Michigan
Wisconsin
Cameron, Lau Key Michigan's First Postseason Victory
11/8/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
MADISON, Wis. -- The No. 4-seeded University of Michigan men's soccer team posted its first Big Ten Championship victory with a 1-0 shutout of No. 5-seeded host Wisconsin in the first round Thursday (Nov. 8) at the McClimon Soccer Complex.
For the second consecutive match a pair of freshmen led the Wolverines to victory, as midfielder Knox Cameron (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman HS) netted his fifth goal of the season while classmate Bryan Lau (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) turned away a school-record 10 shots to preserve the win. It marked Michigan's third consecutive victory over a Big Ten opponent, the last two coming on 1-0 Lau shutouts with Cameron scoring the game's only goal.
Michigan's defense was tested early, as the Badgers applied an offensive attack they did not show in the regular-season match between the two schools. Wisconsin took 10 shots in the first half, five of which were on net, forcing Lau to make the save. The Wolverines only managed three shots on goal in the first 45 minutes, but one of them was the eventual game-winning goal.
At the 15:59 mark, Cameron made a play to steal the ball from a Wisconsin defender from 35 yards out, made a move around another, found a seam and fired from 20 yards out to beat Phil Ayoub on the right side, giving the Maize and Blue a 1-0 lead. The goal gave Cameron a share of the U-M's single-season mark for goals with junior Jody Keeling (Odessa, Fla./Berkley Preparatory).
The two offenses again came out strong in the second half as each team registered six shots, with Wisconsin sending five on net to Michigan's two. Lau stepped up his game in the final 45 minutes of action and turned away all five shots en route to his second consecutive shutout (Ohio State, Nov. 2).
The Wolverines (10-6-1) will look to continue their winning ways as they face No. 4-ranked Indiana, the event's top seed, in a semifinal match Friday (Nov. 9) at 2:30 p.m. CST in Madison, Wis.
GAME SUMMARY
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
| Michigan | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Wisconsin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- U-M, Knox Cameron, 16:12 (unassisted)
Shots: U-M 11, UW 16
Saves: U-M 10 (Bryan Lau), UW 4 (Moriba Atiba Baker)
Corner Kicks: U-M 5, UW 9
Fouls: U-M 18, UW 4
Cards: U-M, Robert Turpin, 40:45 (yellow); U-M, Mychal Turpin, 82:11 (yellow)
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Steve Burns
On what the win means for the program ... "At the beginning of the season we wrote down a few goals we wanted to accomplish and this was another of those goals completed. We wanted to make sure we at least made the second round of the Championship. By doing that today we set ourselves up nicely for a rematch with the No. 1-seeded Indiana Hoosiers."
On Bryan Lau ... "The biggest compliment a goalkeeper can be given is when he makes the game look easy. Today, Bryan was in the right place at the right time and positioned himself along his defensemen like he was a veteran. It's a big step forward for a young player and I'm very proud of him right now."
On Knox Cameron ... "The big players step up in big games. We expected Knox to be the catalyst of our offense and he has proved us right all season."
N O T E S
Bryan Lau delivered his second consecutive 1-0 shutout victory and third consecutive win over a Big Ten team. His 10 saves break Brad King's (Portage, Mich./Northern HS) previous mark of nine last year vs. Western Michigan (Oct. 4, 2000).
Knox Cameron netted his fifth goal of the season, breaking the freshman goal-scoring record held by Tom Gritter (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) with four in 2000.
Michigan is 0-2 in its series with Indiana, including a 3-0 loss at home on Oct. 7.
Contact: Gene Skidmore (734) 763-4423
