Michigan
Pittsburgh (ex)
Michigan Beats Pitt in Final Exhibition Game
8/26/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Boxscore
PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- The University of Michigan men's soccer team's offense came alive, as the Wolverines pounced Pittsburgh, 3-1, Sunday (Aug. 26) at Founder's Field, in U-M's final exhibition match of the season.
Pittsburgh scored first, netting its only goal of the game at the 19:26 mark. Less than two minutes after the Pitt score, the Wolverines rebounded quickly, as juniordefnder Michael Holody(Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) lay in wait behind Pittsburgh's pesky defense.Holody gained possession of the ball and passed it to freshman/sophomoreforward Cam Cameron (Ann Arbor, Mich./Saline) for his second goal of the exhibition season (21:55).
The first half ended with the score even at 1-1. Michigan held an advantage in shots with seven attempts to Pitt's three.
The Wolverines didn't wait long after the second period began to make their next move. At 52:20, sophomore forward Mauro Fuzetti (Houston, Texas/Stratford) successfully worked the Pitt defender one-on-one to get a great ball to sophomore/freshman defender Matt Schmitt (Muskegon, Mich./Reeths-Puffer), who headed it into the net underneath the grasp of the Pitt goalkeeper for the game-winning score.
After securing the advantage, the Wolverines scored once more. At 74:03, freshman forward Vinny Crumrine (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Park) -- after overrunning a pass -- came back to the ball. He served it up to senior/junior midfielder Steve Hecker (Portage, Mich./Portage Northern), who knocked it to the left side of the goal to beat the keeper to the near post.
In the net, junior/sophomore Patrick Sperry (Hinsdale, Ill./Hindale Central) made two saves. He was relieved at the 71:00 mark by freshman Chris Blais (Seattle, Wash./Kennedy Memorial), who was credited with one stop on the night.
The Wolverines open the regular season at home against Rutgers Friday (Aug. 31) at 7:30 p.m. on the U-M Soccer Field.
GAME SUMMARY
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
| Michigan | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Pittsburgh | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- Pitt, Matt Baker, 19:26 (unassisted)
1st -- U-M, Cam Cameron, 21:55 (Michael Holody)
2nd -- U-M, Matt Schmitt, 52:20 (Mauro Fuzetti)
2nd -- U-M, Steve Hecker, 74:03 (Vinny Crumrine)
Shots: U-M 13, Pitt 7
Saves: U-M 3 (Patrick Sperry 2, Chris Blais 1), Pitt 5 (Jordan Marks 3, Eric Barnes 2)
Corner Kicks: U-M 5, Pitt 6
Fouls: U-M 14, Pitt 16
Cards: None
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Steve Burns
On the keys to the victory ... "I think we were able to get a good Pittsburgh team stretched out both in the length and width of our attack..."
On the defense ... "We tightened things up defensively. We made good adjustments in the space between our central defender and wide defender. There was very little space for Pittsburgh to play balls through. They had to go around the outside on us and I think that when we won the ball defensively, we were taking a lot less chances playing out of the back."
On the upcoming game against Rutgers ... "There are always things that you want to get to that you never do. We prioritize well. We're going to keep working at it this week and I think that this game (against Pitt) was a step forward for us."
Contact: Stacey Schwartz (734) 763-4423
