Michigan
Indiana
No. 18 Michigan to Face No. 1 on Road, Host Battle for Big Bear
9/12/2017 4:15:00 PM | Men's Soccer
• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter
• Match Day Information: U-M Soccer Stadium Information | Ticket Information
» Michigan (4-0-1, 1-0-0 B1G) is off to its longest unbeaten streak to start a season since 2008, and the Wolverines are 1-0-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since 2005 following a 2-1 win over Wisconsin on Friday (Sept. 8).
» Michigan enters the week ranked No. 18 in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll. Additionally, U-M is ranked No. 28 in the College Soccer News Top 30 National Poll, and No. 19 in the TopDrawerSoccer.com rankings.
» U-M looks to reclaim the Big Bear Trophy, which is awarded to the annual winner of the in-state matchup between the Wolverines and Spartans.
THIS WEEK
Wednesday, Sept. 13 -- at No. 1 Indiana (Bloomington, Ind.), 7:30 p.m.
Live Stats | TV: BTN | Live Video
Sunday, Sept. 17 -- vs. No. 6 Michigan State (U-M Soccer Stadium), Noon
Tickets | Live Stats | TV: BTN | Live Video
The University of Michigan men's soccer team (4-0-1, 1-0-0 B1G) will embark on its first road trip of the season, taking on the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers (4-0-1, 0-0-1 B1G) on Wednesday (Sept. 13) at 7:30 p.m. in Bloomington, Indiana, before hosting the No. 6 Michigan State Spartans (5-0-0, 1-0-0 B1G) in the Battle for Big Bear on Sunday (Sept. 17) at noon inside U-M Soccer Stadium. Both matches will be broadcast nationally on the Big Ten Network.
PROMOTIONS
• Make it a Wolverine Weekend!
• Michigan State: Football Ticket Redemption, Disc Dogs of Michigan, Futbol and Food Trucks, Fan Flag Giveaway (first 500 fans) [ more promotions ]
WOLVERINE BITES
• U-M is off to its longest unbeaten streak to start a season since 2008, and the Wolverines are 1-0-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since 2005 following a 2-1 win over Wisconsin on Friday (Sept. 8). The best start overall to a season came in 2007 (8-0-1) and is closely followed by the start to the 2009 season (7-1-0).
• Michigan enters the week ranked No. 18 in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll. Additionally, U-M is ranked No. 28 in the College Soccer News Top 30 National Poll, and No. 19 in the TopDrawerSoccer.com rankings.
• The Wolverines lead the Big Ten in shots with 74 (14.80/match), are second in points with 26 (5.20/game), and lead the league in assists with 10 (2.00/match). Sophomore Jack Hallahan is No. 3 in the conference in shots with 19 (3.80/game), while sophomore goalkeeper Andrew Verdi is No. 3 in the league in goals-against average (0.57).
• The Wolverines were greeted by a stellar crowd of 2,134 fans in the 2-1 win over Wisconsin (Sept. 8). The number marked the best turnout since Sept. 3, 2012, when 2,225 fans packed U-M Soccer Stadium against Michigan State, and was the sixth-largest turnout in UMSS history.
• Outscoring teams 8-3 on the season thus far, U-M has yet to concede a goal in the first half of play and has surrendered only 39 shots (15 on goal). U-M is 4-0-0 when scoring first in a match.
• Michigan (4-0-1), Indiana (4-0-1) and Michigan State (5-0-0) are three of the four teams in the Big Ten with an unbeaten record. Maryland (4-0-1) is the fourth. Overall, the conference is 25-10-8 collectively this season.
• Wedesnday's (Sept. 13) opponent Indiana ranks No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, while Sunday's (Sept. 17) opponent Michigan State checks in at No. 6. U-M has never faced a pair of top-10 opponents in back-to-back matches in program history.
• Nine players have made their Michigan debuts this year, highlighted by junior Daniel Mukuna playing 433 minutes of match action and freshman Marc Ybarra playing every minute (470) as a true freshman. Classmate Umar Farouk Osman has also started all five matches and has logged 422 minutes of action. Collectively, the trio owns nearly a third of U-M's points (8 of 26 points scored).
OPPONENT PREVIEWS
Indiana -- No. 1 Indiana, picked to finish second in the Big Ten preseason poll, enters the mid-week matchup with a 4-0-1 mark and is coming off a 0-0 draw against the No. 2 Maryland Terrapins in College Park on Sept. 8. In one of the premier matchups of the young 2017 season, the Hoosiers outshot the Terps, 14-7, but were unable to find a breakthrough.
Offensively, the Hoosiers lead the league in goals with 11 while conceding only one goal, and they boast four players with a pair of markers on the year. Goalkeeper Trey Muse owns a goals-against average of 0.19 and 10 saves to go along with four clean sheets.
The Hoosiers own an 18-3-1 margin in the all-time series, with the last victory for the Wolverines coming in the 2013 season by a 3-1 count at U-M Soccer Stadium. Overall, two of U-M's three wins have come in Bloomington, during the 2008 and 2012 seasons.
Michigan State -- No. 6 Michigan State enters a Wednesday (Sept. 13) matchup with Bowling Green with a 5-0-0 overall mark and a 1-0-0 Big Ten record after starting off conference play with a 2-1 win over Rutgers on Friday (Sept. 8).
The Spartans own a 13-7-1 mark in the all-time series. Under Chaka Daley, U-M is 3-2 against the Spartans, with back-to-back victories coming in the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Last year, MSU took the matchup, 1-0, in East Lansing.
The Big Bear Trophy, which is awarded to the regular-season winner of the annual matchup, will be up for grabs for the 17th time. In existence since the inception of the U-M vs. MSU rivalry in 2000, the bear was purchased by former U-M head coach Steve Burns on the way back from a yearly trip to Canada in 1999. The wood carved bear, which measures nearly two feet tall including the stand, was purchased from craftsman Keith Bunker in Wolverine, Michigan. Bunker passed away on May 16, 2013. Since its purchase, Big Bear has seen some ups and downs, losing both of its "eyes" and suffering a split in its stomach region in the past few seasons.
Tweet of the Week
Checking in at No. 1?8? in the latest @UnitedCoaches poll!
— U-M Men's Soccer (@umichsoccer) September 12, 2017
?#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/IVHFgaaHjj
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
Wednesday, Sept. 20 -- at Western Michigan (Kalamazoo, Mich.), 5 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 24 -- vs. Northwestern (U-M Soccer Stadium), Noon (TV: BTN)
