During a non-conference schedule that featured five overtime finishes and one last-minute regulation victory, the Michigan men’s soccer team has leaned heavily on the fresh legs of the freshman class.

With just a few days left before the kickoff of the Big Ten season, Michigan coach Steve Burns has called on his rookies to play an even bigger role on both ends of the field.

Freshman forward Soony Saad has carried the offense all year long, most evident in his three-goal effort against Kentucky (2-4-1) on Wednesday night. He scored in each period to help the Wolverines capture a 3-2 overtime win.

The dynamic forward climbed atop the nation in scoring with his hat trick against the Wildcats, putting his season total at seven goals.

“It’s definitely a plus when you score three goals, but it’s an even bigger plus when they are the only three,” Saad said. “I just wanted to win, whether it was three (goals of my own) or three goals from another teammate, I would be happy.”

Michigan (4-1-3) is unbeaten in its last six games, but has been plagued with fatigue and injury after playing several notably aggressive teams.

Senior defender Jeff Quijano was removed from the starting lineup last week, opening a space for freshman Ezekiel Harris — a converted forward — to join the Wolverines' back line.

His speed and offensive-minded attack has led to more quality scoring chances, and his defense has been nearly mistake-free.

“Coach has told me multiple times that my duties are defense first,” Harris said. “I’m a natural forward, so I go up (on the attack) a lot, but you really have to combine together and be a different breed to play both ways.”

The new starting lineup consists of four freshmen. But when sophomore midfielder Hamoody Saad went down after a slide tackle from a Kentucky defender and sustained a hip flexor injury, freshmen Dylan Mencia and Fabio Pereira Villas Boas were thrust into more prominent roles. Those two will probably get considerably more playing time during the next few weeks.

Heading into conference matchups, the underclassmen will play a critical role in determining whether the team will be able to stay afloat in the Big Ten.

“Our team is pretty young with a couple sophomores and a couple freshmen starting,” Soony said. “We’re just going to keep growing as a team and bond together even more. The youth that we have can definitely work to our advantage, and I think it will as the season goes on.”

Michigan faces its first conference test this Saturday with a faceoff against No. 23 Ohio State in Ann Arbor.

After being a Big Ten bottom-feeder last season, Burns knows that the only way to climb the ranks is for the young players to contribute all over the field.

“With a lot of young guys on the field, the only way you gain that kind of experience is getting forged in the fire,” Burns said.