Michigan to Continue NCAA Tournament Run at Notre Dame

THIS WEEK
Sunday, Nov. 18 -- at No. 7 Notre Dame - NCAA Tournament, Second Round (South Bend, Ind.), 5 p.m.
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The University of Michigan men's soccer team (12-5-3) looks to continues its postseason run on Sunday (Nov. 18), when the Wolverines face No. 7-seed Notre Dame (10-6-2) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The match is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. at Alumni Stadium, and will be streamed live on ESPN3.

PK Shootout Thriller
The Wolverines got past Princeton in the first round on a snow-covered Thursday night (Nov. 15) at U-M Soccer Stadium, drawing the Tigers, 1-1, but advancing after winning a thrilling 14-round penalty-kick shootout by an 11-10 margin. Senior Noah Kleedtke scored the equalizing goal in the 75th minute. Sophomore Henry Mashburn made five saves and was clutch in the shootout, denying Princeton chances to win in rounds five and 12. [ Recap | Video Highlights | Photos ]

It was only the third PK shootout in program history, following the 2003 NCAA Tournament vs. Notre Dame and the 2008 Big Ten Tournament vs. Wisconsin. Michigan has now advanced in all three shootouts.

NCAA Tournament History

Michigan is 7-6-2 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines have reached the second round in all seven NCAA Tournament appearances, reaching the Elite Eight in 2003, the Sweet 16 in 2008 and the College Cup in 2010.

Vote for Robbie!

Senior co-captain Robbie Mertz is one of the 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award, honoring the best senior student-athlete in college soccer. Fan voting accounts for one-third of the total and is open through Nov. 19. The winner will be unveiled at the College Cup in December. [ Vote ]

Team Notes

• Michigan has fielded one of the best defenses in the program's 18-year history, conceding 18 goals in 20 matches. The school record for fewest goals allowed in a season is 20 (2015). Sophomore Henry Mashburn has played every minute in goal this season and is coming off an outstanding performance against Princeton, making four saves in the 14-round penalty-kick shootout. This season, he's increased his save percentage (.710 in 2018, up from .583 in 2017) while decreasing his goals-against average (0.86 in 2018, down from 1.37 in 2017). He's made 44 saves this season.

• Senior Noah Kleedtke has been one of the team's unsung heroes this season. After playing in 12 matches -- mostly as a reserve in 2016 and 2017 -- Kleedtke has played in 19 matches this season. He's been the team's starting forward in the last 13 matches since sophomore Mohammed Zakyi went down with an injury, and has scored four goals. Kleedtke scored the game-winner at Oakland (Oct. 3), and equalizing goals at Michigan State (Oct. 23) and against Princeton (Nov. 15).

• Senior co-captain Ivo Cerda was named a Google Cloud Academic All-District selection last Thursday (Nov. 8), as chosen by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). [ Release ]

• Jack Hallahan (eight goals, eight assists; 24 points) and Umar Farouk Osman (9G, 4A; 22 points) are the first pair of Michigan teammates to collect 20-plus points in the same season since Soony Saad (43 points) and Justin Meram (42 points) in 2010.

• The Wolverines are plus-18 in goal differential this season. They've scored 36 goals, fifth-most in school history and most in a single season since 2010 (53; the school record). With Peter Brown's assist against Princeton, 15 players have recorded at least one point this season.

Opponent Preview

NOTRE DAME is 10-6-2 and is the seventh seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Fighting Irish will come into Sunday's match fresh, not having played since a 1-0 loss to Louisville in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament (Nov. 4). Four players have double-digit points: Thomas Ueland (six goals, one assist), Patrick Berneski (6G), Sean MacLeod (4G, 3A) and Ian Aschieris (5G, 1A). As a team, Notre Dame is plus-10 in goal differential (29 goals for, 19 goals against).

Series: Michigan is 2-10-3 all-time against Notre Dame. The two teams have met once in the NCAA Tournament, a 1-1 draw in the 2003 Sweet 16, with Michigan advancing on PKs (4-3) over the third seed Fighting Irish. Sunday's match will also be a rematch, as Notre Dame won the regular-season contest, 2-1, on Oct. 16 in Ann Arbor.