The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com Sports Friday, October 11, 2019 — 7 Young guns New faces buoy Wolverines past tough Detroit defense as Michigan takes 1-0 victory behind Derick Broche’s winner As the minutes ticked further and further down in Wednesday night’s match, the Michigan men’s soccer team’s intensity was gradually building. After being knotted at zero with Detroit Mercy after nearly 75 minutes of action, the Wolverines were in desperate need of a big play to restore order on the pitch. That play came with 16 minutes to go in the second half, as sophomore forward Derick Broche connected on a cross from freshman midfielder Harry Pithers to give Michigan (6-2-3 overall, 2-0-2 Big Ten) the lone goal en route to a 1-0 win over the Titans (3-7-1 overall, 0-2-1 Horizon League). Players exchanged chest bumps, and Broche was mobbed by his teammates in the corner of the field. For the Wolverines, who had struggled mightily throughout most of the match, Broche’s diving header came with an overwhelming sense of relief. “It was definitely frustrating,” Broche said. “They’re a drop back team, and to finally get that breakthrough, it gave us all the life back in the game. So, yeah, it was amazing for the team.” Michigan entered the game expecting to cruise to an easy victory, but its lackadaisical approach in the early going played right into the hands of the scrappy Titans. Throughout the game, Detroit Mercy gained a competitive edge by exerting its physicality and getting under the skin of the Wolverines. While Michigan dominated possession, the Titans managed to keep things close with their chippy play and stingy defense. They certainly succeeded in getting reactions out of the Wolverines as well, drawing 13 fouls including a yellow card from junior midfielder Carlos Tellez. In the early goings Michigan wasn’t matching Detroit Mercy’s intensity according to senior goalkeeper Andrew Verdi. He quickly became so fed up with the effort of the team that his exasperated voice could be heard throughout the stadium. “I saw that a lot of people maybe weren’t giving the energy in the game that they typically bring,” Verdi said. “So I was trying to lift that up. I think sometimes you’re gonna have to get on your teammates and try to get the best out of them. I’ll do as I expect somebody to do to me if I wasn’t playing the way I wanted to.” While Verdi may have been disappointed with the effort at some points, the win did give him his fourth straight clean- sheet. “It feels great,” Verdi said. “Four straight shutouts is something that’s pretty rare. I think me and the defense take great pride in that. It’s a reflection on the whole team.” Michigan managed to keep its shut-out streak alive without two key starters, junior defender Joel Harrison and junior forward Umar Farouk Osman. Coach Chaka Daley decided to rest both ahead of Sunday’s match against No.4 Indiana — though Harrison was forced to sub in for the final ten minutes due to an injury to senior defender Abdou Samake. In their stead, Pithers and fellow freshmen Carter Payne and Christian Pulselli saw a sharp increase in their playing time. “A lot of new faces in this kind of local derby type atmosphere or game, and I thought they stood up well and fought hard,” Daley said. “And we got a It was a slugfest. At halftime of the Michigan men’s soccer team’s match against Detroit Mercy (3-7-1 overall, 0-2-1 Horizon), the Wolverines (6-2-3 overall, 2-0-2 Big Ten) had only registered one shot on goal in the scoreless tie. The Titans’ defense was suffocating Michigan, dropping almost everyone back to ensure they always had numbers on the defensive side. Normally, in situations like these, the Wolverines would look to their main playmakers for offense — All-American senior forward Jack Hallahan or graduate transfer forward Nebojsa Popovic, both of whom have started every match. Instead, the big play came from true freshman midfielder Harry Pithers. Facing pressure on the right sideline from a Detroit defender, he lobbed a masterfully placed cross to sophomore forward Derick Broche, who buried a header for the game’s lone goal. The assist was Pithers’ first point of his college career. Still, Michigan’s 1-0 victory on Wednesday did not come easy, thanks to the Titans’ solid defense. Their conservative approach ceded time of possession to the Wolverines, but it allowed almost no space for their attackers to work with. Especially in the first half, the Detroit defenders filled the box and clogged up passing lanes, keeping Michigan from landing many quality shots and forcing offensive mistakes. “We made a few tactical mistakes,” said Michigan coach Chaka Daley. “ … Mistakes happen. We strive for perfection, but there’s always an error that can happen.” The Titans kept up their defensive approach early in the second half, holding the Wolverines to only one shot in the first 25 minutes of the half. Even Michigan’s usual stars struggled to make plays — Hallahan failed to register a shot in the second half before he was subbed out in the 66th minute. Detroit’s excellent defense also showed itself on corners, as the Wolverines failed to convert on any of their 10 corner opportunities. But as time ticked on, the talent gap became apparent, as Michigan managed to get behind the Titans’ back line, eventually culminating in Broche’s 74th-minute goal. “I think it was an early cross,” Broche said. “Most of the time early in the game, we took a little too long, and they got a chance to get players back, but this time we got a good cross early from Harry Pithers, and luckily I was at the end of it.” Though they only scored the one goal, the Wolverines’ offense was much more active late in the second half, tallying four shots in the final 20 minutes of the match. This was partially due to Detroit adopting a more aggressive approach to try and even out the score, but Michigan’s passing was still visibly smoother and cleaner in the closing minutes. Pithers, Broche and junior midfielder Carlos Tellez — who has only started one match this season — were all central to the Wolverines’ attack late in the match. “We just needed a little bit of quality on service,” Daley said. “Because we were in the final third a lot in the second half.” A little bit of quality on service is exactly what Pithers delivered. BRENDAN ROOSE Daily Sports Writer ALEC COHEN/Daily Freshman midfielder Harry Pithers found Derick Broche for the game-winning goal in the 74th minute on Wednesday night as Michigan topped Detroit-Mercy, 1-0. ‘M’ set for tight series with Clarkson Mel Pearson is quick to point out that when this weekend’s series was scheduled, no one knew what Michigan and Clarkson’s respective hockey teams would look like by the time the games were played. So, the fact that the Wolverines’ home opener is against the No. 11 team in the country isn’t intentional. But Pearson is embracing it as an opportunity to test what his team is made of right off the bat. “It’s obviously a tough assignment for the first weekend, but a great opportunity for us, too,” Pearson said. “We’re at home. I like where our team’s at. We get to play a good opponent. It’s a good measuring stick. We’ll find where we are. Nobody’s going to win a national championship the first weekend or qualify to the tournament, but these are big games in the big scheme of things, especially down the road.” The two programs come into the series in very different places. Clarkson went 26-11-2 last season, won the ECAC tournament and lost in overtime to Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Michigan, on the other hand, entered last season ranked No. 4 in the country, and then proceeded to fall on its face and win just 13 games. And after that disappointing finish last season, Pearson welcomes a chance to make a statement in the first weekend of the season. But it won’t be easy. The Golden Knights return the vast majority of their scoring from last year, losing just two players who finished top 10 on the team in points. Their defense allowed the fourth-fewest goals in the nation, conceding just 78 goals on the season. Kris Mayotte, who Michigan hired from Providence in the offseason, has some experience with Clarkson, as the two teams were frequent non-conference opponents. He knows what the Wolverines are in for. “In my career, I’ve seen that school a lot,” Mayotte said Tuesday. “I know it’s always a big challenge. They are an older, structured type of team. I think that’ll be a great challenge for our guys and something that, as a staff and as a team, we’re excited for.” Part of the challenge for Michigan will be maximizing its opportunities to score. The Golden Knights are known for their defense, and the Wolverines will need to take advantage of the chances they get — particularly on the power play. Early in the year, when teams are still figuring out how to maximize their personnel, special teams can be a deciding factor. Last year, special teams was key for Michigan in a ranked non- conference matchup with then- No. 19 Western Michigan — the Wolverines won the Friday game, 6-5, and went 3-of-7 on the power play while holding the Broncos to only one power-play goal in six opportunities. This weekend, Pearson expects special teams to be no less important than it was then. “We have to make sure that we’re disciplined,” Pearson said. “We have to make sure that we take advantage of the opportunities that are presented on the power play. We’re going to try to take it to them a little bit with our speed and aggressiveness. If we draw penalties, that’s great, but you have to make sure you can follow through and convert on the power plays.” While Michigan and the Golden Knights have met only once before — in 2017, when the Wolverines won 3-0 on the road — two players bring an element of familiarity to the matchup. Sophomore forward Nolan Moyle and Clarkson forward Josh Dunne spent two years on the same junior team, the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers and even lived together during that time. In their second season, Dunne centered the line that Moyle played on all year. That season, Dunne finished second on the team with 48 points and Moyle finished third with 45. Each is excited to see his friend, but it’s clear that the competition will be intense on the ice. “It’s obviously going to be a little different seeing him in another color,” Moyle said. “But down there on the ice, he’s the opponent. Gotta work hard against him. Not going to take it easy.” Added Dunne: “I’m always looking forward to seeing him, and we’re both competitive so we love the competition between each other. We’re both excited for this weekend.” In Pearson’s view, playing against a friend always adds an extra level of competitive drive. And in this series, which both Pearson and Mayotte expect to be closely contested, that extra level of motivation may help Michigan come away with at least one win. For Dwumfour, this may be the start After a win over Iowa, Michael Dwumfour texted his defensive coordinator. “Coach, I jumped some gaps,” he said, according to Don Brown. “It won’t happen again.” That’s just how Dwumfour is. The redshirt junior defensive tackle is always hungry for improvement, even after demolishing his opponent the way he did against the Hawkeyes, when he mauled Iowa’s vaunted offensive line in a game Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh called a “defensive masterpiece.” Aiding his effort, Dwumfour has an impressive set of athletic abilities, especially for a 282- pound defensive lineman. Brown doesn’t want to admit where he was when he saw a video of Dwumfour running a slant route, but he will admit his reaction: a little smile creeped across his face. Still, after spending much of the spring dealing with a torn plantar fascia and then getting injured again one play into the season, it hasn’t all been easy for Dwumfour. “It was tough,” Dwumfour said Tuesday night, a maize towel still draped around his neck from the practice he’s finally healthy enough to participate in. “ … But I’m back now, so I forgot about that.” It had to have been frustrating for Dwumfour to sit on the sideline as the defensive line got pushed around in a loss at Wisconsin, with the Badgers picking on Michigan’s lack of size. Converted fullback Ben Mason, drastically undersized, was forced to start at three- technique with Dwumfour out, and his inexperience there was on full display. Harbaugh called out the entire defensive line in front of the team after that loss, telling them they had to play better. That unit has stepped up, with Dwumfour’s return the following week against Rutgers aiding that growth. “Mike’s a great player,” said fifth-year senior offensive tackle Jon Runyan. “He’s really active with his hands, really quick twitch. Really hard to block in practice sometimes, that’s for sure. Seeing him back and healthy, I know he’s been struggling a lot, especially throughout the summer as well and going to the fall, it’s hard to see that guy sitting on the sidelines, sitting in the training room, battling through all these injuries he’s got, but I’m happy for him, that he’s back out there.” Dwumfour especially excels in stopping the run game — a vital piece of the Wolverines’ game plan against Iowa. Now, the next step for Dwumfour is getting more involved in the passing game, highlighted by Brown’s explosive and tough-to- master blitz packages. With so much time missed, Dwumfour hasn’t been able to condition as much, but once he’s had a little more time back, Brown hopes to utilize him more in those looks and make the pass rush even more fearsome than it already is. “The thing that Mike brings to the table is the ability to come out of his stance, 100 miles an hour,” Brown said. “… He’s athletic and again for him, he hasn’t played a whole heck of a lot of football lately around here. So now he’s going through another practice week, a chance to kind of sink your teeth into the game plan, sink your teeth into your stance, your footwork, your techniques, your fundamentals, your eyes, all those things.” Dwumfour called it a blessing to be back on the field the past two weeks. But if his texts to Brown are any indication, he’s not taking any of it for granted — and in Brown’s eyes, it only goes up from here. ALEC COHEN/Daily Redshirt junior defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour is growing into an impact player for the Wolverines. ARIA GERSON Daily Sports Editor BAILEY JOHNSON Daily Sports Writer ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily Sophomore Nolan Moyle roomed with Clarkson’s Josh Dunne from 2016-18. ARTHUR POTTER For The Daily We strive for perfection, but there’s always an error.