2000-2001 Michigan Men's Lacrosse -- Game #09

Michigan 9, Virginia Tech 8
12:00 p.m., Sunday, April 1, 2001
Knoxville, TN

Michigan Outlasts Virginia Tech Comeback

Wolverines Squander 5-0 Halftime Lead, Hold On

Knoxville, Tenn. -- The 2nd ranked Michigan men’s lacrosse team improved to 8-1 today with a win over #7 Virginia Tech, but it didn’t come easily. After jumping out to a 5-0 lead at the half, the Wolverines watched their lead shrink away until the final seconds, when the Hokies pulled within one with 6 ticks left on the clock. Tech controlled the ensuing faceoff, but their desperation shot from the top of the box couldn’t beat Michigan goalie Sooman Kim (Troy, MI/Troy HS), who had 17 saves on the day, and the game ended 9-8.

   Neither team seemed to get into much of a rhythm in the first half, as the Michigan defense once again proved to be the difference. For the 7th time in 9 games, the defense held an opponent to under 10 goals. Michigan opponents are averaging only 7.7 goals per game on the season.

   When scoring chances did arise, the Wolverines capitalized with a pair of first quarter goals and two in the second. Jeff Hadwin (Vestal, NY/Vestal HS) scored two of the Michigan goals, and Dave Bernard (Litchfield, CT/Westminster HS), Kevin Toller (Ann Arbor, MI/Pioneer HS) and Brian Marchena (Troy, MI/Detroit Country Day HS) added the others. When the Hokies got off good shots, they either hit posts or Kim was there to gather them in.

   The second half looked much like the first, except now Virginia Tech was able to capitalize on their opportunities. Four Hokie goals in the 3rd made the score 7-4, and the Michigan sideline was feeling the heat.

   Tech scored first in the final quarter on a Collin Cooper extra-man goal, and it was suddenly a two-goal game. Two straight Michigan goals, Chip Thomas (Tenafly, NJ/Dwight-Englewood HS) on his second of the day and Kevin Chan (Manhasset, NY/Manhasset HS) on his first, increased the difference back to four, but the Hokies continued to chip away at the lead.
Chris Vohner had a hand in the next two goals for Tech, as he assisted on one and scored the next, and with 2:22 remaining, it was a 9-7 game. Blain Hogt won the faceoff for the Hokies, and their offense went to work. After the Michigan defense held them at bay for nearly two minutes, Virginia Tech head coach Joel Nachlas called a timeout with 31 seconds to go to set up a final run. It paid off, but it came a bit too late as Chet Randall scored his fourth of the game with only 6 seconds to go. A Jordan Walter desperation shot as the horn sounded was all the Hokies could manage, and Michigan escaped with their 6th win over a ranked opponent this season.
Ben Gogol went all the way for Virginia Tech in goal, recording 12 saves.

   Next up for Michigan is in-state rival Michigan State. The game will be played Wednesday, April 4 at 8:00 p.m. at Maple Field at Birmingham Seaholm High School in Birmingham, Michigan. A large crowd is expected.

QUOTES
UM Head Coach John Paul
On Losing the Lead…”We never really looked comfortable today, even in the first half when we shut them out. I never felt like we got focused or into any kind of flow. We weren’t crisp at all. Our effort has been there in almost every game we’ve played this year, but our focus has not. It’s something we need to correct quickly.”

On the Injury to Tom Burns…”Tom’s x-rays were negative Friday night, but he’ll be out all week. We’ll see if he’s ready to go against BYU. I doubt it. We’re a different team without him in there, but Sloan (Buchan-McGilliard) did a good job in his place. Sloan just has to gain confidence, and he’ll be fine.”

On the schedule…”We are in the midst of our toughest stretch of the year. Eight games in just over two weeks, and six of those games are against ranked opponents – three of them against top-five teams. It’s exciting, but it’s definitely a challenge physically and mentally.”
 

Box Score
Michigan vs. Virginia Tech
Saturday, April 1, 2001
12:00 p.m.
Knoxville, Tennessee

 

Goalies
Michigan: Sooman Kim (60:00 minutes, 8 goals allowed, 17 saves)
Virginia Tech: Ben Gogol (60:00 minutes, 9 goals allowed, 12 saves)

Team Statistics

Officials
David Kazmerowski, Skip Cooper, Dave Dickert

Attendance
n/a

Scoring Summary