DEARBORN, Mich. – The University of Michigan-Dearborn (1-1-1) men's soccer team has had a young season, but the team has played close, competitive games in their first two contests. However, the win column was unchanged despite the strong showing from the Maize & Blue. Thursday's matchup against the Indiana East Red Wolves (0-5-0) updated the win column for the first time.
The opening 45 minutes consisted of much of the play being in transition, with no natural flow generated by either team. However, The Wolverines would still break the nil-nil deadlock as Belal Beydoun gathered the ball outside the 18 and sent a diagonal pass to a streaking Jad Farhat down the right side. Farhat took two dribbles, sent a cross to the middle of the penalty area, and connected to the foot of Xavier Walser, who deposited the ball into the back of the net for the 1-0 lead in the 40th minute.
The Red Wolves would try to test newcomer Jack Rogers late in the first half, as he was caught out of his net for a brief moment but raced back to the near post to collect a shot from the outside the box. The freshman was credited with the win in his collegiate debut despite splitting time in net.
The second half got a little chippy as four yellow cards were issued in the half. However, the Wolverines continued to show growth in the defensive third as they only faced two shots on goal in the 90-minute contest.
