Weekly Release #9
10/19/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Upcoming Schedule ...
Friday, Oct. 22 -- at Wisconsin (Madison, Wis.), 7 p.m. CDT
Sunday, Oct. 24 -- at Northwestern (Evanston, Ill.), 2 p.m. CDT
Friday, Oct. 29 -- vs. Akron (U-M Soccer Field), 3 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 31 -- vs. Penn State (U-M Soccer Field), 2 p.m.
This Week
The University of Michigan men's soccer team will hit the road again for Big Ten matches against Wisconsin and Northwestern. Michigan will take on the Badgers on Friday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. CDT in Madison, Wis., at the Dan McClimon Memorial Track/Soccer Complex. The Wolverines will then face the Wildcats on Sunday, Oct. 24 at 2 p.m. CDT in Evanston, Ill., at Leonard B. Thomas Athletic Complex.
Scouting the Opponents
Wisconsin -- The Badgers are 6-7-0 this season with a 1-2-0 mark in Big Ten Conference play under third-year head coach Jeff Rohrman. Wisconsin is led by Nick Van Sicklen with 19 points on seven goals and five assists and goalkeeper Eric Hanson with 57 saves and a 1.54 goals against average in 13 games. The Wolverines are 4-1 against Wisconsin all-time, including a 4-1 victory in Ann Arbor last year. Wisconsin on the Web: www.uwbadgers.com.
Northwestern -- The Wildcats enter this week fresh off a 1-0 victory over defending NCAA Champion Indiana on Oct. 17. Northwestern is 8-3-2 this year with a 1-1-1 Big Ten record under fourth-year head coach Tim Lenahan. The Wildcats are led by Big Ten points and goals leader Gerardo ALvarez with 25 points on 10 goals and five assists. Michigan is 5-1 against Northwestern all-time, with the lone loss coming in the first round of the 2003 Big Ten Championship. Northwestern on the Web: www.nusports.com
U-M Falls to Notre Dame and Drops OT Thriller to MSU
The University of Michigan men's soccer team lost a pair of games this past week, dropping a 3-0 decision on Wednesday, Oct. 13 at No. 5 Notre Dame and falling 3-2 in overtime to Big Ten-rival Michigan State. Against Notre Dame, the Irish scored at 14:11 and then three minutes later at 17:41 to open up an early two-goal lead. U-M goalkeepers Peter Dzubay (Sylvania, Ohio/Northview HS) and Joe Zawacki (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson HS) split time in net, combining for five saves during the game.
In the match against Michigan State, the Wolverines played from behind for the majority of the game, but a goal by Adam Bruh (Roslyn Heights, N.Y./Wheatly HS) at 72:51 tied the game at 2-2 and sent the contest into overtime. The Spartans, however, scored just 2:34 into the first overtime period to earn the victory. The losses dropped Michigan's overall record to 7-4-2 and its Big Ten mark to 0-2-0.
Through the Magic of Television
Comcast Sports Television will show a tape-delayed broadcast of the Michigan vs. Michigan State match on Tuesday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. The game will be the first televised match in Michigan soccer history. Check local listings for channel number.
What Happened
After starting the 2004 campaign 6-0, the Wolverines have posted a 1-4-2 record over their past seven games, including the team's current three-game losing streak. Over the past seven games, Michigan has scored only six goals as compared to the 12 goals U-M tallied through the first six games of the season. A good deal of Michigan's offensive struggles can be attributed to injury as the Wolverines have seen four front-line players, including projected starters Knox Cameron (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman HS) and Ryan Alexander (Southfield, Mich./University of Detroit Jesuit HS) go down with unjuries this year.
What's Your Name Again
Due to injuries throughout the team, consistency has been a rarity in the Michigan lineup this season. Only two Wolverines, Kevin Hall (Kalamazoo, Mich./Portage Central HS) and Mychal Turpin (Pontiac, Mich./University of Detroit Jesuit HS) have started all 13 games for Michigan this season. In addition to Hall and Turpin, only Trai Blanks (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) and Kevin Savitskie (Plymouth, Mich./Salem HS) have played in all 13 games.
Back Between the Pipes
Peter Dzubay returned from injury this past week to play the second half against Notre Dame and start in U-M's match against Michigan State. Dzubay made 10 saves between the pair of games, including a season-high eight stops against the Spartans. This season, Dzubay has a 4-1 record with 22 saves, two shutouts and a 1.07 goals against average in just over 500 minutes of action.
Help From the Back Line
Ryan Sterba (Westlake, Ohio/St. Ignatius HS) handed out his team-leading sixth assist of the season in U-M's match against Michigan State, finding Mychal Turpin for a diving header on a long serve across the MSU net. The assist was also Sterba's 10th assist and point of his career with all of his career points coming on assists. Sterba's six assists tie him for second in helpers in the Big Ten.
Turpin Strikes Again
With a diving header against Michigan State, Mychal Turpin converted on his team-leading fifth goal of the season. Turpin, U-M's career leader with 32 goals and 80 points, also leads the team with 12 points this season.
This One's For You
Adam Bruh scored his first goal of the season with U-M's second goal of the match against Michigan State. For Bruh, known more for his assists than goals, it marked his fourth goal in a Michigan jersey after scoring three times last season. Bruh is U-M's career leader with 22 assists and also holds the season assists record with 13 in 2002.
That's Karl ... With a K
Karl Lopata (Farmington Hills, Mich./Farmington HS) notched his first point in two years with an assist on U-M's second goal against Michigan State. Lopata scored his only career goal as a freshman in 2001 and added a pair of assists as a sophomore in 2002, but failed to notch a point last season. For his career, Lopata has five points on one goal and three assists.
NSCAA/adidas Top 25 (10/19/04)
RANK, SCHOOL RECORD PREV 1. UNC-Greensboro 12-0-1 2 2. UC Santa Barbara 11-1-1 1 3. Virginia 11-2-0 5 4. Southern Methodist 10-3-0 6 5. New Mexico 10-1-0 3 Notre Dame 10-2-2 12 7. Creighton 11-2-0 8 8. Indiana 9-3-1 3 9. James Madison 12-0-1 11 10. St. John's 7-3-4 10 11. South Florida 7-1-2 13 12. Boston College 9-3-0 14 13. UCLA 7-2-2 NR 14. Pennsylvania 6-2-2 15 15. Wake Forest 7-3-1 NR 16. Virginia Commonwealth 9-3-1 16 17. Seton Hall 9-4-1 25 18. Washington 10-3-2 25 19. Duke 12-2-0 16 20. Hartwick 7-2-3 23 21. Connecticut 7-4-2 NR 22. Santa Clara 11-3-0 9 23. Memphis 9-3-1 25 24. Binghamton 8-1-5 NR 25. California 8-2-2 19 Maryland 8-4-1 21 Alabama-Birmingham 7-4-0 24
The Book on Burns
Head coach Steve Burns is 41-31-4 in four seasons as the leader of Michigan's varsity program. Last season Burns guided the Maize and Blue to a second-place finish in the Big Ten and U-M's first NCAA Tournament appearance. Since his taking the helm in 2000, Burns' Wolverines have bettered their record in each of his first four years. Prior to Michigan soccer being granted varsity status on March 26, 1999, Burns was the head coach of the Michigan club team since 1993. Under his leadership, Michigan posted a 121-51-26 mark (.677 winning percentage) and made six consecutive appearances in the national club championship tournament. The team won back-to-back national championships in 1997 and 1998.
On the Horizon
After playing eight of their last nine games on the road, the Wolverines will return home for the final four games of the regular season and the Big Ten Championship. Michigan will start the home stand with a match against Akron on Friday, Oct. 29 at 3 p.m. and then face Penn State on Sunday, Oct. 31 at 2 p.m. Both matches will take place at the U-M Soccer Field.
Contact: Paul Dickerson (734) 763-4423
