May 13, 2005

Event:  Men's Lacrosse

Site:  Blaine, Minnesota (National Sports Center Stadium)

Score:  #3 Michigan 3, #2 California Santa Barbara 4

Records:  U-M 18-3, (8-0 CCLA), UCSB 20-2 (14-0 WCLL )

Next U-M Game:  End of Season

4-3 Loss to Gauchos In Semis Ends the Season

Event Recap I Boxscore I Notes & Quotes

Blaine, Minnesota – The #3 University of Michigan men’s lacrosse team dropped a 4-3 decision to UC-Santa Barbara in the semi-final round of the USL-MDIA National Championship Tournament in Blaine, Minnesota on Friday, May 13.  In front of 647 fans the Wolverines carried a 3-2 lead heading into the fourth quarter before allowing two goals in the final frame while being shut out and watching their season come to an end before they would have wished. 

The Wolverines opened the scoring at the 9:35 mark of the first on a dodge from junior midfielder Jim Constantine (Troy, Mich./Seaholm).  Constantine was able to turn the corner on his defender and broke in on the right side firing low shot that beat UCSB goaltender Ryan Brittain just inside the far-side post. 

Santa Barbara had a chance to even the scoring on the following possession on a quality opportunity from Nick Stratton.  Senior goaltender Dan Webber (Weston, Mass./Weston) was up to the task, making the early save to retain the 1-0 opening lead.  The Wolverine defense held strong throughout the first, limiting the Gauchos and giving Webber a clear view of UCSB’s outside shots.  Webber finished with six saves in the first quarter as the Wolverines headed into the initial break with a 1-0 lead. 

During the break, Michigan was awarded a one-minute man-up opportunity after the Gauchos were called for an illegal stick penalty.  Michigan was unable to convert on the opportunity, but received another chance moments later after a holding penalty, but once again the UCSB defense kept Michigan on the perimeter and U-M was unable to covert.  Michigan returned the favor at 8:37 on a slashing penalty, and the Gauchos completed the man-up opportunity, tying the game at 1-1 at the 7:48 mark.  Both teams’ defenses hunkered down in the remaining minutes of the first half, with neither team able to break through as the game was knotted at 1-1 with the teams entering the locker-rooms.

The first-half defensive trend soon ended when the teams took to the field again in the second half as Michigan regained the lead in the opening minute on freshman Bobby Morales’ (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Brother Rice) 3^rd goal of the tournament.  Morales dodged in on the near-side before firing a low shot that snuck just inside the near post. 

Trailing 2-1, UCSB answered three minutes later at 10:47 on a low shot from Stefan Isaksen that found its way past Webber to draw the game even at 2-2.  The Gauchos had another excellent opportunity after a wide shot by UCSB was picked up by Lewis Kubitz on the near-side post.  Kubitz scooped up it and immediately tried to bury it in the open goal before Webber recovered and got to the post to close the opening to keep the game tied at 2-2.

The Wolverines rode the momentum of Webber’s solid play and converted a transition goal by freshman Evan Fox (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern), assisted on the play by sophomore Matt Hudson (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville).  Hudson fed Fox just outside of 10 yards, and Fox buried the high shot to give Michigan the 3-2 lead at the 1:35 mark of the third.  The Wolverine defense held on for the remainder of the third with Michigan holding the one-goal lead heading into the fourth. 

The Gauchos came out in the fourth and tied quickly at 14:32 on a goal from Luke Shaw just outside the crease, tying the game at 3-3.  UCSB took their first lead of the game 2:22 later on a tally from Stefan Isaksen.  A pass across the front of the goal left Webber with little chance of making the save, and the Wolverines faced their first deficit of the tournament but had almost an entire period to even it up. 

Both teams traded possessions throughout the final minutes of the fourth, with the Gauchos trying to whittle down the clock.  The Wolverines gained a solid possession with 2:37 left in the fourth and called a time-out to set up their last push in the game. 

Michigan’s last chance of the contest came with 30 seconds left in the game after a pushing from behind call gave Michigan one last chance to work the ball up-field.  The Wolverines failed on the clear attempt however as time ran out on Michigan’s season with the UCSB advancing to the finals with the 4-3 win. 

Statistically, the game was as tight as the score with U-M finishing with 25 shots to the Gauchos’ 28 and scooping up 27 groundballs compared to 36.  The Wolverines were 3-10 in faceoffs and cleared the ball at a rate of 19-30 while UCSB finished 19-24.   than Oregon, finishing 22-26 while the Ducks posted 22-40 totals. 

One telling stat was the man-up opportunities, as Michigan was 0-2 on the extra-man while Cal-State Santa Barbara scored on both of their chances when the Michigan defense wasn’t giving up many quality chances in six on six.

Dan Webber was outstanding in his final game as a Wolverine, posting 16 saves in the contest - a season-high. 

With their third game of the weekend, Michigan will not play a consolation game as their 2005 campaign comes to an end.  Please be sure to visit MGoBlue.com throughout the summer and fall for updated information on the Michigan lacrosse program and the clinics and camps run by head coach John Paul.

NOTES

●  In their lowest scoring output of the season, four Wolverines scored a total of four points.  Michigan’s previous low was nine total points scored vs. BYU on March 5.

●  It was also the second-lowest shot total of the season with 27.  Their low mark was a 24-shot effort vs. Oakland on May 1.

●  Michigan set a season-low in groundballs with 27.  Their previous low was 30 vs. BYU (March 5).  No coincidence, both were one goal losses.

●  Dan Webber set a season-high with 16 saves.  His career high is 19, set last season vs. Colorado State on May 12.

●  Senior long-stick midfielder David Silverman (Potomac, Md./Churchill) paced the squad with 7.  With the performance, Silverman recorded a single-season record for groundballs in a season with 159.  The previous high was 154 set by Pierce Davis in 2000.

●  With the loss, Michigan snapped their 15-game winning streak, which had tied a high of 15 set between March 8 and April 9 in 2002.

●  In Michigan’s three losses this year they lost by a total of three goals: 9-8 to Division II St. Vincent, 7-6 to #1 Brigham Young and now 4-3 to #2 UCSB.

●  In the two-teams' last three match-ups, the total goal difference has been only four goals.  In 2003, Michigan dropped a 9-7 decision at Santa Barbara, and last year Michigan grabbed a 4-3 win in Ann Arbor.

QUOTES

U-M Head Coach John Paul

On the game itself:  “We had trouble executing today, and we just couldn’t handle their defensive pressure.  We knew what was coming but we just had more trouble than we anticipated.  We knew they had a great defense.  You probably saw the two best defenses in the IA.  We were also sloppy clearing which is very uncharacteristic.  They were in a set zone ride that we saw 75% of the year and haven't had much trouble with.  I don’t know if we were tight or tired or what was going on.  Against that type of ride we should have been clearing pretty well.  I think those were the differences tonight.”

On our defense:  “I think our defense was great tonight.  We knew if we were going to win tonight it was going to be because of our defense.  We had the matchups we wanted most of the game.  There was one time we got out of the matchups we wanted and they exploited it right away but for the most part the defense played out of their minds.  Dan made 16 saves, more than he’s made all year, and he stood on his head all night.  I can’t ask anything more of those guys.”

On our offense vs. the pressure defense:  “We talk all year about poise and execution offensively and that’s where we suffered today.  We didn’t take advantage of the pressure.  They were so extended we should have open offensive looks and we did in the third quarter but we just didn’t capitalize.  We scored that first goal in the third quarter and really kept the pressure on there but we were just missing opportunities.”

On the season as a whole:  “I told the guys that everybody on this team respects the senior class.  And those guys have led us to a whole new level.  Not just on the field, but in everything.  In the way we prepare for a season, and the way we go through a season.  Everyone needs to pick up the torch and not let things slide back.  We’ve only got three seniors next year so its going to be up to everyone to pick up that slack.  We got to this point now as a team and we don’t want to take a step back.”

On next year’s recruiting class:  “We have an amazing recruiting class next year.  Maybe the best we’ve ever had.  I’m very excited about that.  I know the potential we have there and I’m looking forward to seeing what these new leaders will be doing with this team.  That’s going to be the key to next year.  How those guys in the locker room approach this summer and how they respond next fall.”

Senior midfielder Anthony Ragnone II

 General impressions of the game:  “It was dog-fight out there.  It was tough getting into space on the offensive end and we were having a hard time keeping possession.  The defense kept us in as long as they could but we weren't able to capitalize on the opportunities down the stretch.”

On their defensive pressure:  “It seems like whenever we play a team that scouts us they know that they’ve got to pressure us, and that’s the book on us.  They did it pretty well.  All of our three goals were transition goals and causing that to break down.  We just didn’t do that enough or just bury the shots.”

On the emotional loss:  “This loss is really hard to swallow because I felt this was the best team we’ve put out there and with the senior leadership I thought there was no way we were going to let us lose.  I’m so proud of these guys and we left it all out there.  Its tough though.”

Senior defender Mike Roth

On the defensive effort:  I thought our defense played well when we were playing defense but our clears could have been a lot better.  Dan [Webber] also was amazing.  Without him we would have let up much more than the four goals.  I’m just really proud of those guys back there.  I’ve played with them for so long and its been such a pleasure, but obviously this is tough one.”

On the clear attempts:  “It just execution. I think we were playing “d” a lot today and their ball control offense wore us down so that when we got the ball we had less energy to clear.  It’s a frustrating excuse to use though.”

Contact: Joe Hennessy (734) 276-8493, jjhennes@umich.edu