Michigan defeats Northwestern 2-1

By Naweed Sikora

Daily Sports Writer

The Michigan men's soccer team returned home victorious last night after defeating Northwestern, 2-1, in a double-overtime marathon in Evanston. With the victory, the Wolverines (1-4 Big Ten, 6-8 overall) finally captured their first conference win of the season. The Wildcats fell to 0-5 in the Big Ten, 0-15-1 overall.

With two minutes remaining in the second overtime period, Michigan captain Will Purdy was awarded a corner kick. Purdy found senior Ryan Yoder in front of the goal, and Yoder put the game away.

Michigan coach Steve Burns was clearly thrilled with the victory.

"We are all really excited right now, " Burns said. "We got our first Big Ten victory."

Northwestern took the lead at the 25 minute mark of the first half off of a corner kick. But, Michigan responded late in the second half. With 15 minutes left in regulation, Purdy tied the game off of a corner kick. The captain's play left Burns feeling ecstatic.

"Will played a really effective game," Burns said. "His parents were at the game, and his best friend plays for Northwestern, so he came ready to play."

The Wolverines entered the game coming off of a disappointing 3-1 loss to Dayton College on Friday, but responded well to the Wildcats' challenge.

Down by one going into the second half yesterday, Burns and his players decided to change their offensive strategy.

"We usually play a low-pressure style game where we absorb the opposition's attacks and try to retaliate quickly," Burns said. "At halftime, we decided to give them a different look. We began to put pressure in their zone instead of sitting back in our zone."

This strategy proved effective - Michigan did not allow any goals for the rest of the game.

The Wolverines were without freshman defender Kevin Taylor. Taylor was serving his suspension from Friday's game, during which Michigan accumulated five yellow cards. Burns said he felt the team made up for Taylor's absence very effectively.

"The two teams were very evenly matched," Burns said. "I thought our players really stepped up to fill Kevin's role. They did a great job."