Michigan to Play Host to Wright State in NCAA Tournament Opener

THIS WEEK
Sunday, Nov. 24 -- vs. Wright State - NCAA Tournament, Second Round (U-M Soccer Stadium), 1 p.m.
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The No. 17-ranked and 13th seed University of Michigan men's soccer team (11-4-5) will open the NCAA Tournament on Sunday (Nov. 24), hosting Wright State (11-8-3) in a second-round match at U-M Soccer Stadium. The match will begin at 1 p.m., and will be streamed live via BTN Plus.

The advancing team will move on to the third round next weekend, facing either No. 4-seed Wake Forest or Maryland. That match will be played either Saturday (Nov. 30) or Sunday (Dec. 1) at campus sites. [ Bracket ]

How They Got Here

On Oct. 20, following back-to-back defeats to Indiana (0-1, Oc. 13) and Western Michigan (1-2, Oct. 17), U-M was 6-4-3 and ranked No. 36 in the RPI, firmly on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament. Since that day, Michigan went unbeaten in seven matches (5-0-2), outscoring opponents, 11-4.

The Wolverines padded their NCAA Tournament resume with four results against RPI top-25 teams over that stretch, including road wins at Notre Dame (1-0, Oct. 22) and Maryland (4-2, Nov. 3). They also made a run in the Big Ten Tournament, beating Penn State in the semifinals (1-0, Nov. 15) and playing Indiana to a draw in the final, 0-0, (2OT), Nov. 17). They finished the regular season ranked No. 17 in the RPI, earning the No. 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament based largely on quality wins (3-3-2 vs. RPI Top 50), strength of schedule (No. 33, 7-4-3 vs. RPI Top 100) and play in the last 10 matches (6-2-2).

NCAA Tournament History

Michigan is making its eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and have earned three consecutive bids for the first time in school history. The Wolverines have advanced past the second round in three of those trips: 2003 (Elite Eight), 2008 (Sweet 16) and 2010 (College Cup).

Overall, U-M is 7-6-3 in the NCAA Tournament, including a 5-1-1 mark in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines went to penalty kicks in two matches last season, defeating Princeton, 11-10, in the first round (in Ann Arbor) before falling to seventh seed Notre Dame, 11-10, in the second round (in South Bend, Indiana).

Opponent Preview

WRIGHT STATE (11-8-3) is into the second round after a 3-2 win over Notre Dame on Thursday (Nov. 21) in South Bend, Indiana. The Raiders were 7-8-2 following a 1-0 loss to Bowling Green on Nov. 4, but beat IUPUI, 6-1, in their regular-season finale then made it to the final of the Horizon League Tournament where they beat Milwaukee in penalty kicks to earn the conference's automatic bid. This is the first NCAA Tournament appearance for Wright State.

The Raiders, who are 7-4-1 in road matches, are tied for fifth in the NCAA in goals (46). They are led offensively by Deri Corfe (13 goals, eight assists), Stefan Rokvic (9G, 5A), Jackson Dietrich (6G, 7A), Ids Hannema (7G, 2A) and Alec Philippe (4G, 3A) -- all of whom have recorded at least 10 points this season. Joel Sundell has been the mainstay in goal, posting a 1.43 goals-against average and making 82 saves.

Series: U-M is 2-0-0 against Wright State in the all-time series. The two teams previously met on Sept. 11, 2009, with Michigan winning, 3-0, in Ann Arbor.

Team Notes

• Since the start of the 2017 season, U-M is 24-9-5 at U-M Soccer Stadium.

• With his game-winning goal against Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, senior Jack Hallahan now ranks second in Michigan history in career points (73), surpassing Knox Cameron (72, 2001-04). He has 73 points in 77 career matches, scoring 26 goals (third in U-M history) and talliying 21 assists (tied for third in U-M history). Mychal Turpin (85, 2001-04) is the program leader in career points.

• Graduate student Nebojsa Popovic, the 2019 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, has 23 points on the season (10 goals, three assists). He is the seventh man in program history to score 10 goals or more in a single season, joining Soony Saad (19 in 2010), Justin Meram (17 in 2010), Mychal Turpin (14 in 2003, 10 in 2002), Peri Marosevic (13 in 2008), Knox Cameron (12 in 2003, 10 in 2002) and Francis Atuahene (10 in 2015). This will be Popovic's first (and only) NCAA Tournament appearance of his career.

• The Wolverines have fielded one of the stoutest defenses in the country this season, ranking 17th nationally in goals-against average (0.72). Since allowing four goals in the season opener on Aug. 30, U-M only has conceded 11 goals in 20 matches and has 10 shutouts, a new school record. During the Big Ten regular season, it allowed only five goals in eight matches (including two via penalty kick). Collectively, the back line is allowing only 7.5 shots per match and 2.8 shots-on-goal per match.

• Freshman Owen Finnerty has started the last five matches in net after replacing senior Andrew Verdi in overtime during the team's 1-1 (2OT) draw vs. Wisconsin on Oct. 25. Since taking the reins, Finnerty has three shutouts in five matches, making nine saves in nearly 485 minutes. Verdi, the 2019 Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year, started the first 15 matches of the season, making 32 saves and recording seven shutouts.

• U-M is 8-1-0 when scoring two goals or more this season (3-3-5 when scoring one or scoreless). In addition, Michigan has scored 21 of its 31 goals in the second half.

• Michigan has 39 assists this season, the fourth-highest total in school history and most since 2010 (49). In that category, U-M ranks 14th in the NCAA and first in the Big Ten.

• U-M has scored 31 goals this season, reaching the 30-goal milestone for the third consecutive year (2017: 32; 2018: 36). With 101 points, the 2019 team is the sixth team in school history to reach 100 points in a season.