February 28, 2007

Site:  Tallahassee, Fla. (Harkins Field)

Score:  #4 Michigan 14, #9 Florida State 7

Records:  U-M (4-0, 1-0 CCLA), Florida State (8-2, 5-0 SELC)

Attendance: 250

Next U-M Game:  Saturday, March 17 at 7:00 p.m. - vs. Western Michigan (Oosterbaan Fieldhouse)

Michigan Stops the Chop, Dispatches Florida State 14-7

Event Recap I Boxscore I Notes & Quotes I Photos

Tallahassee, Florida - The #5 ranked University of Michigan men's lacrosse team finished off their spring break 2-0 after defeating #9 Florida State by a score of 14-7 in Tallahassee, Florida Wednesday night (Feb. 28).  Senior goaltender Ryan Kaufman (Olney, Md./Magruder) stopped 19 Seminole shots, while senior Evan Fox (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) and junior Mark Hammitt (Madison, N.J./Delbarton - Boston College) each tallied four goals in the Michigan win.

Michigan opened up the scoring after a lengthy possession in the Seminole end as Evan Fox wrapped around the cage, firing a low shot to give Michigan the 1-0 lead.  Immediately following the goal, FSU was called for an illegal stick penalty giving Michigan a three-minute unreleasable man-up.  The Wolverines capitalized quickly on a hard bouncing shot from Mark Hammitt just outside the crease.

After earning possession in the FSU end just under a minute later, U-M called a timeout to set up their attack.  The preparation paid off as Fox notched his second on a feed from junior attackman Peter Krauss (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central).  Following the goal, FSU was hit with another illegal stick penalty which resulted in another Michigan goal, this time from senior captain Matt Hudson (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) on a high blast from the left side.

After the wild opening to the contest, both teams settled in, and traded possessions until the ‘Noles notched their first goal of the game at the 2:38 mark of the first quarter.  With 20 seconds left in the quarter, Florida State could have drawn within two after a nice set up from behind the goal found Patrick Haley open in front.  Haley quick-sticked the shot, but goaltender Ryan Kaufman flashed off his post to make an excellent stick save to preserve the 4-1 lead after one quarter; just one of many important saves he'd record on the night.

The Wolverines extended the lead to 5-1 with the first goal of the second quarter on a dodge from Krauss.  FSU closed within three with just under five minutes remaining before taking two minute-long penalties resulting in another lengthy man-up opportunity for Michigan.  After running through two plays, Fox passed one just over the top of the goal to find an open Hammitt who buried a skipping shot past the keeper.

After Florida State answered right back after the ensuing faceoff to make it 6-3, sophomore Jared Blechman (Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville) put in his lone goal of the game to extend the lead back to four at 7-3 with the teams entering the locker-room. 

Florida State broke through first in the second half, five minutes in on a tally from Patrick Haley.  The teams then traded goals with Hammitt notching a long goal from deep on the right side, before FSU scored after the ensuing faceoff to make it a three goal-game once again at 8-5.

Michigan needed to put together a quality possession and give the "D" a breather and did just that on their next opportunity.  After moving the ball around the zone for some time, sophomore midfielder Peter Vasher (Ann Arbor, Mich/Pioneer) darted in on the right side and fired a high shot just over the keeper's left shoulder for the 9-5 lead.  Hammitt added to the lead moments later on a blast from the left side as the Wolverines built their largest lead of the game at that point at 10-5.

The Wolverines kept the pedal down as Fox notched his third of the game with just 20 seconds left in the quarter as Michigan led 11-5 headed into the final frame.

Three minutes into the fourth, the Seminoles scored on a scramble in front to make it 11-6, but Michigan's defense and their ability to control the ball allowed the Wolverines to dictate the remainder of the fourth quarter while adding three more goals for the 14-7 victory.

Statistically, it was a mixed bag, with Michigan getting out-shot by the ‘Noles 40-34, while also losing 15 of 23 faceoffs.  The sloppy play continued at times for the Wolverines as well as they turned the ball over 28 times.  U-M was successful on their groundballs and clears though, scooping up 47 loose balls to FSU's 28, and clearing the ball at a rate of 26-37 while their ride held Florida State to 16-30.  Another key to the game was the man-up as Michigan went 5-6, including three man-up goals in the first quarter, all while holding the Seminoles to 1-4.

After improving to 4-0 on the 2007 campaign, the Wolverines will return to Ann Arbor, Michigan for their next contest vs. Western Michigan on Saturday, March 17 at 7:00pm EST at Oosterbaan Fieldhouse.

NOTES

● Junior faceoff specialist Lawrence Okwali (Silver Spring, Md./Springbrook) saw the bulk of the work at the "X" and finished 6-16, while junior Brekan Kohlitz (St. Claire Shores, Mich./Notre Dame Harper Woods) went 1-3 and third in line, freshman David Reinhard (East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing) finished 1-4.  It was the first time this year the Michigan faceoff unit finished the game behind in the statistics.

● Junior midfielder Michael Shearman (Madison, N.J./Seton Hall Prep) paced the team with six groundballs, one shy of his career high set last season vs. Minnesota-Duluth (March 31).

● Ryan Kaufman's 19 saves tied a career high, set last season vs. UC-Santa Barbara (March 5) and were one more than his previous season high of 18 set vs. Kenyon (Feb. 17).  He also recorded a shot of his own on a clear attempt.  He's currently averaging 6.72 GAA along with a .681 save percentage. 

● Evan Fox led the team with six points on four goals and two assists.  Fox has scored at least five points in each of his first four games this season and currently leads the team in points with 21 on 15 goals and six assists.

 ● Mark Hammitt tied a career high with five points set last season vs. multiple opponents.  

● Peter Krauss tied a career high with three assists set multiple times last season. 

● This was the first meeting between the two teams. 

QUOTES

Head Coach John Paul

On the game itself:  "I was really pleased to come out of this trip 2-0, and to win our first game against a ranked team.  Some of the guys mentioned before the game that they'd never finished their spring trip undefeated.  Obviously that feels good.  I was also really happy with the effort we gave compared to Sunday against Florida.  I think we got a little out-worked on Sunday but I think it was different this time around."

On the execution:  "We were still way too sloppy and tonight we had 28 turnovers and we need to be under 20.  I bet we even had more than this when I look at the film.  The first thing we look at though is effort, and that was there.  After the game I asked the guys if they were happy with the game, and the answer was a resounding "no".  So they know what needs to be done.  It's not like they don't know or care when they just dropped a ball or threw a pass away."

On the wild opening quarter:  "With the new stick check rules they have to get at least six in per team and this crew was trying to get a lot of them done in the first quarter.  They're also emphasizing checking long-poles.  In the past they'd almost never get checked.  It's going to take a little while for teams to adjust.  You've really got to watch them because they can become illegal during play.  Certainly, those penalties helped us get off to a good start."

On the third-quarter difficulties:  "Yeah again tonight we had difficulties there coming out of the half.  Kenyon did it to us, and so did Florida on Sunday.  I'm not really sure what it is.  We controlled the ball in the first half very well but we missed some opportunities.  I think we could have had a much bigger lead, and they felt like they were still in it, and if they made a run it would have been a game.  It's something we need to be concerned about."

On regaining momentum and putting them away:  "We established ourselves physically at the end of the third and into the fourth.  We didn't play that many guys but we were flying around and that's a difference maker for us.  I think that was the difference in the end.  Kaufman was outstanding again and he came up with some big saves that kept our lead intact early on." 

On the upcoming weeks:  "We're going to get in three good practices before we leave because we want to take advantage of playing outside.  We'll use these next couple of weeks up until Wooster to really try to iron out some of these kinks.  We don't need to add a lot at this point, it's just simply execution.  Having Mueller back is also going to be big for us.  He brings a physical presence that's not there when he's out so we'll work him as well." 

Senior attackman Evan Fox

On getting two wins on the trip:  "It feels good to come away with two wins.  They weren't the greatest wins, but we came out better today than we did vs. Florida.  Those stick penalties early on certainly helped.  We got the win though and you can tell we're going to get better as the year goes on.  Every year you notice this huge progression from the start to the end.  Guys like Hrusovsky and Vasher who are playing great now, but I can't wait to see what they're like at the end of the year when they hit their stride."

On the man-up:  "Really the key is just ball movement.  Coach stresses it in practice.  Getting the defense out of place and keeping their feet moving.  The ball moves faster then they do, so getting them out of place and finishing is the key.  Some guys know they aren't going to score on particular play but if they move it fast and get it back-side, we're going to score and everybody is happy."

Senior goaltender Ryan Kaufman

On the effort today compared to vs. Florida:  "Our pre-game was a lot sharper today than it was on Sunday.  We had our meal, got to rest a little.  It was a night game on turf, so it was more suited for us.  I would have liked to come out and executed a little better, but the effort was definitely there." 

On his play through four games:  "This is my last chance it being my senior year so obviously every game is big.  I'm happy so far with my play though.  I've been doing well on my clears and that's important.  Overall through four games I'm pretty comfortable so far with where I'm at.  There is always room for improvement though so I'll just keep working."

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