I've been busy but want to get a 2016 BIG thread started. On the Wolverine front, all has been going well. Our D and midfield should be very strong next season, because all of the starters are back: Lauro in goal, Woods, Eckenrode, Morris and Stevens in the back, along with Peter Brown and hopefully Jack Brown, and Cerda, Nason and Anderson in midfield. A possible area of concern is up front due to losing McAtee, Murphy, Mellors -Blair and VanSlooten to graduation, but Atuahene returns as our leading scorer from last year. I also expect good things from Sahlool, Mertz, Borges, Jacob and Kapitula on the attack, and I hear a couple of the redshirts from last year (Kobakof and Bittner) have a lot of upside in the mid/attack. Also, a good early start to the Silly Season on the road: Michigan 2, USL Pittsburgh Riverhounds 1 Looking forward to another season of great competition in the BIG!
Not for the whole class. I have heard about a couple of the signees but don't want to say anything until all the names are announced.
Looks like Michigan and Michigan State will be playing this week. http://buckssoccer.com/home/911625.html
Yes! That'll be a good game. Sorry I can't be there. And Real Madrid v. Chelsea at the Big House this summer! Also alum Tyler Arnone scored his first professional goal for Real Monarchs over the weekend. He should be in MLS soon. He's one of those players who consistently does the little things and the dirty work and it's takes awhile to fully appreciate. Go Blue!
Any weekend in the spring is hit and miss. For me, the best public source is twitter for UM Soccer, UM Athletics, the Ultras, Chaka and the players who have public accounts. Also Facebook can help but not reliably. I had a handful of players who I would see/text/im on occasion but only one is still playing. So my usefulness is drying up…. If you're talking about this weekend, the Bucks might give a final but I doubt much detail. Hopefully UM Soccer or the Ultras will have someone report. Could try MSU Soccer but on principle I won't.
WolverineFutbol - here is a story for you ... Soccer love story for Adam Grinwis, Shelina Zadorsky http://www.democratandchronicle.com...story-adam-grinwis-shelina-zadorsky/83793104/
Thanks bhoys! They are a tight couple. I knew she was playing for Perth and made the Canadian team but didn't know she had gone to Sweden. Grinny's a really nice guy and definitely is batting well above average in the girlfriend department.
Sad news out of Columbus, RIP Fikayo Idowu. http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Ohio-State-Soccer-Player-Dies-at-19-384529591.html
I just saw this and am very sorry it happened. On behalf of all Wolverines, our thoughts are with the Idowu family and the entire OSU soccer team and coaching staff.
Michigan at #5 is about right, and I think putting Maryland, Indiana, OSU and Rutgers #1-4 makes sense. I'm not sure I like the disrespect of Penn State, which now will have a chip on its shoulder. The Wolverine defense and midfield should be strong. Time will tell if our offense can deliver. I've heard some really positive things in preseason, but we gotta win when it counts. Good luck to everyone! Can't wait!
Relative to the 2016 B1G preseason coaches' poll and whether this poll might perhaps suggest a bit of disrespect for some teams, below is how things finished last season. Note that the top four ranked 2016 preseason teams all earned the top four slots last season. However, essentially the number 5 team last year, i.e., Northwestern, did not fare so well in the preseason coaches' poll. But obviously the purpose of the preseason poll is for the coaches to rank the teams, so with any such polls some teams will have to end up ranked at the top, and others ranked toward the bottom, of course. Yet I don't think any coach or team typically goes into any B1G game without anything but a great deal of respect for the teams they are up against. From my experience, most every game is a close, tough, and hard fought affair where these proud teams give all they've got each time they take the pitch. Looking forward to another round of great B1G battles and another super B1G soccer season. Fight on State. Conference Overall W-L-T % Pts. W-L-T % 1. Ohio State 5-2-1 .688 16 13-7-3 .630 2. Indiana 4-3-1 .563 13 13-5-3 .691 3. Maryland 3-2-3 .563 12 12-5-6 .652 Rutgers 4-4-0 .500 12 12-7-2 .619 Northwestern 4-4-0 .500 12 7-9-2 .444 6. Michigan 3-3-2 .500 11 8-6-4 .556 7. Wisconsin 2-3-3 .438 9 5-11-3 .342 8. Michigan State 2-4-2 .375 8 8-9-2 .474 Penn State 2-4-2 .375 8 7-8-3 .472
Without exception the BIG is very close from top to bottom. Last year, if Michigan had won its last league game against Ohio State, the Wolverines would have been BIG Champions. Unfortunately we lost and ended up in 6th. The BIG title usually comes down to the last weekend and it can be pretty or ugly.
BIG results for 8/26 matches: Indiana 1, UNM 0 Penn State 0, Stanford 0 Michigan 0, South Florida 0 Maryland 1, UCLA 1 Wisconsin 1, Santa Clara 0 Michigan State 2, SMU 1 Northwestern 2, Florida Gulf Coast 1 Creighton 2, Rutgers 0 Virginia Tech 1, Ohio State 0 Overall 4 wins, 3 draws, 2 losses. A decent start. Go Blue!
Thanks, very interesting. My cherry pick: Michigan is one of four programs that has scored more goals than it's given up, along with Indiana, Maryland and Penn State. End of picking.
A sad day in East Lansing: Michigan State 1, Michigan 0 The Wolverines outshot MSU and had 9 shots on goal to MSU's 3, but we gave up an early goal on a long throw in and we couldn't finish. We're now 0-3 in the BIG and have put ourselves in a tough position. Today the guys played hard and looked sharp at times. We certainly didn't look like a team without a win, but looking good wins more bikini contests than soccer matches. Nevertheless, with eternal hope and unbridled optimism, I remain, now and always, a proud Wolverine. Go Blue!
You have my respect for coming here and posting when things aren't going well. Many followers of specific college teams here only show up when their school's team is doing well or gets a win.
Sir Mibut - Indeed. And as Shakespeare observed, and as the great Shakespeare and sports lover (but hater of all things soccer, and seemingly hater of college football too, given today's article) known as "Couch Slouch" quoted in today's Washington Post: " ... Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage (or pitch?) And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury Signifying nothing." And along these upbeat, happy lines, and to be heard once more despite my Penn Staters being outplayed and taking the loss ... congrats to Terps on the very good work and nice W in OT yesterday. Maryland's Wild, especially, was running and gunning like his moniker the entire game, as were a few of his buddies too, giving Penn State fits all day. The two PKs called against PSU did result in some frets and a bit of fury on my part, but I am clearly at times a poor player, and my sounding off in this regard obviously signifies nothing. So in the end only things like faith, hope, and loyalty remain. Which is perhaps why Wolverine Futbol is forever pledged to "Go Blue!" And likewise why I'm also forever true to you, dear old white and blue; and, Fight on State!, too.
Thank you Sandon! Even though masochism can be mistaken for good character, your words are kind. Go Blue!
This came out a while ago on the B1G site ... Oct. 6, 2016 The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) has announced the soccer programs selected to receive the 2015-16 NSCAA Team Academic Award, with a combined 16 Big Ten Conference men’s and women’s soccer teams earning recognition, including five Big Ten schools (Indiana, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers) that saw both their men’s and women’s soccer programs cited for academic excellence. The NSCAA annually honors college and high school soccer programs that have displayed exemplary performance in the classroom, as well as on the pitch. A total of 892 soccer teams (315 men, 577 women) recorded a team grade-point average of 3.0 or better for the entire 2015-16 academic year, thereby earning the NSCAA Team Academic Award. Here’s a look at the Big Ten programs represented on this year’s NSCAA Team Academic Award list. For the complete NSCAA release, click here. Men’s Soccer Programs Indiana, Todd Yeagley, 3.08 Northwestern, Tim Lenehan, 3.45 Ohio State, John Bluem, 3.18 Penn State, Bob Warming, 3.17 Rutgers, Dan Donigan, 3.08 http://www.bigten.org/sports/m-soccer/spec-rel/100616aaa.html
Penn State wins over Michigan State 1-0 in double OT. That result means Maryland wins the regular season B1G outright. Congrats to the Terps.