February 11, 2006

Event:  Men's Lacrosse - Preseason Scrimmages

Site:  Ann Arbor, Michigan (Oosterbaan Fieldhouse)

Scores:  Michigan 11, Dayton 1;  Michigan 11, Wittenberg 0

Records:  Off-season

Next U-M Game:  Saturday, February 18, 1:00 p.m. - vs. Kenyon (Gambier, Ohio - McBride Stadium)

Wolverines Roll in Preseason Scrimmages

Event Recap I  Notes & Quotes

Ann Arbor, Mich. - The #4 University of Michigan men's lacrosse team participated in a pair of scrimmages on Saturday, February 11, taking on the University of Dayton Flyers and the Wittenberg University Tigers in preparation for the start of their spring season.  The Wolverines dominated both scrimmages, earning unofficial wins in both contests with a large portion of the players who were healthy seeing the field.  Each scrimmage was 30 minutes long, played as two regulation 15 minute quarters, so in total, Michigan played one entire game for the day.

In their first contest vs. Dayton, the Maize and Blue needed less than ninety seconds to jump out to a 2-0 lead on a pair of goals from senior captain Jim Constantine (Troy, Mich./Seaholm).  The Wolverines continued to keep on the pressure with sophomore Bobby Morales (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Brother Rice) leading the charge with three goals in the first half as the Wolverines built a 8-0 lead heading into the quarter break.

Constantine started the scoring in the second quarter with a goal at the 13:26 mark on an outside cannon from the point.  Dayton got on the board mid-way through the period on a goal from junior midfielder Rory Jeffers.  Michigan responded with two more goals before the end of the contest from freshmen Jared Blechman (Setauket, NY/Ward Melville) and Peter Vasher (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) to close out the scoring, 11-1. 

In their second match of the afternoon, U-M jumped out to an early lead on Wittenberg on a tally from Morales on the doorstep.  The Wolverines added another, extending the lead to 2-0, this time on the man-up on a shot from Constantine, who was fed from Morales on the wing.  2005's leading scorer, sophomore attacker Evan Fox (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) added the next Wolverine goal, just before the break, giving the Maize and Blue a 3-0 lead heading into the final quarter of the day. 

Looking to build off a highly successful freshman campaign, sophomore attacker Peter Krauss (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central) opened the scoring in the second frame on a shot from the doorstep, extending the Wolverine lead to 4-0.  Moments later Fox added his second of the scrimmage as Michigan continued to play well in their final action before the start of the regular season.  The Wolverines added six more goals in the contest while keeping the Tigers off the score-board en-route to the 11-0 finish.

The Wolverines will return to the field next weekend to take on the Kenyon Lords in the squad's first regular season game of the year.  Due to weather conditions, the contest which was originally scheduled to take place in Gambier, Ohio, may be relocated to Ann Arbor so the teams can play indoors at Oosterbaan Fieldhouse.  If played in Ohio, the game will be played on Saturday, February 18 at 1:00 PM.  If the game is moved to Ann Arbor, the game is scheduled for 6:30 PM on Friday, February 17.  A decision should be made by Monday.

NOTES

●  CCLA rival Oakland University also participated in the scrimmages, playing both Dayton and Wittenberg in half-game scrimmages in-between the Michigan scrimmages.  Oakland topped Dayton 11-1 and tied Wittenberg 6-6 before dropping the scrimmage in an optional overtime period on a Wittenberg transition goal.

● There were 13 officials on hand to work the scrimmages as they were using the day as a preseason tune-up as well.  The officials rotated through the four contests.

● The Wolverines were nursing a number of injuries, and several players did not dress for the scrimmages.  Most noticeably absent were starting defenseman Nick Uhler (Bradford Woods, Penn./North Allegheny) who is nursing a recent knee injury and transfer midfielder Mark Hammitt (Madison, N.J./Delbarton) who suffered a bruised back in practice on Wednesday.  Hammitt is expected to return to practice this week.  Uhler is awaiting a final diagnosis.  Also not dressed were Joseph Tan (Narberth, Penn./Lower Merion), Sundaresh Mahendra (Short Hills, N.J./Mullburn), Zach Flaum (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Orchard Lake St. Mary's) and Matt Huspeni (Lakewood Village, Col./Regis Jesuit).

● Michigan dominated both scrimmages statistically, but the most telling statistic was total shots.  The Wolverines outshot Dayton 28 - 5 and Wittenberg 24-3.

QUOTES

U-M Head Coach John Paul

On the game itself:  "Well, we wanted to treat this like any normal game.  We wanted to start the usual starters and make our normal changes.  We made sure the lead was comfortable before we started really making substitutions.  We needed these games to be good warm-ups for next weekend [Kenyon].  Considering that, I was happy with how the guys played.  We executed well and did a lot of the big things right, but I was especially happy about the way we did the little things.  We were clean in our sideline work; we were winning the whistle - those sorts of things.  You can also tell the guys are just excited about playing."

On the play of the starters:  "Obviously Jimmy [Constantine] played extremely well.  He was a force out there.  He's got the green-light to dodge any long-stick, and teams are going to have to slide to him.  I thought Bobby [Morales] played very well in the first game.  He was shooting well and creating.  I was also very impressed with the play of Alex Martusiewicz.  We moved him up in the depth chart this week, and although he's still going to make some mistakes we're not used to at longstick, it certainly won't be because of a lack of effort.  We tell the longstick middies that its their job to harass.  He certainly does that.  He's all over the field."

On the play of freshman:  "The young guys are still getting used to playing at this level.  Some of the guys are having a little trouble stepping into their roles.  Guys are passing up on shots they probably should have taken, getting rid of it too quickly - they're just thinking a little too much.  They're a little tentative still.  That'll change as they see the field more."

On the play of the new defensive corps:  "We didn't get to see a whole lot back there tonight because the ball was at the other end most of the time, but it's apparent we're still making some fundamental errors out there.  We played the same "D" the entire day.  It was very basic.  We also had some problems in the midfield we have to make sure we correct.  We did clear the ball well though.  Replacing the entire defense gave us a little cause for concern in that respect, but they did really well tonight.  There were a few times they pushed it when they shouldn't have, or held back when they should have pushed it, but overall they stayed composed."

On the regular-season opener vs. Kenyon:  "Obviously we're still waiting to see what happens [in terms of where the game is played due to weather].  If we're outside in bad conditions that might change the way we go about things a little.  But regardless, you can tell these guys are really looking forward to playing the game.  It's a good game for us and should really help us prepare for our trip to California.  Kenyon is a very solid team."

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