May 10, 2006

Event:  Men's Lacrosse

Site:  Plano, Texas (Russell Creek Athletic Complex)

Score:  #4 Michigan 9, #5 Brigham Young 14

Records:  U-M 14-5, Brigham Young 12-7

Next U-M Game:  Thursday, May 11, 4:00pm CST vs. #2 Sonoma State - USL-MDIA Consolation Game (Plano, Texas - Russell Creek Athletic Complex)

Third-Quarter Charge Leads BYU Past Wolverines

Event Recap I Boxscore I Notes & Quotes I Photos

Plano, Texas - The #4 University of Michigan men's lacrosse team ran into a blazing hot BYU squad today, dropping a 14-9 contest to long-time rival #5 Brigham Young University in a USL-MDIA National Championship quarterfinal match-up in Plano, Texas.  After falling behind 5-1, the Wolverines got back into the game and trailed just 8-5 at halftime.  The Cougars regained momentum however after the halftime break, scoring five goals in the third quarter, and completely shutting down the Wolverine attack in the second half.  Michigan tallied four goals late in the fourth quarter but it wasn't enough as the Wolverines season came to a close Wednesday afternoon in the Lone-Star state.

BYU came out roaring, and opened the scoring just moments into the game after winning the faceoff and quickly pushing it up-field before banging home a goal just outside the crease.  Marshall Kay was all alone in front when he fired a bouncing shot past junior goaltender Ryan Kaufman (Olney, Md./Magruder).  After a turnover by BYU in their half of the field gave Michigan an out of bounds play on the right side of the field, senior captain Jim Constantine (Troy, Mich./Seaholm) buried a bouncing shot of his own off a set play to tie the game at 1-1 early on. 

After possessions for both teams, BYU answered back on a tally from Tyler Monteath from the top of the box.  The Cougars extended their lead to 3-1 under two minutes later on another wide-open chance, this time from the left wing.  After an unnecessary roughness call on the Wolverines gave Brigham Young their first man-up opportunity of the game, BYU quickly scored again to make it 4-1. 

The Cougars returned the favor 30 seconds later, taking a slashing penalty immediately following the resulting faceoff.  Michigan was unable to capitalize however, and still faced an uphill climb, trailing 5-1 midway through the first quarter.  Junior midfielder Matt Hudson (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) helped to jumpstart the Wolverines, dodging in from behind the cage and firing a high shot that snuck inside left post.  Sophomore attackman Peter Krauss (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central) continued to help the Wolverines regain momentum, dodging in on the left wing and beating BYU goaltender Glen Makechnie to draw within two at 5-3 entering the second quarter.

Michigan scored their third unanswered goal on the Wolverines first possession of the second quarter on a dodge from Constantine.  BYU won the resulting faceoff and maintained a long possession in the Wolverine zone, getting off two quality chances.  Kaufman was up to the task, stepping out and challenging the shooter and stopping both attempts. 

Sophomore midfielder Mark Hammitt (Madison, NJ/Delbarton - Boston College) evened the game at 5-5 at the 6:26 mark, faking a pass behind the goal before cutting back in front of the cage and firing high past the goaltender for his first of the game.

BYU answered right back for their first goal since the 6:04 mark of the first, as Monteath scored his third of the game, dodging in from the left wing and scoring while falling to the ground.  BYU opened up a two-goal lead just over a minute later on a dodge from the right wing.  After earning possession again, the Cougars called a timeout to set up their attack.  Their strategy worked and BYU scored their third unanswered goal in a row to build an 8-5 as the second quarter wound down. 

Coming out of the break, BYU earned the first quality possession of the second half and after missing wide, earned a man-up opportunity after an unnecessary roughness call on Michigan.  BYU converted the opportunity to earn their second four-goal lead of the game at 9-5.  BYU kept their foot on the pedal and scored four more goals to finish off the third quarter, leading 13-5 with just 15 minutes left.  Throughout the quarter both teams created quality chances, but it was Cougars burying their shots while Michigan either missed the cage or had their shots saved.

Staring at the end of their season, the Wolverines would need to start quickly in the fourth if they had any chance of making a game of it.  The Cougars had different ideas however, and controlled possession for the first five minutes before scoring and extending the lead to 14-5.    

Michigan ended up scoring four goals in the final two minutes, but it was too little, too late, as the Wolverines saw their 2006 campaign come to a close long before they had hoped. 

Statistically, the game was much closer than it really was as Michigan won nearly every category, totaling 42 shots while BYU fired 31.  U-M scooped up 39 groundballs to the Cougars' 25, and as they have all year, dominated on faceoffs, winning 20 of 26.  Michigan was 13-15 on clears while Brigham Young totaled 18-23.  One telling stat was the man-up, where BYU finished a perfect 3-3 and held the Wolverines scoreless on four attempts.   

With the loss, the Wolverines will play a consolation game on Thursday afternoon at 4:00pm CST vs. #2 Sonoma State.

NOTES

● Peter Krauss and Jim Constantine led the Wolverines in scoring with three points apiece.  Krauss scored one goal and assisted on two others while Constantine put home three tallies.

● Junior goaltender Ryan Kaufman (Olney, Md./Magruder) finished with 5 saves in the contest.

● Sophomore faceoff specialist Brekan Kohlitz (St. Clair Shores, Mich./Notre Dame Harper Woods) finished 9-13 on faceoffs while fellow sophomore Lawrence Okwali (Silver Spring, Md./Springbrook) finished 11-13.  The Wolverines' play at the X was definitely a pleasant surprise in '06, after losing a three-year starter in Trevor Broad to graduation.  Kohlitz finished with 224 wins on the season, four more than the career-high 220 posted by Broad last season.  Okwali was also a bright spot, winning 93 of 126 faceoffs for an impressive .738 winning percentage.

● Okwali also finished with a team-high nine groundballs in the game. 

● The Texas sun was much more reasonable on Wednesday, with temperatures in the mid 80's with a strong wind throughout the game.

● Michigan has now lost four in a row against to the Cougars over the past three seasons.  Michigan's last win over Brigham Young was in 2003 when the Wolverines defeated BYU by a score of 10-7 in Ann Arbor, Mich.

QUOTES

Head Coach John Paul

On his general impressions of the game:  "We just ran into a buzz-saw today.  I thought BYU played a near perfect game - offensively especially.  They executed better than any team we've played all year.  We clawed back there at the end of the first half but when they got up again I thought we started to rush things a little bit.  Everything we tried to do they had an answer for.  We also got beat athletically, no question.  They were quicker than us, and you can try and compensate for that, but they were still capitalizing.  They just didn't make mistakes when moving the ball, and they were deadly with their shots."

On our offensive effort in the second half:  "I felt like we got to the point where we thought we had to answer them, and I think we tried to do a little too much individually.  We weren't moving the ball that well and we started pressing.  They've always played good team defense against us and they did it again today."

On Michigan's youth catching up to them:  "There were a few groundballs that I don't think we hustled to as hard as we could have, and perhaps that comes from our guys not playing with the desperation that another team may have in that situation.  But if we haven't grown up at this point in the season I don't know what you're going to do."

On BYU's man-up success:  "Again that was just them executing.  I think we did a nice job of getting them out of the things they wanted to do on the man-up but they just continued to move the ball really well, found the open guy and stuck their shots.  There isn't a lot you can do to counter-act that."

On the team's effort:  "I thought we played with a lot of heart.  Our seniors never quit and they lead throughout.  They kept pushing everybody throughout the game even at the end. Another bright spot was Nick Standiford.  He played well at long-stick middie for us and I think he's got a bright future for us.  He needs to keep building on his understanding of the game and his stick skills.  We've got a few athletes at that position who I think could really step up, they just need to get their heads around what they need to do."

On the three seniors:  "We talked about how these guys have helped to build this program.  They did an outstanding job leading this team and doing it the right way.  I think this team really respects these guys and what they did this year.  It's always hard to watch anyone on this team who understands what we're trying to do lose, and go out like this.  It hurts to see them lose at this time of the year when everything is on the line.  We had guys who individually were refusing to lose today.  And those seniors were definitely playing with desperation today.  I have so much respect for those guys, and it absolutely hurts to see them go out like this."

On the state of the program:  "I think off the field we're certainly taking major steps.  We continue to get more help from our boosters and our financial situation continues to improve.  We're doing more and more things for our guys, the athletic department is helping us out more and more, our alums are getting more involved.  On the field, again our guys have to learn from situations like this.  They can't forget how much this hurts.  I'll know how much it sets in when I see what they're doing over the summer and how they come back and start practicing next fall."

Senior Captain Eric Rimmke

On what the team could have done differently today:  "I've been thinking about what we could have done since I walked off the field, and I think defensively I'm a little upset with how we played.  Yes, they're a fast team and they moved the ball well but we've definitely could have played better."

On the team's effort:  "I thought the effort was there, and I think for the most part it's been there all year.  I think we just didn't execute."

On the entire experience:  "This has been a tremendous experience and I've been blessed by God for the opportunity to come here and play.  When I think about the benefits this experience has provided me that will extend to my life outside of lacrosse its amazing.  In the end though it's about the relationships you form and the tremendous friendships you form.  I know these guys on such a deep level.  I would never have imagined I'd be in this position for years ago.  So many people helped me along the way and I'm so thankful for all their efforts.  It's been a life-changing experience for me."

Senior Captain Joe Stelmark

On stepping up to the challenge:  "Everyone is saying they played as best as they could have but we needed to do the same thing and we didn't.  We came out with our heads up our butts on defense.  We've been talking about it for three weeks and we just didn't do what we had to do.  I can't say enough about this group we had, we really grew throughout the season, but I think we stepped back a little these past couple of weeks."

On looking back at the past four years:  "It's funny because we lost to BYU in the 'quarters my freshman year and I remember thinking we've still got three more years and it's just amazing how fast it all went by.  People warn you, but it doesn't stick.  The one thing I can say is that if you're asking yourself what you need to do, err on the side of caution, and just work your butt off.  I worked hard, but I look back and think about all the things I could have done throughout the four years.  You can't go back though and you just need to take what you can from it.  That last quarter was so hard.  You always think you can come back, but at some point it sinks in."

Senior Captain Jim Constantine

On the team's mindset at the half:  "We've dug ourselves some holes this year so we knew we could come back.  It was just one of those things where we couldn't get anything going.  We were getting shots deflected and bounces weren't going our way, but we fought hard to the end and that's all you can ask."

On what he expected four years ago:  "You always have to dream big and set your goals high and I definitely saw the possibility but you never realize it till you're there.  Yes we didn't win a National Championship but I wouldn't have traded in this experience with these guys to win a championship.  When I looked at the clock ticking down I started to think about the entire experience and how much support we got from everyone along the way - parents, friends, girlfriends - it was great and it was so much help.

On what he could pass down to the team:  "It's one of those things were you could be the most athletic guy, or have the most skills, but it comes down to heart, and what you do in the off-season and all the extra effort you could have put in.  I don't want these guys to ever have any regrets."

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