Michigan
Northwestern
Top-Seeded Wolverines to Host Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinal
11/2/2017 10:59:00 AM | Men's Soccer
» U-M enters the week ranked No. 12 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, No. 17 in the College Soccer News Top 30, and No. 16 according to TopDrawerSoccer.com. U-M also checks in at No. 12 in the latest NCAA RPI ranking.
» Michigan enters the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 1 seed after winning its first Big Ten championship with a 2-1 double-overtime win at No. 9 Maryland (Oct. 29).
» The Wolverines will host the winner of the Big Ten Tournament first-round matchup of Rutgers vs. Northwestern on Sunday (Nov. 5) at 1 p.m. at U-M Soccer Stadium.
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• Match Day Information: U-M Soccer Stadium Information | Ticket Information
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THIS WEEK: BIG TEN TOURNAMENT
Sunday, Nov. 5 -- vs. Northwestern - Quarterfinal (U-M Soccer Stadium), 6Â p.m.
TV: BTN Plus | Tickets | Live Stats | Live Video
Schedule Update: The start time for Sunday's (Nov. 5) game has been pushed back five hours to 6 p.m. due to the weather forecast.
The No. 12 University of Michigan men's soccer team (11-4-2, 6-1-1 B1G) is the No. 1 seed for the Big Ten Tournament and will host a quarterfinal on Sunday (Nov. 5) at 6 p.m. against the winner of the Big Ten first-round matchup between No. 8 seed Northwestern vs. No. 9 seed Rutgers. Sunday's winner will advance to Westfield, Indiana, for the Big Ten Tournament semifinals and final on Friday and Sunday (Nov. 10-12). The Wolverines locked up the No. 1 seed in the tournament by capturing their first Big Ten regular-season crown with a 2-1 double-overtime victory at No. 9 Maryland on Sunday (Oct. 29).
WOLVERINE BITES
• At 6-1-1 in Big Ten play, U-M surpassed the previous program standard for Big Ten wins in a season. A win on Sunday (Nov. 5) would tie the program standard for home wins in a season with nine, a mark that was set during the 2008 season.
• U-M enters the week ranked No. 12 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, No. 17 in the College Soccer News Top 30, and No. 16 according to TopDrawerSoccer.com. U-M also checks in at No. 12 in the latest NCAA RPI ranking and No. 2 in the Midwest Regional ranking.
• Junior Francis Atuahene and junior Daniel Mukuna were named Big Ten Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week (Nov. 1), respectively, for their performances in U-M's 2-0 week. Atuahene takes home his second Big Ten weekly honor of his career, while Mukuna led the U-M defense to a clean sheet over the Detroit Mercy Titans and scored U-M's first goal against the Terrapins on a header off a corner kick in the seventh minute of action.
• Michigan is No. 3 in the Big Ten in shots per match (14.65) and checks in at No. 2 in the league and No. 21 nationally in corner kicks (6.18/match). Additionally, U-M is 8-1-1 when outshooting teams, 7-2-2 in one-goal matches, and 9-0-0 when scoring first in a match.
• The Wolverines have utilized 12 different starting lineup combinations due to various circumstances, with only junior Robbie Mertz starting all 17 matches. Key contributors in freshman Mohammed Zakyi, sophomore Abdou Samake, and juniors Mukuna, Atuahene and Ivo Cerda have all missed significant time due to injuries.
• After missing the majority of the early season due to injury, Atuahene had his best week of the season in crunch time, scoring the match-winning goal against both Detroit (Oct. 25) and Maryland (Oct. 29). Overall, Atuahene has five goals in 800 minutes of action, which is the top goals per match mark in the conference (0.63/match).
• Michigan has outscored teams 26-16 on the season, including a 10-5 margin in the first half. The program record for fewest goals allowed in a season (20) was set in 2015. The school record for fewest goals allowed in the first half of action is seven, which was set in the 2011 season.
• Sophomore Jack Hallahan leads the team in points (17) and assists (seven), while Zakyi leads the team in goals with six. Hallahan's seven assists on the season have him tied for fifth in the U-M single-season record book, and he has marked a goal and assist on four occasions. Over the last four matches, the duo has combined for 10 points (four goals, two assists).
• The Maize and Blue has played the No. 14 schedule in the country according to the NCAA strength of schedule rankings, highlighted by a 1-1 draw at then-No. 1 Indiana on Sept. 13 and a 2-1 win at No. 9 Maryland on Sunday (Oct. 29) in double-overtime. As a whole, past opposition has combined for a 134-90-34 record (.585).
OPPONENT PREVIEWS
This Season vs. Rutgers
The Wolverines defeated the Scarlet Knights by a 3-1 score on Oct. 6 in Ann Arbor. Zakyi had three assists on the night, tying the Michigan record for helpers in a match. The last time the feat was accomplished was the 2003 season (Knox Cameron), while the three goals for U-M tied its season high, which had been achieved twice previously. Atuahene notched a pair of goals.
This Season vs. Northwestern
U-M defeated the Wildcats 3-1 on Sept. 24 at U-M Soccer Stadium. An inspired effort saw the Wolverines, who were playing with 10 men for nearly 60 minutes of action, scrape out the victory. Cerda scored his second goal of the season in the 31st minute, while freshman Jackson Ragen had the first of his career in the 56th minute. Hallahan iced the match with 37 seconds to play.
Tweet of the Week
Say ?? to the 2017 #B1G Champions, the first-ever in program history!
— U-M Men's Soccer (@umichsoccer) October 29, 2017
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Keep Up With the Wolverines
Stay current with everything going on with the Wolverines by following Michigan men's soccer on Twitter (@umichsoccer), Snapchat (@umichathletics) and "liking" the Wolverines on Facebook at 'MichiganSoccer'.
NEXT WEEK
Friday, Nov. 10 -- Big Ten Tournament Semifinal (Grand Park, Westfield, Ind.), Noon
Sunday, Nov. 12 -- Big Ten Tournament Final (Grand Park, Westfield, Ind.), Noon
