Oct. 20, 2007

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - No. 9 Northwestern dominated possession throughout and held a dominating 19-5 edge in shots, but was forced to settle for a scoreless tie at Michigan in Big Ten men's soccer action Saturday evening.

The tie moved the Wildcats' record to 9-2-2 overall and 2-2-1 in the Big Ten, while the Wolverines went to 9-4-2 and 0-2-2.

Northwestern controlled the ball to the point where Michigan didn't record its first shot of the match until 23 minutes remained in the second half. The Wildcats put pressure on Michigan goalkeeper Patrick Speery throughout the evening, but he managed to record six saves without letting any pass.

NU had a great opportunity with just a minute and a half in regulation when David Roth made a one-touch pass to Clark Kiesling who got a shot off, but Speery was able to deflect the ball just enough to keep it from going into the net.

The Wildcats' final good chance came midway through the second overtime session when Michigan was called for a foul just outside of the 18-yard box. Eamon O'Neill took the ensuing free kick, but his shot sailed just high.

Will Briley got his first start of the season in goal and earned the shutout while collecting one save. The shutout was the eighth of the season for Northwestern, tying the school single-season record set a year ago.

Sophomore midfielder Carl Pett returned from injury to post a match-high five shots, matching Michigan's total as a team.

The Wildcats return to action at 3 p.m. Wednesday when they make the short trip to DeKalb to face Northern Illinois.