Wolverines to Face First Road Test at Omaha

THIS WEEK
Friday, Sept. 13 -- at Omaha (Omaha, Neb.), 7 p.m. CDT
TV: OMavs.com | Live Stats | Live Video

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The University of Michigan men's soccer team (2-2-0) returns to action Friday (Sept. 13), when the Wolverines face Omaha (0-3-1) in their first road contest of the year. The match is slated to begin at 7 p.m. CDT at Caniglia Field.

Team Notes

• Michigan has posted winning records on the road in each of the last two seasons (3-2-1 in 2017, 3-1-2 in 2018).

• The Wolverines have had a bright start to the season offensively, as they have tallied nine goals in four matches. That offensive output matches last year's start. U-M leads the Big Ten in goals and points (32).

• Through four matches, 12 different student-athletes have recorded at least one point.

• Since it allowed four goals in the season opener against Florida Gulf Coast (Aug. 30), the Michigan defense has tightened up over the last three matches, allowing only two goals. The Wolverines conceded five shots on goal in that opening match; in the three matches since, they have allowed a combined six shots on goal.

• Graduate student Nebojsa Popovic has injected more quality to the offense, as he leads the Big Ten in points (eight) on three goals and two assists. After transferring from Oakland for his final year of eligibility, Popovic has 17 goals and 18 assists in his career.

• Sophomore Derick Broche made his first career start against Southern Ilinois University-Edwardsville on Monday (Sept. 2) and tallied five points on two goals and an assist on the game-winning goal by Nebojsa Popovic. Broche has played in all four matches, including two starts, after he sat out his freshman season due to injury.

Opponent Preview

Omaha is 0-3-1 on the season. The Mavericks are coming off a 3-1 home loss to UNLV on Monday. Diego Gutierrez and Vlad Jokic each have one goal, though Omaha has been outscored by a 9-2 clip in its four matches. Ugo Tritz and Jeremy Pollard have split time in net for the Mavericks this season. Omaha went 7-8-1 last year and finished second in the Summit League.

Series: U-M holds a 1-0-0 advantage in the all-time series against Omaha. The Wolverines won the lone matchup, 2-1 in overtime on Oct. 14, 2017, in Ann Arbor.

Up Next

Tuesday, Sept. 17 -- vs. Oakland (U-M Soccer Stadium), 7:30 p.m. [ Tickets ]
Saturday, Sept. 21 -- vs. Rutgers (U-M Soccer Stadium), 3 p.m. [ Tickets ]