seven, which was set in the 2011 season.

• U-M enters the week ranked No. 20 in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll. Additionally, U-M is ranked No. 25 in the College Soccer News Top 30 National Poll and No. 16 in the TopDrawerSoccer.com rankings.

• According to HERO Sports, U-M has played the No. 7 schedule in the country, highlighted by a 1-1 draw at then-No. 1 Indiana on Sept. 13. In the latest United Soccer Coaches poll, future opponents Notre Dame (7), Omaha (24), Ohio State (16) and Maryland (3) are all ranked.

OPPONENT PREVIEWS

Scouting Oakland
The Grizzlies enter the matchup with a 2-7 overall mark, a ledger that includes wins over VCU (3-2 on Aug. 25) and IUPUI (3-0 on Sept. 16). Austin Ricci leads the side in goals with four and boasts 31 shots, while Noah Jensen has chipped in a pair of assists. Three goalkeepers have combined for 29 saves and a goals-against average of 2.44. Overall, OU has been outscored 22-11, including 9-2 over the last two matches, and has been outshot 100-81.

Series vs. Oakland
Michigan owns an 11-1-4 advantage in the all-time series. Under head coach Chaka Daley, Michigan is 4-0-1 against Oakland and has outscored the Grizzlies 13-3 in the five matchups.

Scouting Penn State
Penn State, which takes on Temple on Wednesday (Sept. 27) on the road, enters the week with a 2-4-2 overall record and a 0-3-0 Big Ten mark. In Big Ten play, PSU has yet to score a goal, having been defeated by Ohio State (3-0), Maryland (2-0) and most recently Wisconsin, by a 1-0 count on Saturday (Sept. 23). The victories for the Nittany Lions came against Saint Francis (1-0 on Sept. 8) and Detroit Mercy (2-0 on Sept. 20). PSU has been outscored by an 8-5 margin.

Aaron Molloy is the lone Nittany Lion with multiple goals (2), while three others have registered one goal apiece. Christian Sload leads the team in shots with 16. In goal, Ethan Finney has allowed eight goals to go along with 24 saves and a save percentage of 75 percent. His goals-against average of 1.04 ranks sixth in the conference.

Series vs. Penn State
The Nittany Lions own an 11-8-2 lead in the all-time series. U-M is 2-2-1 overall and 1-1 in State College under Daley. Last season, U-M blanked the Nittany Lions, 2-0, in Ann Arbor on Oct. 2, with Jack Hallahan and Francis Atuahene notching second-half goals.

Tweet of the Week

This week, we play host to @OaklandMSOC on Wednesday!

See you at UMSS.

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— U-M Men's Soccer (@umichsoccer) September 25, 2017

Keep Up With the Wolverines
Stay current with everything going on with the Wolverines by following Michigan men's soccer on Twitter (@umichsoccer) and Snapchat (@umichathletics) and "liking" the Wolverines on Facebook at 'MichiganSoccer'.

NEXT WEEK
Friday, Oct. 6 -- vs. Rutgers (U-M Soccer Stadium), 7 p.m. (TV: BTN Plus)