Wolverines Drop Season Opener to No. 17 St. John's

Friday, August 25

Ann Arbor, Mich.

7:30 PM

Michigan

0-1-0

St. John's

1-0-0

STJ

Michigan

8/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

By: Joseph Conrad

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (U-M Soccer Field)
Score: #17 St. John's 2, Michigan 0
Records: U-M (0-1-0), St. John's (1-0-0)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Aug. 27 -- vs. Coastal Carolina (U-M Soccer Field), 2:30 p.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's soccer team dropped a close home opener to No. 17 St. John's in 2-0 decision Friday (Aug. 25) on the U-M Soccer Field.

Redshirt freshman Patrick Sperry (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central) made his debut start in net for the Wolverines as he grabbed seven saves and allowed two goals in 90 minutes. One of the biggest saves of the night came in the 75th minute as he stopped St. John's Billy Hole from scoring on a penalty kick. After forcing a Michigan foul, Hole stepped to the ball to launch a shot to the left, but Sperry guessed correctly and made a diving save to knock the ball out wide, forcing a corner kick and keeping the game at 2-0.

The first goal of the night came at the 17:30 mark. After Andy Foote of the Red Storm made a pass to Patrick Engstrom, Engstrom's shot ricocheted off the right post into the net. The Wolverine defense continued to fight back as Sperry made two back-to-back saves just minutes after the goal, keeping Michigan within reach heading into halftime down 1-0.

The Wolverine offense took a total 13 shots, with three on goal, forcing St. John's goalkeeper Jason Landers to grab three saves. Leading the Maize and Blue was sophomore Jake Stacy (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central), who took six shots with one on goal. Stacy's shot on goal was taken after senior Bobby Trybula (Loveland, Ohio/Archbishop Moeller) fed him the ball from the left flank, where Stacy took a wide shot against Landers.

Freshman Mauro Fuzetti (Houston, Texas/Stratford) took five shots with two on goal in his collegiate debut. One of Fuzetti's best opportunities came in the 29th minute when he forced a header to sail high after laying out for a through ball from senior Kevin Savitskie (Plymouth, Mich./Salem). The freshman forward had one more scoring chance after sophomore Santos Perez (Troy, Mich./Athens) restarted play, sending the ball to Fuzetti, who then volleyed a laser in point blank range, only to hit the right post and sail wide.

The Wolverines continue non-conference play as they take on Coastal Carolina on Sunday (Aug. 27) at 2:30 p.m. at the U-M Soccer Field.

GAME SUMMARY

By Periods	1	2	F
St. John's	1	1	2
Michigan	0	0	0

Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- STJ, Patrick Engstrom, 17:30 (Andy Foote)
2nd -- STJ, Jeff Stepan, 60:59 (unassisted)

Shots: U-M 13, STJ 13
Shots on Goal: U-M 9, STJ 3
Saves: U-M 7 (Patrick Sperry), STJ 3 (Jason Landers)
Corner Kicks: U-M 8, STJ 6
Fouls: U-M 16, STJ 9
Cards: STJ, Patrick Engstrom, 67:29 (yellow)

NOTES

• Michigan lost its season opener for the first time since 2002, falling to 5-2 all-time in season openers.

• Michigan is currently 2-1 all-time in season openers vs. ranked opponents.

• The Wolverines are 0-1 all-time against the Red Storm, with this being the first meeting in program history.

• Redshirt freshman Patrick Sperry made his collegiate debut in net for the Wolverines, grabbing seven saves in 90 minutes.

• Freshman Mauro Fuzetti started in his career debut, taking five shots with two on goal.

• Freshman Peri Marosevic made his collegiate debut as a reserve.

• Sophomore Daniel Gray made his collegiate debut as a reserve.

• Michigan lost on the U-M Soccer Field for the first time since Oct. 9 to Indiana (2-0), ending a two-match home winning streak.

QUOTES

Michigan Head Coach Steve Burns
On the game ... "It's disappointing to lose the home opener, but we saw some real great moments of what this team's capable of and I haven't seen a Michigan team play as well as we did in spots in a long time. That just shows we have potential. The attitude is really strong on the team and it's going to come together for us and we're going to get some good wins this season."

On Patrick Sperry ... "Sperry's one of those guys that shows, like a lot of our players, that he has a lot of potential and a big upside. He's got four years of eligibility, with this being his first game, he's filed all of it away and he will learn from it and just get better and better."

U-M Redshirt Freshman Goalkeeper Patrick Sperry
On his first collegiate start ... "I had a great time, some of the most fun I've ever had. I got tested continuously throughout the game, so I had a good chance to stay focused and tuned in to the game the entire time. I just kind of found a zone and stayed focused. I had a great time and I thought it was wonderful to be on the field with my teammates."

On how facing a tough team early in the season can help for the rest of the season ... "It helps a lot because it's the first game, it's a good measuring stick for us. It lets us know where we're at right now, we looked good, and we hung with them the whole game but were just unable to put the ball in the net."

On how the team builds from a tough loss ... "We just get right back at it each day, we work hard in training and continue to play. Just pretty much have a team attitude and get ready for the next match."