Soony and Hamoody Saad Continue Michigan’s Run

By Parvez Fatteh, Founder of http://sportingummah.com, sports@muslimobserver.com

The Saad brothers, Soony and Hamoody, have their University of Michigan men’s soccer team on a roll once again as they defeated Central Florida this past weekend in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Michigan (15-4-3), the No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament, won in overtime 2-1. This victory came after the team’s first ever Big Ten conference championship. And the Hamoody brothers were indeed instrumental in that conference title.

Freshman sensation Soony Saad earned Big 10 tournament Most Valuable Player honors after scoring a goal in each of their three games: a 2-1 quarterfinal win over Michigan State, a 1-0 semifinal win over Wisconsin, and a 4-1 title game victory over Penn State on the road. This after a regular season in which he broke the school record for goals in a season, and led the nation, with 18. He finished the season with a breakneck pace, scoring 11 goals in the last 10 games. Sophomore Hamoody Saad has done his part with six goals for the season.

“Before the season I was aiming for 10 goals and to do well with the team,” Saad told the Detroit News. “Leading the nation in goals, making the NCAA Tournament, that’s more than what I expected. The whole freshman class has made an impact. Going from a team that didn’t make the NCAA Tournament to Big Ten champs and getting a bye is just too hard to grasp right now. I mean … it was amazing to see the huge smiles on our seniors after we won the Big Ten championship. I was so happy for them. I don’t think those smiles will ever come off.”

The Wolverines now face a road game against the University of South Carolina in the third round of the NCAA tournament in what has already been a dream season.

12-49