In soccer, the best player on the field isn't always the one who fills up the stat sheet.

Last Friday night against Notre Dame, Michigan sophomore midfielder Latif Alashe illustrated this with a solid performance in a scoreless draw despite finishing with zeroes in the box score.

Alashe worked tirelessly on and off the ball to make Michigan men's soccer's offense work. He played with composure and distributed the ball well to the offensive trio of senior forward Justin Meram and brothers Soony and Hamoody Saad.

Against a well organized and tough Fighting Irish defense, Alashe’s ability to make passes that set up his attacking options in scoring positions became crucial. After the game, Michigan coach Steve Burns said he only wished that Alashe had been able to break through in the first overtime.

“Where he needs to continue to go is his finishing. He had a good look out here in the first overtime,” Burns said. “But (Alashe) is a player on both sides of the ball that we’re counting on.”

In a close match, the midfield battle becomes the key to gaining the advantage when scoring chances are scarce. Because of Alashe's work, the Wolverines (3-1-3 controlled the pace of the game and patiently worked to create their own offensive opportunities.

On the defensive end, Michigan had to deal with a potent forward in Notre Dame's Steven Perry. In the midfield, Alashe broke up play well and kept Perry from controlling the game. Alashe was strong both in the air and on the ground, winning headers and tracking back to make crucial tackles.

“You check his pedometer today, and he probably ran eight and a half or nine miles,” Burns said. “It’s an end line-to-end line game for him and he’s very capable of that and we just want to keep him at that level.”

After a freshman season in which he played in every game, Alashe has been given more responsibility in the team’s gameplan. With creative players in abundance for the Wolverines, Burns noted that the formation is more fluid this year. As a result, Alashe is playing all over the midfield, being asked to link up with attackers, defend on the flanks and track back to aid the defense.

“Last year I was just kind of the freshman kid trying not to mess it up for everyone,” Alashe said. “Now I’m actually going out trying to win the game for my team.”

Even though he couldn’t do that, his play in the midfield helped keep the Wolverines in control of a tight game. Going up against a formidable opponent in front of the biggest crowd in Michigan men’s soccer history, Alashe shined. Burns summed up exactly the contribution he received from his midfielder on Friday.

“In this game here, we needed our big players to play big and that would take the pressure off the guys without experience,” Burns said. “I thought (Alashe) played big tonight.”