The No. 19 Michigan men’s soccer team has defied expectations all season long and the team looks to extend its season past the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.

The Wolverines (14-4-3) didn’t just give a strong showing in the Big Ten Tournament — they took home the championship title. And with that win Michigan secured a first round bye in its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance.

The Wolverines face a home matchup against Central Florida (12-4-3) on Sunday afternoon. The Knights received their first-ever at large bid to the NCAA Tournament and are coming off a 3-0 shutout of Southern Florida in the first round of the tournament.

The game will be a battle of two potent offenses, as Michigan and UCF rank 10th and 12th in the nation respectively in total team offense.

The Wolverines flashed their balanced striking abilities in their 4-1 rout of Penn State in the Big Ten Championship game in State College. Senior forward Justin Meram scored two goals for Michigan, while the Saad brothers — sophomore midfielder Hamoody and freshman forward Soony — rounded out the scoring attack.

But to stifle UCF’s attack, the Wolverines will rely heavily on their experienced defenders, starting with redshirt junior goalkeeper Chris Blais. Blais made nine saves in Michigan’s win over Penn State and led the Wolverines to a shutout of Wisconsin the round before. The Seattle native is a captain this year and looks to lead Michigan on Sunday.

Michigan has found success at home this season, boasting an 8-2-1 record at the U-M Soccer Complex. Soony leads the nation in goals with 18 and earned the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Player of the Week award for his performance against the Nittany Lions. He will try to help the Wolverines carry their momentum through to the NCAA Tournament this weekend.