First Touch #7: Men's Soccer Returns Home, Faces No. 2 Indiana, Detroit

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The No. 14-ranked University of Michigan men's soccer team (8-1-1, 3-0-1 Big Ten) enter the late stages of the regular season with two matches this week at the U-M Soccer Stadium, beginning with a massive showdown against No. 2 Indiana (9-2-0, 3-0-0 Big Ten) on Sunday (Oct. 7) at 3 p.m. The Wolverines then host in-state foe Detroit (1-9-1) on Wednesday (Oct. 10) at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday's match against Indiana is a MAIZE OUT and will be televised live on the Big Ten Network. Dean Linke (play-by-play) and Chris Munroe (analyst) will be on the call.

Team Notes

• Sunday's match with Indiana pits the top two teams in the Big Ten standings against each other. Halfway through the league season, Michigan sits atop the table with 10 points (3-0-1), while Indiana is second (9 points, 3-0-0), though the Hoosiers have a game in hand. [ Standings ]

• Since dropping their season opener on Aug. 24 to Tulsa, the Wolverines have gone on a nine-match unbeaten streak (8-0-1), tied for the longest in program history (2007, 2010). During that stretch, U-M has outscored its opponents by a 21-5 margin. Additionally the Wolverines are 8-0-0 when scoring two goals or more this season.

• Forwards Umar Farouk Osman and Jack Hallahan have been in prime form as of late, each player collecting five points last week (Osman: 2G, 1A; Hallahan: 1G, 3A). Osman was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday, while Hallahan has compiled 18 shots in his last four matches. Among all Big Ten players, Osman is tied for second in points (15), while Hallahan is fourth (13). [ Big Ten Statistics ]

• Senior captains Ivo Cerda and Robbie Mertz are two of the 30 candidates for the 2018 Senior CLASS Award for men's soccer, honoring the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition. Michigan is one of only two schools (Loyola University Maryland) to have two candidates up for the award this year. Cerda has points in his last three matches (one goal, two assists).

• Sophomore Marc Ybarra (PK) and senior Noah Kleedtke scored their first goals of the season in Wednesday's 2-1 win at Oakland. This year, 10 different players have scored goals. Additionally, it was Kleedtke's first goal as a Michigan Wolverine.

• A feel-good moment from Wednesday's match at Oakland was the collegiate debut of sophomore Joel Harrison. The Canada international has been stung by injuries since his senior year of high school. Now healthy and back in training, Harrison played the last nine minutes of the match, his first real game action in 22 months. He led the team in the singing of The Victors in the locker room afterwards. [ Video ]

• The Wolverines moved up five spots to No. 14 in the most recent United Soccer Coaches poll, released on Tuesday (Oct. 2). They also moved up 21 spots to No. 65 in the RPI, released on Monday (Oct. 1). [ Poll | RPI ]

Opponent Preview

INDIANA is 9-2-0 on the season and 3-0-0 in the Big Ten, notching wins over Wisconsin, Northwestern and Penn State. The Hoosiers are ranked No. 2 in both the United Soccer Coaches poll and in the RPI, though they are coming to Ann Arbor off a 3-0 loss at No. 4 Kentucky on Wednesday. Andrew Gutman leads the team with 16 points (6G, 4A), while Griffin Dorsey, AJ Palazzolo and Justin Rennicks all have four goals each. Trevor Swartz and Spencer Glass are the main facilitators, combining for 14 assists. Trey Muse has played all 11 matches in net, making 27 saves and allowing only eight goals. Indiana was national runner-up last season.

Series: Michigan is 3-18-2 all-time against Indiana. The two teams played to a 1-1 draw last year in Bloomington, with Robbie Mertz netting the goal for the Wolverines.

DETROIT is 1-9-1 on the season and will play Green Bay on Saturday (Oct. 6) in its final tune-up before next Wednesday's showdown. After going without a goal in a five-match stretch through mid-September, the Titans have scored five goals in their last three matches. On the season, Detroit has 103 shots, but only seven goals, while its conceded 22 goals. Seven different players have scored, while Devin Mendez and Evan Mazurek have split time in net.

Series: Michigan is 11-1-3 all-time against Detroit. The Wolverines won last year's matchup, 1-0, in Ann Arbor.

Up Next

Tuesday, Oct. 16 -- vs. Notre Dame (U-M Soccer Stadium), 6 p.m. [ Tickets ]
Friday, Oct. 19 -- at Wisconsin (Madison, Wis.), 7 p.m. (CT)