Michigan
9-4-2
Northwestern
9-2-2
U-M Draws With Northwestern in Double-Overtime Battle
10/20/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (U-M Soccer Field)
Score: Michigan 0, Northwestern 0 (2OT)
Records: U-M (9-4-2), Northwestern (9-2-2)
Next U-M Event: Wednesday, Oct. 24 -- vs. Akron (U-M Soccer Field), 7:00 p.m.
Boxscore
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's soccer team held the No. 9 Northwestern Wildcats scoreless Saturday (Oct. 20) on the U-M Soccer Field, finishing the game with a 0-0 draw. Michigan's held the potent Northwestern offense in check, as junior/sophomore goalkeeper Patrick Sperry (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central) tallied six saves in the match.
The two teams battled evenly in the early beginnings of the game. The first breakthrough came when Northwestern saw an early first-half opportunity on a one-on-one with Sperry, but the Wildcats sent the ball wide.
Michigan then had a chance on a corner kick by junior midfielder Jake Stacy (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central) but Northwestern cleared the attempt.
Senior defender Ben Carter (Flint, Mich./Carman Ainsworth), neared the NU net, beat the Wildcat defenders and sent a cross to sophomore forward Peri Marosevic (Rockford, Ill./Edison) but the ball went wide of the net.
Late in the first stanza -- on a Northwestern corner kick -- junior defender Michael Holody (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) cleared the mail-in to protect the shutout.
NU had an advantage at the half with five shots, including two on goal.
Both teams came out strong in the second half. The teams shared possession evenly, going back and forth as each tried to assemble an offensive mark.
With 20 minutes left in the second half, junior midfielder Nader Jarun (Peachtree City, Ga.) ripped a corner kick, but it fell short of the goal and NU regained possession.
With a flurry of activity around the Michigan net around the 70 minute mark, Northwestern fired off a couple shots -- but Michigan stood tall and prevented any penetration.
In the waning minutes of the second half, Northwestern kept the ball close to the Michigan net, threatening multiple times -- but the stout Michigan defense stopped NU from scoring.
On a Wildcat corner kick with a minute left, Sperry made a great save punching the ball before it could cross the goal. The Wolverine keeper made another impressive save, diving to push away a rolling ball that headed straight for the left side of the net.
Regulation ended with a 0-0 tie.
In the first overtime period, both teams fought hard but neither created any true offensive chances.
In the middle of the second overtime, NU had a chance for the golden goal when Northwestern hit a set piece just outside the 18-yard box, but Michigan cleared it.
Michigan had one final chance on corner kick by Stacy, but Northwestern was able to clear.
Michigan will face Akron Wednesday (Oct. 24) on the U-M Soccer Field. The match will begin at 7:00 p.m.
GAME SUMMARY
| Team | 1 | 2 | OT1 | OT2 | F |
| Northwestern | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michigan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Scoring, Time (Assist)
None.
Shots: U-M 19, NU 5
aves: U-M 6 (Patrick Sperry), NU 15 (Will Briley)
Corner Kicks: U-M 5, NU 4
Fouls: U-M 12, NU 11
Cards: U-M, Jeff Quijano, 66:42 (yellow); NU-Pat Coleman, 95:49 (yellow); U-M, Alex Morisset,104:47 (yellow)
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Steve Burns
On whether he was pleased with the match... "I am pleased with our team's performance because this was certainly a game Northwestern could have won but we bottled them up and got into a position where we could win the game."
On the next game... "I think we're recognizing how to be an effective team out in the channels. The fact that we were able to control a lot of space out there, especially in the overtimes is what I am most satisfied with right now. Every game is crucial. Next is Akron and after that, we're in Columbus."
Contact: Stacey Schwartz (734) 763-4423
