Michigan
Notre Dame
Michigan Ready for Home Matches against Notre Dame, Northwestern
9/20/2021 4:27:00 PM | Men's Soccer
» The Wolverines return home after traveling to Maryland for their first Big Ten Conference contest of the season.
» Kevin Buca has tallied a point in each of the last two games.
» Michigan is 3-10-4 all-time against Notre Dame.
» U-M is 16-8-2 all-time against Northwestern.
THIS WEEK
Tuesday, Sept. 21 -- Notre Dame (U-M Soccer Stadium), 7 p.m.
TV: ESPNU | Live Stats | Live Video
Sunday, Sept. 26 -- Northwestern (U-M Soccer Stadium), 4 p.m.
TV: B1G+ | Live Stats | Live Video
• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
The University of Michigan men's soccer team returns to U-M Soccer Stadium for a pair of games this week, hosting Notre Dame in a non-conference game Tuesday night (Sept. 21) at 7 p.m., then welcoming Northwestern on Sunday (Sept. 26) for a 4 p.m. contest. Tuesday's match will be broadcast live on ESPNU, while Sunday's matchup will be streamed live on B1G+.
Sunday's meeting between Michigan and Northwestern (Sept. 26) will mark the first-ever Power Five meeting between two black head coaches.
Wolverine Bites
• Michigan is coming off a 2-1 loss at No. 8 Maryland and is now 3-3-1 on the year.
• The Wolverines have played every game within one goal this season.
• U-M is averaging 13.3 shots per game and has put 32 shots on goal, while opponents are averaging just 8.3 shots per game with 30 on goal.
• The Maize and Blue has worked for 52 corner kicks this season on the offensive end of the pitch.
• Senior Kevin Buca has had a point in each of the last two games with a goal against Chicago State and an assist at Maryland.
• Freshman Hayden Evans made a career-best eight saves at No. 8 Maryland.
Opponent Previews
Notre Dame
All-time series against the Fighting Irish: U-M trails, 3-10-4
U-M has struggled with Notre Dame in the past, but most recently earned a 1-0 road win off a penalty kick goal against the Fighting Irish during the 2019 campaign. The Wolverines also beat a then-No. 6 Notre Dame, 3-2, in the 2014 season and have two of its three wins against the Fighting Irish in the Chaka Daley era.
The Fighting Irish are 2-3-1 on the season and are 0-1-0 against Big Ten Conference teams after falling to Michigan State last week (Sept. 14). Notre Dame has scored nine goals this season and have had two shut out victories. Matthew Roou has scored a team-best three goals, while Dawson McCartney and Eno Nto have scored two each. In goal, Bryan Dowd has started all six games, making 14 saves for a .609 save percentage.
Northwestern
All-time series against the Wildcats: U-M leads, 16-8-2
The Wolverines have four straight wins against the Wildcats and have not lost to Northwestern at home since the 2013 season. Last season, Michigan opened its conference-only season against Northwestern with a 4-1 victory that included goals from returners Marc Ybarra, Moshtaba Al-Hasnawi and Cameron Martin, while Owen Finnerty got the win in the net.
The Wildcats are 2-3-2 overall this season and 0-1-0 in Big Ten Conference play after falling to Penn State 2-1 in a road contest (Sept. 17). Northwestern is averaging a goal a game on just 8.7 shots per game. Furthermore, the Wildcat defense is giving up 14.3 shots per game with only 30 of 100 shots testing the keepers. Paul Son and Justin Weiss lead the Northwestern attack with five points, each with two goals and an assist, while Vincent Castro has a team-best two assists. In goal, Miha Miskovic has appeared in six games with five starts, making 19 saves, while Ethan Bandre has made three appearances with two starts and tallied five saves.
Up Next
• Friday, Oct. 1 -- at Indiana (Bloomington, Ind.), 5 p.m. (TV: ESPNU)
