Michigan
9-4-2
Akron
12-1-2
Michigan Edged Out by No. 5 Akron on the Road
10/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Score: #5 Akron 1, #21 Michigan 0
Records: U-M (9-4-2), Akron (12-1-2)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Oct. 25 -- at No. 2 Northwestern (Evanston, Ill), 7 p.m. CDT
Boxscore
AKRON, Ohio -- The No. 21-ranked University of Michigan men's soccer team fell 1-0 to No. 5-ranked Akron on Wednesday night (Oct. 22) on Lee Jackson Field. The Wolverines equaled the Zips in shots on goal with six, but could not solve the Akron goalkeeper.
Senior Michael Holody(Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) spearheaded the U-M attack, owning half of the Wolverine shots on net and had a penalty kick turned aside. Senior/junior Patrick Sperry(Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central) posted five saves against the nation's third-ranked offense.
Akron cracked the scoreboard 17:36 into the opening frame to go up 1-0. Anthony Ampaipitakwong took a cross at the center of the box and put it out of the reach of Sperry. Aside from the one Zips marker, Michigan was able to defuse two corner kicks in a very physical opening frame. Senior Steve Bonnell(St. Clair Shores, Mich./Detroit Country Day) and junior Peri Marosevic(Rockford, Ill./Edison Academy) both had good chances in the frame, coming off the wings and forcing the Akron keeper to make big saves.
Michigan got a golden opportunity to score just over nine minutes after the halftime break when an attacker was hauled down in the box, drawing a penalty kick. Holody, who had a perfect record from the spot in his career, was tabbed to take the shot. As he reared back, the Akron goalkeeper guessed early and correctly, steering the strike aside.
The Wolverines turned up the heat as the second period wore on, rattling off eight shots in the latter stanza. Michigan also generated four corner kicks and held Akron to none in the second half. Holody, who moved forward in U-M's goal-down formation, and junior/sophomore Matt Schmitt(Muskegon, Mich./Reeths-Puffer) had two shots each in the period.
Michigan will seek win number 10 on the season at No. 2 Northwestern on Saturday (Oct. 26) at 7 p.m. CDT in Evanston, Ill.
GAME SUMMARY
| By Periods | 1 | 2 | F |
| Michigan | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Akron | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- Akron, Anthony Ampaipitakwong, 17:36 (Ben Zemanski)
Shots: U-M 12, Akron 13
Shots on Goal: U-M 6, Akron 6
Saves: U-M 5 (Patrick Sperry), Akron 6 (Evan Bush)
Corner Kicks: U-M 7, Akron 2
Fouls: U-M 15, Akron 15
Cards: U-M, Julian Robles, 51:51 (Yellow); U-M, Matt Schmitt, 77:08 (Yellow).
N O T E S
The Wolverines fell to 2-2-0 against ranked opponents and had a two-game winning streak against ranked foes.
Michigan dropped to 3-4-0 all-time against Akron.
Senior Michael Holody failed to convert on a penalty kick for the first time in his career. He is 2-for-3 (.667) on the campaign and 5-for-6 (.833) in his career.
Q U O T E S
On what to take away from the game... "We learned a heck of a lot from this game. It put us at a different level as a team. It is not always about skill, but the size of the fight. When you have both skill and fight, you are a tough team to beat."
On the game... "This was a great college soccer game, for sure. Akron is a very good team. The environment was electric, and in the end, we ran out of time."
On the difference... "They defended all the way to 90th minute. Their first shot was a goal and it was a good goal. We had already had two good shots and forced the keeper to make a good save. They had more moments in first half and we had more in the second half -- we just didn't score on them."
Contact: Ryan Sosin (734) 763-4423
Team Stats
AMPAIPITAKWONG, A. (4)
Assisted By: ZEMANSKI, Ben
Cross from right of box, 12 yards to bac
17:36
