Weekly Release #10
10/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Upcoming Schedule
Wednesday, Oct. 18 -- at Akron (Akron, Ohio), 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 22 -- vs. Ohio State (U-M Soccer Field), 2 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 28 -- vs. Penn State (U-M Soccer Field), 7 p.m.
Thu-Sun., Nov. 2-5 -- at Big Ten Championship (Columbus, Ohio)
This Week ... Closing Non-Conference Action, Final Home Games
Michigan (5-8-3, 0-2-2 Big Ten) at Akron (8-4-1, 2-1 MAC)
Wednesday, Oct. 18, 7:30 p.m. PDT Lee R. Jackson Soccer Field
Ohio State (7-6-2, 2-2 Big Ten) at Michigan (5-8-3, 0-2-2 Big Ten)
Sunday, Oct. 22, 2 p.m. PDT U-M Soccer Field
Michigan closes its non-conference action for the 2006 season against the Akron Zips Wednesday (Oct. 18) at 7:30 p.m. in Akron, Ohio. The Wolverines then make their final home stands against Big Ten foes Ohio State (Oct. 22) and Penn State (Oct. 28), at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively, on the U-M Soccer Field.
Scouting the Opponents ...
A look at Akron (Series tied 2-2-0): The Zips concluded the 2005 season with an 18-1-4 record, taking first place in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) with a 5-0 mark. Akron qualified for the 2005 NCAA Tournament as the No. 9 seed, and made it to the quarterfinals before falling to No. 1 seed Maryland on penalty kicks (1-4). Akron is 8-4-1, and has suffered only one home loss (7-1). The last time Michigan and Akron met was Oct. 28, 2005, when then No. 1-ranked Akron defeated Michigan 1-0 in overtime. The series has been back and forth, with Michigan earning back-to-back victories in 2004 -- once in the regular slate and again in the postseason.
Under Head Coach Caleb Porter: Porter is in his first season with the Zips after taking over the program in January 2006. Prior to taking the Akron job, Porter was an assistant at Indiana for six years, helping the Hoosiers to a record of 98-25-14 along with two NCAA titles (2003 and 2004). Porter is 8-4-1 with Akron. Akron on the web: www.gozips.com.
A look at Ohio State (Michigan leads series 4-3-0): The Buckeyes ended the 2005 season with an 11-8-2 mark, finishing second in the Big Ten (3-2-1). OSU also made its fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2005, falling to Santa Clara in the first round. Ohio State is 7-6-2 overall, and sits third in the Big Ten with a 2-2 mark. The last time Michigan and OSU met at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, the Buckeyes pulled off a 1-0 victory (Nov. 4, 2005).
Under Head Coach John Bleum: Bleum, in his 10th season with an overall record of 90-70-20, is currently the all-time winningest coach at Ohio State. The two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year (1999 and 2004) has led OSU to all four of its NCAA Tournament appearances, a Big Ten Championship title (2000) and a share of the conference regular-season title in 2004. Ohio State on the Web: www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com.
THIS WEEK'S STORYLINES ...
Last Week... Back-to-Back Road Games
The Wolverines went 0-2 in back-to-back road games last week. Michigan suffered a 1-0 loss to Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Oct. 13) after allowing its second penalty kick goal in two games. U-M then fell to Northwestern 2-0 (Oct. 15), as the Wolverines were held scoreless for the seventh game this season.
Defensive Longevity
Senior tri-captains Kevin Hall (Kalamazoo, Mich./Central HS) and Kevin Savitskie (Plymouth, Mich./Salem HS) have proven to be defensive stalwarts for the Maize and Blue, as each Wolverine has moved up the ladder on U-M's games played list. Hall played in his 74th career game on Oct. 4 against Notre Dame, tying him for third on the all-time games played list with Mike White (2000-03); Savitskie played in his 70th career game against Northwestern (Oct. 15), tying him with Kevin Taylor (2000-03) for fourth place.
Keeper of the Net
Sophomore/freshman Patrick Sperry (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central) continues to move up U-M's single-season saves list, with his four stops against Northwestern (Oct. 15) pushing his season total to 56. Sperry's 56 saves put him fifth on the single-season saves list, placing him ahead of Peter Dzubay's (2002-05) 2002 tally of 54. Sperry is now just three away from Joe Zawacki's (2001-04) fourth-place save total of 59, which is a U-M record for a first-year goalkeeper. The Hinsdale, Ill., native has played a total of 1,410:33, which is the most minutes played by any U-M goalkeeper in a debut season. Sperry is ranked third in saves (54) and saves per game (3.5) in the Big Ten Conference, helping Michigan rank second in team saves (58), just two behind Northwestern.
Wolverines and the Big Ten
In the Big Ten Conference statistics, Michigan is tied for fourth in assists (14), points (48), goals per game (16) and goals (16), and is in a tie for fifth in assists per game (0.93) in the Big Ten Conference.
Individually, the Wolverines are in the top five in five offensive categories. Freshman Peri Marosevic (Rockford, Ill./Edison Academy) is second in shots (47), tied for third in points (12), tied for fourth in goals (5) and fifth in goals per game (0.38). Sophomore Jake Stacy (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central HS) is fourth in shots with 37. Sophomore Steve Bonnell (St. Clair Shores, Mich./Detroit Country Day School) is tied for fourth in assists (4) and assists per game (0.29).
The Book on Burns
Head coach Steve Burns is 65-57-12 in six seasons as the leader of Michigan's varsity program. Last season, Burns guided the Wolverines to an overall record of 8-10-1, tying for fifth place in the Big Ten. Since Burns took the helm in 2000, the Wolverines have posted 10 or more wins in four out of six seasons, making two NCAA College Cup appearances. 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), making six consecutive appearances in the national club championship tournament. The team won back-to-back national championships in 1997 and 1998.
Supporting Cast
On Oct. 8, the Wolverines played to a 1-1 draw with Michigan State in front of a supporting cast of 3,009 fans, a U-M Soccer Field record for both men's and women's soccer. The previous record of 1,887 was set by the women's soccer team on Oct. 28, 2005.
Sharing the Wealth
The Wolverines have been able to net their goals with the help of sophomore Steve Bonnell and freshman Mauro Fuzetti (Houston, Texas/Stratford) sharing the wealth of the ball. The pair is tied for first on the team with three assists apiece, and each has a two-assist game this season. Bonnell's first career two-assist game was against Butler, as he set up Peri Marosevic and Jake Stacy -- Stacy's goal gave Bonnell his second-career game-winning assist. Fuzetti earned two assists to lead U-M to its first win of the season, 2-1 over Northern Illinois (Sept. 1), 2-1.
Team Leadership
The 2006 Wolverines are led by senior tri-captains Kevin Hall, Kevin Savitskie and Brian Popeney (Canton, Mich./Plymouth Salem). Hall and Savitskie were defensive leaders for the Wolverines in 2005, but also contributed key points throughout the campaign. Savitskie was fifth on the team in points (6) and third in goals (3). Hall, in his second season as captain, scored his lone goal of the season against Denver (Sept. 4), netting the game-winner in the 85th minute to give the Wolverines a victory in the MSU/Radisson Classic. Popeney brings his leadership and experience to the table after playing in 36 games, making five starts and dishing off two assists in his career.
New Faces in Town
Michigan's 2006 recruiting class ranked 26th on the College Soccer News top 40 list, with three highly touted recruits joining the Wolverines. Freshmen Mauro Fuzetti, Peri Marosevic and Julian Robles (Hacienda Heights, Calif./Damien) joined sophomore midfielder Nader Jarun (Peachtree, Ga./McIntosh HS), a transfer from Vanderbilt. In 2006, Fuzetti earned All-Greater Houston and first team all-district honors. Marosevic was a member of Parade magazine's 2006 All-America team, and participated in his second year with the U.S. National Team Under-18 group, traveling to Portugal and competing with the squad in the 13th annual Lisbon International Tournament in June. Robles was named 2006 California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern California Defender of the Year after leading Damien High School to its first CIF State Championship title. Robles was also an all-state honoree after receiving all-district and all-region recognition. Jarun played in 14 of 18 matches at Vanderbilt University, tallying six shots with two on goal while being part of an attacking front line that ranked fifth in the SEC in goals (28) and assists (27), leading the Commodores to their first winning record (9-7-2) in six years.
Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week
Freshman Peri Marosevic was named Big Ten Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 25, sharing the award with Indiana's Kevin Robson. Marosevic received the first conference honor of his career after tallying five points (two goals, one assist) while leading the Wolverines to a win and a tie against Oakland and Indiana, respectively.
Marosevic is the first Wolverine to receive the weekly honor in the 2006 season. The Rockford, Ill., native is also the first U-M freshman to receive the laurel since Nov. 3, 2003, when teammate Bobby Trybula (Loveland, Ohio/Archbishop Moeller HS) earned the accolade.
Raising the Bar
Michigan finished the 2005 season with an overall record of 8-10-1, tying for fifth place in the Big Ten Conference at 2-4-0. One of the biggest wins of the season came on Oct. 20 when the Wolverines defeated the No. 25 Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers in double overtime by a score of 2-1. The Wolverines missed making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002.
Contact: Joseph Conrad (734) 763-4423
