October 13, 2007

Event:  Michigan Men's Lacrosse

Site:  Ann Arbor, Mich. (Elbel Field)

Scores (Unofficial):  Johns Hopkins 9, Michigan 1; Army 9, Johns Hopkins 8; Army 11, Michigan 5

Records:  Off-Season

Attendance: 2134

Next U-M Game:  Saturday, October 20, Scrimmages at Ohio Wesleyan - vs. Ohio Wesleyan, Wooster, Bellarmine - Delaware, Ohio (Selbey Stadium)

Wolverine Showcase Delivers Top-Notch Lacrosse to Ann Arbor

Event Recap I Boxscore I Notes & Quotes I Photos

Ann Arbor, Mich. - Lacrosse worlds collided last night in Ann Arbor, Michigan as NCAA powers Johns Hopkins and Army traveled west to take on one of the nation's top "virtual varsity" programs in Michigan in an evening of scrimmages.  Over 2100 fans packed Elbel Field on the Michigan campus to see their Wolverines test their mettle on the first chilly night of the fall in southeast Michigan.

On the field, the home squad held their own for the majority of the night, with the usual array of fall-ball mistakes making their way into the contests.  In the opening match, the Maize and Blue squared off against Hopkins in two, 22-minute running quarters.  Hopkins showed from the start what it takes to be one of the most prestigious programs in college lacrosse, notching five goals in the first quarter, while holding the Wolverines scoreless.

Hopkins played their starters for the entirety of the first quarter, which came as a slight surprise to Michigan head coach John Paul, "I was expecting to see their top guys for a run or two, but they played their starters a lot.  I was thankful for that.  Our guys got a chance to line up across from some of the nation's top players for some time.  It was a little tough to get a good impression on how we played because there is a clear difference but it was still a great opportunity for our guys." 

U-M broke through just over four minutes into the second frame, as sophomore midfielder Matt Huspeni (Greenwood Village, Col./Regis Jesuit) found the back of the net on a perfectly executed play.  The Blue Jays finished off the quarter with four unanswered goals. 

The second game of the night was a classic see-saw battle between Hopkins and Army.  After two, 22-minute running quarters, JHU led the Black Knights by a score of 3-2.  The teams came out firing in the third with each squad scoring four goals in the period with Hopkins retaining a one-goal lead heading into the final quarter.  The Blue Jays extended their lead to 8-6 off the opening faceoff, but were unable to put their opponent away as Army scored twice in the final 13 minutes to force a five-minute sudden-death overtime.  The Knights were able to end it, scoring with 1:21 left on a goal from senior Patrick Fullerton to secure the scrimmage victory.

Army Head Coach Joe Alberici was happy with the unofficial win, but was clear to point out that there is a lot to work on before the spring season, "Obviously you always take the field looking to win the game, but no one is going to hand us the championship trophy tonight for beating Hopkins in a scrimmage.  I think we played pretty well at times but they exposed some things tonight and we'll have to go back and look at the film and clean some things up before we take the field again."

In the nights' final game, Army remained on the well-maintained pitch in a four-quarter contest versus the host Wolverines, scoring 11 goals while Michigan notched five.  U-M had slightly more success on the offensive end vs. Army scoring five unofficial goals in the game, but according to Paul, turnovers held them back from even more quality offensive opportunities, "We had our flashes in our second game, but we just had too many giveaways, even from our top guys.  The young guys got to see a bit more time in the second game, but some of the freshman lines looked a little lost out there.  That's to be expected at this point in the year, especially against that type of competition."

Off the field, the event featured a number of attractions to draw the lacrosse community to a venue that rarely sees the type of crowd-size that packed Elbel Field. Early on, as the teams prepared for the opening contest, fans were treated to the Michigan Alumni band practicing for home-coming weekend in an adjacent lot.  Warrior Lacrosse and Detroit Lax both brought vendor trucks hawking both gear and event apparel.  Two-time MLL All-Star Matt Ward from the Washington Bayhawks signed autographs for the throngs of lacrosse-hungry youth, while concessionaires from local establishments satisfied the fans with a hearty assortment of food and beverage.

Johns Hopkins Head Coach Dave Pietramala was impressed with the scope of the event, "It's clear how much effort John Paul and his staff, and all the folks at the University put into this event.  When we initially threw around this idea in the summer, the idea of coming out here and experiencing the Michigan campus on a home-coming weekend was something we couldn't pass up.  We're happy to help Michigan out as well and hopefully some of their administration was out here tonight and can see what kind of support this sport has in this area and nationally." 

Paul added, "I was incredibly happy with how everything went tonight.  The atmosphere was great, there was some great lacrosse being played out there, and this was the experience of a life-time for our guys." 

On a Friday before the Wolverines took the field at the Big House for their home-coming game vs. Purdue, lacrosse was king for a night in Ann Arbor.

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