Michigan
Maryland
U-M Looks to Keep Rolling Against Maryland, Ohio State
3/10/2021 8:01:00 AM | Men's Soccer
» Michigan enters the week in a three-way tie atop the Big Ten standings with Ohio State and Rutgers (nine points).
» The Wolverines have two matches this week, returning home to face Maryland on Thursday (March 11) before visiting Ohio State on Monday (March 15).
THIS WEEK
Thursday, March 11 -- vs. Maryland (Brighton, Mich.), 11 a.m.
Live Stats
Monday, March 15 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 3 p.m.
Live Stats
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The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan men's soccer team looks to sustain its momentum with a pair of matches this week, hosting Maryland on Thursday (March 11) at the Legacy Center in Brighton before making the trip south to Columbus for a rivalry game with Ohio State on Monday (March 15).
Team Notes
• With nine points out of a possible nine, Michigan enters the week in a three-way tie atop the Big Ten standings. Ohio State (3-1-0) and Rutgers (3-2-0) also sit on nine points.
• The Michigan defense has only conceded one goal in three matches to begin the season, and that came at the 5:06 mark of its first match at Northwestern (Feb. 19). Since that point, the Wolverines have held opponents scoreless for more than 285 minutes. The defense has limited the opposition to just 16 shots, only six of which were shots-on-goal.
• The Wolverines are tied with Indiana for best goal differential in the Big Ten (+5).
• After graduating the last two Big Ten Offensive Players of the Year in Jack Hallahan and Nebojsa Popovic, the offensive production has been team-wide thus far, as the Wolverines have six goals scored from six different players (Kevin Buca, Marc Ybarra, Moshtaba Al-Hasnawi, Bryce Blevins, Cameron Martin, Jackson Ragen).
• Junior Kevin Buca is in the midst of a breakout spring. He is tied for the Big Ten lead in assists (three) and is tied for third in points (five). Prior to this season, the 5-foot-5 midfielder had recorded one point in 30 career matches.
• Freshman Bryce Blevins scored the game-winning goal in the 93rd minute in the team's 1-0 (OT) win at Rutgers last Sunday (March 7). It was his first collegiate goal. The Wolverines were playing their first match after a 12-day layoff, as their first bye in the schedule coincided with a mid-week game against Penn State being postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the Nittany Lions program. [ WATCH ]
• The team will have senior captain Umar Farouk Osman available for selection this week. He sat out the win at Rutgers due to a red card suspension. Junior Declan Gaffney and senior Austin Swiech rotated in at the position in Osman's absence.
• The Wolverines entered the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 ranked No. 6, released March 9. [ Poll ]
Opponent Preview
Maryland: The Terrapins are 1-3-0 to start the season, most recently notching a 1-0 victory over Wisconsin. They went 11-8-2 in 2019 and won the national championship in 2018. Freshman Jacen Russell-Rowe leads the team in scoring, tallying two goals thus far on the season. Jamie Lowell started the first three matches in goal, making 12 saves, but Niklas Neumann started in the win over Wisconsin, making two saves. Neumann was an All-Big Ten (second team) performer in 2019.
Series: Michigan is 4-3-2 all-time against Maryland. The Wolverines won the previous meeting, 4-2, on Nov. 3, 2019, in College Park.
Ohio State: The Buckeyes are 3-1-0 on the season -- their best start in 2017 -- winning three straight matches after dropping their season opener to Indiana. Most recently, Ohio State beat Northwestern by a 4-2 scoreline on March 7. Parker Grinstead has two goals to lead the team, while five others have scored one goal. Noah Lawrence has been solid in between the goal posts, posting nine saves and two shutouts. The two teams are slated to meet again on March 31 in Ann Arbor.
Series: Michigan is 10-13-1 all-time against Ohio State. The Wolverines won the previous meeting, 2-0, on Oct. 2, 2019, in Columbus.
Up Next
Tuesday, March 23 -- vs. Michigan State (East Lansing, Mich.), TBA
