First Touch #1: U-M Opens 2018 Season, Homestand with Tulsa, South Florida

» U-M opens the 2018 season with a two-match week, facing Tulsa on Friday (Aug. 24) and South Florida on Monday (Aug. 27).
» Friday's match vs. Tulsa will be the first meeting between the two schools.
» The Wolverines begin the season with six consecutive matches at U-M Soccer Stadium.

THIS WEEK
Friday, Aug. 24 -- vs. Tulsa (U-M Soccer Stadium), 7 p.m.
Live Stats | BUY TICKETS | Promotions: Big Ten Championship Trophy Display, Postgame PKs, Soccer Poster Giveaway
Monday, Aug. 27 -- vs. South Florida (U-M Soccer Stadium), 7 p.m.
Live Stats | BUY TICKETS | Promotions: Dollar Ticket Day, Dollar Concessions, Postgame PKs, Michigan Soccer Window Clings |

• Ticket Central | Season Promotions | U-M Soccer Complex

• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

The No. 21-ranked University of Michigan men's soccer team gets the 2018 season underway with a pair of matches this week, facing Tulsa in the home opener on Friday (Aug. 24) and South Florida on Monday (Aug. 27). Both matches begin at 7 p.m. at U-M Soccer Stadium.

Tickets are available for both matches via www.MGoBlue.com/tickets or by calling the Michigan Athletics Ticket Office at (866) 296-MTIX.

TEAM NOTES
• Michigan went 12-6-2 last season, including a 6-1-1 mark in Big Ten play, capturing the program's first-ever conference crown and earning an at-large bid (and top-16 seed) to the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines return 11 players who started at least 10 matches off last season's squad.

• The team's captains for the 2018 season are senior midfielders Robbie Mertz and Ivo Cerda. Mertz started all 20 matches last year, scoring three goals and four assists, while Cerda started 16 matches with three goals and one assist.

• Junior Jack Hallahan was named to the 32-player MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List on Aug. 9. Presented by World Wide Technology and in accordance with the Missouri Athletic Club, the MAC Hermann Trophy is awarded annually to the most outstanding male and female players of the year. Hallahan had a breakthrough sophomore campaign, earning All-Big Ten (first team) accolades after leading the team in both goals (nine) and assists (seven).

• The Wolverines have six new faces in the mix for 2018: forwards Derick Broche (Novi, Michigan) and Sosa Emovon (London, Ontario); midfielders Aidan Nam (Ann Arbor, Michigan) and Kevin Buca (Rochester, Michigan); and defenders Declan Gaffney (Los Angeles, California) and C.Y. Cheng (Hong Kong).

• Michigan begins the season ranked No. 21 in the first United Soccer Coaches poll of the season, released Aug. 7. [ Poll ]

• The Wolverines will play 12 of their 17 matches at home in 2018, including six consecutive to begin the season. Additionally, eight of their matches come against teams that finished in the Top 50 of the RPI last season.

• Five of the team's matches will be televised to a national audience: Ohio State (Sept. 25 on ESPNU), Indiana (Oct. 7 on Big Ten Network), Notre Dame (Oct. 16 on Big Ten Network), at Michigan State (Oct. 23 on Big Ten Network) and Maryland (Oct. 28 on Big Ten Network).

OPPONENT PREVIEW
TULSA went 6-8-1 last season, including a 3-4-0 mark in the AAC. Forward Miguel Velasquez returns to lead the attack, leading the team in goals (four) and assists (five) last season. Thomas Wells (3G, 2A) and Chase Bromstedt (3G, 1A) also return; each played in all 15 matches last season. The Golden Hurricane notched wins in all three preseason contests, defeating SIU-Edwardsville (3-0), John Brown (3-0) and Central Arkansas (1-0).

Series: Friday's match will be the first in the series between the two teams.

SOUTH FLORIDA went 6-6-4 last season, including a 3-2-2 record in the AAC. Adrian Billhardt, the 2017 AAC Rookie of the Year, is back after leading the team in goals (five) and assists (six), though the team's top three point-scorers after him have all departed. Goalkeeper Christian Knight started 11 matches last season, posting a 1.08 goals-against average with 53 saves. The Bulls won both of their exhibition contests, defeating Eastern Florida State (4-1) and the University of Tampa (3-1). They play at Michigan State to open their season on Friday.

Series: Michigan is 1-1-2 all-time against South Florida. The most recent matchup came on Aug. 26, 2016, a scoreless draw in Tampa.

UP NEXT
Friday, Aug. 31 -- vs. UC Riverside (U-M Soccer Stadium), 7 p.m. [ Tickets ]
Monday, Sept. 3 -- vs. Canisius (U-M Soccer Stadium), 1 p.m. [ Tickets ]