Michigan
Penn State
Men's Soccer Match vs. PSU Postponed; U-M to Hit Road for Matchup at Rutgers
3/1/2021 3:45:00 PM | Men's Soccer
» After an eight-day layoff, Michigan will return to play on Wednesday (March 3), hosting Penn State at the Legacy Center in Brighton.
» The Wolverines will then turn around and head to Piscataway, N.J., for a match with Rutgers on Sunday (March 7).
» At six points, Michigan is in a five-way tie atop the Big Ten with a game-in-hand.
THIS WEEK
Wednesday, March 3 -- vs. Penn State (Brighton, Mich.), 11 a.m.
Live Stats
Sunday, March 7 -- at Rutgers (Piscataway, N.J.), 2 p.m.
Live Stats
• Social Media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
UPDATE (3/2/2021, 1 p.m.): The University of Michigan men's soccer team's match vs. Penn State, originally scheduled for Wednesday (March 3), has been postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the Nittany Lions program. The institutions will work with the Big Ten Conference to identify potential rescheduling options later this season.
After an eight-day layoff, the University of Michigan men's soccer team (2-0-0) will return to play on Wednesday (March 3), hosting Penn State (2-1-0) at the Legacy Center in Brighton, Mich. First touch is scheduled for 11 a.m. In accordance with Big Ten policy, all events are currently closed to the public.
The Wolverines then turn around and head to Piscataway, N.J., for a match with Rutgers on Sunday (March 7). Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
Team Notes
• The Wolverines are off to a 2-0-0 start, scoring wins over Northwestern (4-1) and Michigan State (1-0). At six points, they are in a five-way tie atop the Big Ten table with a game-in-hand. Michigan had one of its two byes over the weekend.
• Through two matches, Michigan has outscored opponents by a 5-1 margin. Since allowing a goal at the 5:06 mark of the team's opening match against Northwestern, the Michigan defense has clamped down, allowing only 10 shots (including three shots-on-goal) in nearly 175 minutes of play. Despite playing a man down for the entire second half against Michigan State on Feb. 23, the Wolverine defense conceded only two shots-on-goal to the Spartans.
• Thus far, Michigan has scored five goals from five different players: Marc Ybarra, Moshtaba Al-Hasnawi, Cameron Martin, Jackson Ragen and Kevin Buca. Through two matches, Buca leads the team with four points. He had one point in his first 30 matches as a Wolverine.
• The Wolverines have made some shifts along the back line. Jackson Ragen remains entrenched at center back, now playing alongside Joel Harrison, who moved inside after playing fullback last year. Harry Pithers, who last year was more of a midfield, and Umar Farouk Osman have taken the reins of the right and left back positions. Owen Finnerty has played both matches in goal, tallying three saves.
• Two freshmen have started both matches this season: Quin Rogers and Bryce Blevins. Others making their Michigan debuts were freshman Jens Hoff and sophomores Moshtaba Al-Hasnawi, Evan Rasmussen, Brennan Callow and Ryan Schultz, none of whom saw action last year as freshmen.
Opponent Preview
Penn State: The Nittany Lions are 2-1-0 on the season. They came out of the gates with wins over Maryland (3-2) and Rutgers (2-1) before losing to Michigan State (1-0) last Saturday. Freshman Peter Mangione leads the team with five points (2 G, 1 A), while Daniel Bloyou has three points (1 G, 1 A). Penn State went 12-4-3 in 2019 and made the NCAA Tournament as a top-16 seed.
Series: Michigan is 11-11-4 all-time against Penn State. The two teams last met in the 2019 Big Ten Tournament semifinals, with Michigan winning by a 1-0 scoreline.
Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights are 2-1-0 on the season. They have road wins over Michigan State (2-0) and Wisconsin (1-0), while their lone defeat came at home to Penn State (2-1). Jackson Temple leads the team in points with six (2 G, 2 A). Oren Asher has been one of the conference's top goalkeepers through the early season, making 10 saves and posting two shutouts in three matches. Rutgers hosts Maryland on Wednesday.
Series: Michigan is 5-2-2 all-time against Rutgers. The two teams last met on Sept. 21, 2019, in Ann Arbor, playing to a 1-1 draw that was called after 72 minutes due to severe weather.
Up Next
Thursday, March 11 -- vs. Maryland (Brighton, Mich.), 11 a.m.
Monday, March 15 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), TBA
