Tennant's Goal Gives Michigan Upset Win Over Badgers

Thursday, November 2

Columbus, Ohio

1:30 PM

Michigan

7-9-4, 1-2-3Big Ten

Wisconsin

9-8-2, 3-2-1Big Ten

Michigan

Wisconsin

11/2/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

By: Joseph Conrad

Site: Columbus, Ohio (Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium)
Event: Big Ten Championship (First Round)
Score: Michigan 1, Wisconsin 0
Records: U-M (7-9-4), Wisconsin (9-8-2)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Nov. 3 -- at Ohio State at Big Ten Championship Semifinals (Columbus, Ohio), 7:30 p.m.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Sophomore Chase Tennant's (Rochester, Mich./Rochester HS) first goal of the season lifted the University of Michigan men's soccer team past Wisconsin, 1-0, on Thursday (Nov. 2) in the opening round of the Big Ten Championship at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The upset of the No. 3-seeded Badgers (9-8-2) puts the No. 6-seeded Wolverines (7-9-4) in the semifinals.

Tennant's header in the 67th minute was assisted by sophomore Steve Bonnell (St. Clair Shores, Mich./Detroit Country Day School) and freshman Mauro Fuzetti (Houston, Texas/Stratford HS). Bonnell set up the play with a pass to Fuzetti on the right flank, and Fuzetti then crossed the ball to a diving Tennant. Tennant headed in the marker from seven yards out, beating Badgers' keeper Jake Settle to his left.

The Wolverines' best scoring chance of the first half came in the 22nd minute with senior tri-captain Kevin Hall (Kalamazoo, Mich./Central HS) taking his second shot on goal, but the Badgers keeper deflected the ball off the crossbar and back into play. The scoring chance was set up with beautiful passing in tight quarters with Michigan stringing three passes past five Wisconsin defenders. On the last touch of the ball, freshman Peri Marosevic (Rockford, Ill./Edison Academy) made the pass to Hall, who took the shot from 17 yards out on the right flank.

The first scoring opportunity for Michigan came in the second minute when Marosevic slipped the ball to sophomore Alex Morisset (Shelby Township, Mich./De La Salle HS). Morisset made a run on net past two defenders and took a shot six yards from the goal on the left flank as Settle made the save.

Hall took the second shot on goal for U-M in the seventh minute. Morisset passed the ball to a streaking Hall, who then fired the shot from 16 yards out with Settle deflecting the ball high and out of bounds for a Michigan corner kick. The Wolverines came away scoreless on the corner kick after the ball was knocked out of the goal mouth by the Badger goalkeeper.

The first half concluded with a 0-0 score, while Michigan held the shooting edge over Wisconsin, 11-4.

Six minutes into the second stanza, U-M sophomore/freshman goalkeeper Patrick Sperry (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central HS) made his second save of the match. A Wisconsin attacker took the shot 19 yards out and Sperry made a diving save to his right.

Two minutes later senior Bobby Trybula (Loveland, Ohio/Bishop Mueller HS) took his first shot on goal. The scoring chance was taken from the left flank after Trybula made a run past two defenders and took a wide shot that hit the side of the net.

After the Michigan goal, the Maize and Blue continued to attack the Wisconsin defense, firing back-to-back shots with Settle making both saves. The first shot was taken by Marosevic in the 71st minute from the right flank as Settle came out of the net to block the shot. Sophomore Jake Stacy (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central HS) recovered the rebound and pounded a shot back into the hands of Settle, who deflected the ball out for a Michigan corner kick. Bonnell took a header that went wide on the corner kick for the Wolverines.

Closing out the final minutes of the match, the Wolverine defense held strong, disrupting three corner kicks and earning their sixth shutout of the year.

Michigan advances to the semifinals of the Big Ten Championships and will play the winner of the Ohio State and Michigan State match. The Wolverines will play Friday (Nov. 3) at 7:30 p.m. in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

GAME SUMMARY

By Periods	1	2	F
Michigan	1	0	1
Wisconsin	0	0	0

Scoring, Time (Assist)
2nd -- U-M, Chase Tennant, 66:56 (Mauro Fuzetti, Steve Bonnell)

Shots: U-M 22, UW 9
Saves: U-M 2 (Patrick Sperry), UW 7 (Jake Settle)
Corner Kicks: U-M 4, UW 3
Fouls: U-M 16, UW 9
Cards: U-M, Alex Morisset, 32:03 (yellow); U-M, Tolu Olowolafe, 85:53 (yellow)

NOTES

• Senior tri-captains Kevin Hall and Kevin Savitskie appeared their 81st and 74th career game, respectively. Hall's 81 career games tie him for second on U-M's all-time career list with Ryan Sterba (2002-05), while Savitskie ties with Mike White (2000-03) for third on the list.

• Sophomore Chase Tennant netted his first goal of the year, a game-winner in the 67th minute.

• Freshman Peri Marosevic's six shots give him 62 on the season, breaking a tie with Mychal Turpin (56) for second place on U-M's single-season shot list, placing him one shot behind Knox Cameron's 2003 first place total (63).

• Sophomore/freshman Patrick Sperry grabbed two saves, giving him a season total of 72. He is tied with Peter Dzubay's 2005 total for second on U-M's single-season saves list.

• Sperry earned his fifth shutout of the season, giving him a share of the school single-season record. Peter Dzubay had five shutouts in 2003, '04 and '05.

• Michigan outshot Wisconsin 22-9 and boosted its season shots total to 315, the most single-season shots taken in program history.

• With today's 1-0 win over Wisconsin, Michigan is 7-2 all-time against the Badgers.

• The Wolverines are 4-6 in Big Ten Championship contests after today's win.

• The Maize and Blue earned its sixth shutout of the season, one more than last season's total.

QUOTES

Michigan Head Coach Steve Burns
On the game ... "We want to congratulate Wisconsin on the great season that they had. I think today was a game where we were able to pick up a lot of second balls, connect passes and create dangerous chances. And we found one late in the second half."

On the offense ... "Soccer is a game of momentum and both teams get those chances. It's what you do with your chances. We're not pleased that we didn't convert more goals; at the same time we're glad that we put it together defensively and got out with a victory."

On Chase Tennant's first goal of the season ... "I told Chase after the game that it was a very timely goal for it being his first. It was a great finish shot from a superb assist from Mauro Fuzetti."

On what the team needs to do in order to win in the next round ... "I think we're playing well right now. A team that has momentum can be a dangerous team, and a team that has found their form can be a dangerous team. I think we're right where we want to be with finding our form."