Men's soccer: Maryland-Michigan Preview

After losing to Akron 3-2 on Monday, Maryland men's soccer is looking to rebound agaist Michigan this Friday.

The Wolverines stand at 2-1 on the season after losing to current No. 1 (then No. 6) Creighton and beating West Virginia and Niagra. They recieved the fourth-most votes of the teams that did not make it into the NSCAA coaches' poll. Michigan is coached by Chaka Daley, who holds a 27-27-7 record as coach of the Wolverines, and is in his fourth year at the helm.

Players to know:

Francis Atuahene, midfielder- Atuahene became the second freshman in Michigan history to record a hat trick in the team's 3-1 win over West Virginia. He hasn't scored outside of that game, but he still has three goals on an efficient eight shots and five shots on goal for the season. He is quickly becoming a centerpeice of the Wolverines' offense, and could very well add to his total on Friday.

Evan Louro, goalkeeper- The sophomore currently sits smack in the middle of the conference with a .96 goals against average, which ranks fifth out of 10 qualified goalkeepers in the Big Ten. Louro started eight games last year, all in-conference, so he seems to be the team's goalie of the future.

William Mellors-Blair, forward- The senior from Nottingham, England by way of Georgia State University has quickly become one of Michigan's best players. In his first season with Michigan last year, Mellors-Blair was tied for third on the team in points with seven. He only had two goals and three assists in 2014, but appears ready to take on a more pivotal role in the offense this season. He's yet to score a goal in 2015, so Friday could be the day he finally sees his name on the scoreboard.

Strengths:

First-half defense: The Wolverines have clamped down on opposing offenses before halftime, only allowing 12 shots in the first half this season as opposed to 22 in the second.

A clean game: Michigan has fouled its opponents almost half as much as it has been fouled. The Wolverines have committed 35 fouls while its opponents have committed 64.

Weaknesses:

Like many other teams at this time of year, the Wolverines are looking to replace their biggest scoring threat from last year. Colin McAtee had twice as many goals and points as anyone else on the roster in 2014, and its still unclear how the team will fill the void left in his absence.

Second-half defense: Michigan gives up three times as many corners in the second half as it does in the first, and gives up almost twice as many shots.