The Michigan men’s soccer team clearly owned their matchup against Bowling Green. Poised is only one of the words that accurately describe the footwork, their speed and overall performance of the Wolverines’ offense. Yet, when all was said and done, the scoreboard displayed a narrow victory.
“I thought we played very well,” Michigan coach Chaka Daley said. “… I thought we dominated the ball… it’s just a little unfortunate that we didn’t capitalize more on possession and actions in the final third.”
The Wolverines (3-0-1) secured a 1-0 win over the Falcons (1-2-1) with a dominating offense that danced circles around their opponents. However, despite Michigan’s control over the ball throughout the matchup, its failure to execute the opportunities it generated culminated in the close scoreline.
From the start, the Wolverines were on the hunt, utilizing their speed to weave through Bowling Green’s defense. Michigan kept possession in its opponent’s half while searching for an opportunity to capture the lead. And just seven minutes into the matchup, graduate attacker Shuma Sasaki realized that golden opportunity.
With a foul committed by the Falcons, the Wolverines made quick work of passing the ball to Sasaki in the wings. However, after two defenders marked him, it seemed to be the end of Sasaki’s offensive push as he passed the ball back to junior defender Matthew Fischer. But after drawing away the prying eyes of Bowling Green’s defenders, Fischer sent the ball straight back to Sasaki. With a burst of speed, he managed to sneak past the defense and score a shot deflected off of one of the Falcons’ very own giving Michigan a 1-0 lead.
Carrying that momentum forward, the Wolverines’ attacking core applied more and more pressure on a frustrated Bowling Green. For the following 10 minutes, junior forward Duilio Herrera’s speed and footwork drove the offense. Even when the frustrated Falcons attempted to railroad him with pushing, fouls and aggression, he remained in control. Whereas Bowling Green’s ball control seemed akin to dancing with big bounding steps, the Wolverines handled the ball with balance and grace.
But as the half came to a close, things began to go downhill for Michigan.
“I think we played really well in the start of the game,” Sasaki said. “But immediately after like 20 minutes, the pace kind of slowed down a little bit”
While the skill of the Wolverines’ offense remained on display, their energy began to stagnate, giving their opponents more opportunities to break through. While their defense held on, the tides of the game could turn at any moment. As a result, Daley chose to shake up the lineup with four substitutions after halftime.
“Everyone’s expected to play, and you’ve got to be ready,” Daley said. “We play another game on Friday, so that’ll be five and 14. It’s very, very challenging physically, so using more bodies is incredibly important.”
The substitutions revitalized Michigan in the second half, with the team tripling their shots on goal from the first half. In particular, the addition of senior midfielder Zach Martens allowed the attack to toil on. But for all of the shots attempted, not a single ball found its way into the back of the net.
It came down to sheer numbers. In the first two minutes of the half, three shots were taken, led by an attempt from Herrera. But with multiple defenders on him and no relief in sight, his shot was ill-fated from the start — a pattern that unfolded again and again.
For every attack by the Wolverines, Bowling Green sent back nearly its entire team. Michigan attackers consistently met eight to nine defenders in and around the box as soon as they approached. Meanwhile, its offense simply didn’t push forward enough. There weren’t enough bodies in the box available for help as soon as an attacker needed it.
“We need numbers in the box,” Shasaki said. “We have a lot of players just left outside of the box and we need to get in the box more to execute.”
In the last eight minutes, the Wolverines earned a red card, making their position even more vulnerable and lead even more precarious. But, once more, the team’s skill and maturity allowed them to hold on and finally grasp victory.
That’s what Michigan showed — skill, maturity and precision — controlling the matchup with its 14 shots and 64% possession. Yet for what seemed like a stellar performance, everyone in the stadium watched with baited breaths knowing that at any moment, a single shot could snatch victory away from the Wolverines.
For Michigan, Wednesday proved that talent and control can win games. But without finishing in the box, even dominance can feel fragile.
The post Michigan offense in command despite narrow 1-0 victory against Bowling Green appeared first on The Michigan Daily.
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