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Friday was not just any win for Michigan.
For the first time in five years, the Wolverines defeated Penn State. The No. 22 Michigan mens soccer team’s (5-0-1 overall, 1-0-0 Big Ten) tightly contested 2-1 victory over the Nittany Lions (2-4-0, 0-1-0) was a match representative of the first conference game of the season.
Going into Friday’s home match undefeated, Michigan was expected to be on the front foot against a struggling Nittany Lions squad. However, the matchup started out slowly. Both teams played cagey for large parts of the first half, eager to close off shooting opportunities in the final third of the field. The Wolverines struggled to create through the middle, finding most of their success out wide with senior defender Jason Bucknor, who provided a creative spark with his dribbling and crossing.
Despite this, Penn State was solid in preventing clear-cut chances until the 33rd minute, when Michigan broke through thanks to graduate midfielder Bryce Blevins. Following a successful hold up in the box, graduate defender Pierre Lurot picked out Blevins. He rolled the ball over to take out a Nittany Lions’ defender, then fired it home. Outside of this goal though, the attempts on target were few and far between throughout the first half.
When both teams came out to start the second half however, there was a lot more energy in the game right from the start. The Wolverines were a lot more positive in both halves of the field, but it came at the expense of their solidity in defense. A little more than seven minutes into the second half, Penn State found its equalizer.
“My preference would be the first half performance and how we defended as a team,” Michigan Coach Chaka Daley said.
Perpetuated by Michigan attempting to play from the back, the Nittany Lions recovered the ball then played right through the Wolverines before forward Aboubacar Camara slotted the ball into the net. The resulting joy was short lived, though, as Michigan won a penalty just three minutes later after sophomore midfielder Duilio Herrera was tripped up in the box. Blevins stepped up to take the spot kick and snatched back the Wolverines’ advantage, a goal hard earned after the preceding run of play.
Michigan hoped to shut off the opposition from that point on, but instead, the game became more open. Penn State attacked the Wolverines’ full backs on the wing, taking advantage of tired legs to create chances in the box. If not for some last ditch clearances from Michigan along with the lack of a central presence on offense, the Nittany Lions could have had great chances on goal.
The Wolverines were threatening too, with Herrera and Blevins posing a danger to Penn State on the counter. In the 81st minute, Michigan got some breathing room after Nittany Lions midfielder Malick Daouda was sent off for a second yellow card. Penn State created a few more opportunities, including an apparent goal that was ruled offside, but the Wolverines held its composure and won their first Big Ten game of the season.
“It’s a valued win,” Daley said. “But more important, it’s important to get back down to earth.”
Winning in conference play is always important, but beating Penn State felt a little extra special for the team. With its unbeaten record still intact and a bogey opponent vanquished, Michigan hopes this victory is an omen of things to come.
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