Weekly Release #9 (vs. Bowling Green, Northwestern)

Upcoming Schedule
Wednesday, Oct. 17-- vs. Bowling Green (U-M Soccer Field), 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 20 -- vs. No. 9 Northwestern (U-M Soccer Field), 7 p.m.

This Week: Falcons, Wildcats
The University of Michigan men's soccer team (8-4-1) plays back-to-back home matches on the U-M Soccer Field this weekend, as the Wolverines take on Bowling Green Wednesday (Oct. 17) at 7 p.m. and No. 9 Northwestern Saturday (Oct. 20) at 7 p.m.

Scouting the Opponents ...
Bowling Green -- Michigan faces the Bowling Green Falcons (3-7-3 overall, 0-1-1 MAC) of the MAC Wednesday (Oct. 17). This is the sixth meeting between Michigan and Bowling Green. Michigan holds a 3-2 edge in the all-time series. In 2004 -- the last regular season meeting between the two teams -- Michigan blanked the Falcons, 4-0, on the U-M Soccer Field. Bowling Green finished the 2006 season with an overall record of 4-14-1 (0-5-0 MAC), advancing to the semifinals of the MAC Conference Championship before it fell to the University of Akron, 8-2.
Bowling Green on the web: www.bgsufalcons.com.

Northwestern -- U-M will play the No. 9-ranked Northwestern Wildcats (9-2-1 overall, 2-2-0 Big Ten) Saturday (Oct. 20), which will mark the 11th meeting between the squads. Michigan leads the series 6-4, but U-M lost the 2006 matchup, 2-0, in Evanston, Ill. The Wildcats finished the 2006 season 14-8-0 overall and 2-4-0 in the Big Ten. Northwestern lost to Penn State, 1-2, in the first round of the 2006 Big Ten Tournament. The Wildcats advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals before they lost to eventual champ UC Santa Barbara 2-3.
Northwestern on the web: www.nusports.com

This Week's Storylines ...
Did You Know
The Wolverines are 5-1-1 at home this season.
Michigan has not played a home match since Saturday, Sept. 29, against Indiana.
Junior midfielder Nader Jarun (Peachtree City, Ga./McIntosh), freshman midfielder Alex Wood (Northville, Mich./Northville) and freshman defender Adam Keller (Franklin, Mich./Birmingham Groves) each made their first career starts against Michigan State.

Player Notables
Junior midfielder Jake Stacy (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central) has seven assists for the season, which leads the team and ties for second in the Big Ten for most helpers.

Sophomore forward Mauro Fuzetti (Houston, Texas/Stratford) has three game-winning goals for the season, which puts Fuzetti in a second-place tie in the Big Ten for most game-winners.

Junior/sophomore Patrick Sperry (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central) has a career- and program-best six shutouts this season.

2006 Season in Review
Michigan finished the 2006 season with an overall record of 7-10-4. The Wolverines maintained a 4-3-3 record at home, a 1-6-1 mark on the road and a 2-1-0 record at neutral sites. The team played a difficult schedule, matching up against four top 25 teams: No. 17 St. Johns, No. 3 New Mexico, No. 14 Kentucky and No. 8 Notre Dame. Michigan came away with a 2-1 overtime win against No. 14 Kentucky, and was close to defeating Big Ten champion and College Cup participant Indiana but the match ended in a 2-2 draw. The Wolverines finished sixth in the Big Ten with a conference record of 1-2-3 -- a slate highlighted by a shutout win over Penn State at the U-M Soccer Field, 1-0. At the Big Ten Tournament in Columbus, Ohio, the Maize and Blue defeated Wisconsin in the first round but lost to the Buckeyes in the second round to end the season.

Diverse Freshmen Squad Ready to Take the Field
Michigans 2007 recruiting class was ranked 37th in the country by College Soccer News. The incoming freshmen include: Goalkeeper Chris Blais (Seattle Wash./Kennedy Memorial), forwards Vinny Crumrine (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Park) and Tex McCullough (Plano, Texas/Plano Senior), defenders Jeff Quijano (Simi Valley/Canoga Park) and Adam Keller (Franklin, Mich./Birmingham Groves) and midfielders Adam Shaw (Lone Tree, Colo./Highlands Ranch) and Alex Wood (Northville, Mich./Northville).

Marosevic All Over the Map
Peri Marosevic spent this past summer playing internationally for the Under-18 U.S. National Team. As the captain of the group, Marosevic and team traveled to Lisbon, Portugal, for the XII Lisbon International Tournament. He scored three of the teams four goals in the tournament to lead the U.S. to a third-place finish. Marosevic was also selected as a member of the 17-man roster for the U.S. Mens Pan-American Games, which took place July 13-26 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The team went 1-2, failing to earn a medal. His last summer adventure took him to the SBS Cup in Shizuoka, Japan, where the Under-18 team went 1-2, losing to the Shizuoka Youth team and the Ukraine but beating Japan. Marosevic led the 2006 Michigan mens soccer team with five goals, 12 points, 66 shots and 24 shots on goal.

Sperry Has the Chance to Take Over the Charts
Patrick Sperrys name is already written in the Michigan record books. He owns the lowest career GAA (600 minutes) in U-M mens soccer history with 1.10, and is tied with Peter Dzubay (2002-05) for the most shutouts in a single season with five. He is second overall in career shutouts, earning his 11th against Oakland last weekend. He now possesses 14 career wins. The current career records for wins (37) and shutouts (19) are both owned by Dzubay.

New Records Set in 06
During the 2006 season, Michigan set season records for fewest goals allowed (24) and most shots attempted (346). Prior to the 2006 season, Michigan had allowed a season-low 25 goals and had taken a season-high 306 shots.

Wolverines and the Michigan Bucks
Five Michigan soccer players spent the summer playing with the Michigan Bucks of the Premier Development League. Michigan players on the Bucks roster included: Junior forward Steve Bonnell (St. Clair Shores, Mich./Detroit Country Day), Michael Holody, junior midfielder Alex Morisset (Shelby Township, Mich./De La Salle), Santos Perez (Troy, Mich./Athens) and sophomore forward Mauro Fuzetti (Houston, Texas/Stratford). The Bucks -- last seasons PDL champions -- advanced to the championship game against the Laredo Heat again this season. The game came down to penalty kicks after a defensive battle in which regulation and overtime ended in a 0-0 draw. Fuzetti netted his attempt, but the Bucks came up short and lost the match 4-3. Holody was named a 2007 PDL all-conference selection for his consistent defensive play, participating in every minute of all 20 games during the Bucks' regular season.

Huls Joins the Club
Senior/junior goalkeeper Tom Huls (Plymouth, Mich./Salem) joins the varsity squad after two years of play on the Michigan club soccer team. Huls and his varsity high school team were conference champs during his senior year, and he was named first team all-state his sophomore and junior years. Huls saw his first game action against Florida International and preventing any scoring from the opposition.

Team Leadership
The 2007 Wolverines are led by tri-captains senior midfielder Michael Parke (Portage, Mich./Portage Central), Alex Morisset and Michael Holody. Parke played in 12 matches during the 2006 season and netted his first collegiate goal -- a game-winner -- against Northern Illinois. Morisset started and played in 20 games last season, scoring one goal. He was named to the Michigan Invitational all-tournament team. Holody led the defense last year, playing in 20 matches with 20 starts. He scored three goals and had one assist.

Challenging Season
The U-M men's soccer team faces another grueling schedule this year, playing four teams in the NSCAA top 25. Michigan played No. 19 Indiana at the U-M Soccer Field Saturday, Sept. 29; and then faced No. 3-ranked Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., on Wednesday, Oct. 3, at 8 p.m. They will play the Northwestern Wildcats, the No. 9-ranked team, on Saturday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m. at the U-M Soccer Field and No. 23 Akron Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. at the U-M Soccer Field.

Coach Burns Bio
Head coach Steve Burns is 75-63-14 in seven seasons as the leader of the Michigan mens soccer team. Under Burns guidance, the Wolverines have made two College Cup appearances (2003 and 2004). Before U-M mens soccer was granted varsity status, Burns was the head coach of the Michigan club team from 1993-99. The club team won back-to-back national championships in 1997 and 1998 and posted a 121-51-26 record (.677 winning percentage) overall.

Upcoming Schedule
U-M will play Akron Wednesday (Oct. 24) on the U-M Soccer Field at 7 p.m. The Wolverines will then face Ohio State Saturday (Oct. 27) in Columbus, Ohio, at 4 p.m.

Contact: Stacey Schwartz (734) 763-4423