Wolverines take home Falcon Cup Oct. 16-17

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Coming into the Falcon Cup without captains Micah Veith (Oak Park, IL/Oak Park River Forest HS) or Dan Jerneycic (Bloomfield Hills, MI/Univ. of Detroit HS), or starting attackman Kevin Chan (Manhasset, NY/Manhasset HS) and starting close D Greg Deutch (Boca Raton, FL/St. Andrews HS), the Michigan Lacrosse team was looking to see who would be able to step up in their first action of the season against a field of NCLL teams. Anticipating a championship game matchup against a traditionally strong Ohio University team, the team first had to face-off against host Bowling Green and teams from Kent and Toledo. Saturday's games, along with the early game on Sunday against Toledo, provided head coach John Paul the opportunity to play everyone as Michigan recorded lopsided victories against some outgunned competition.

Heading into Sunday's final against Ohio, the Wolverines were cautiously confident, as they knew the Bobcats had some guys who could play. With the return of 1st team all-USLIA Tom Burns (Bloomfield Hills, MI/Brother Rice HS) at attack, Michigan knew they would be able to score goals. They had missed Burns' quickness on Saturday. The question was whether or not Michigan would be able to hold the Ohio offense in check. That question was answered early and often as a swarming Michigan defense created numerous turnovers and poor shots, and tournament MVP Josh Charm (Randolph, NJ/Randolph HS) repeatedly denied the Bobcats on point-blank scoring chances. The Wolverines were able to withstand Ohio's physical style of play on their way to a 8-1 lead at the half. Slowing things down in the second half, Michigan cruised to a 10-3 victory, allowing only two goals on extra-man opportunities. The starting attack unit of Burns, Jeff Hadwin (Vestal, NY/Vestal HS) and Adam Denenberg (Wynnewood, PA/Lower Merion HS) scored 8 of Michigan's 10 goals in the win.

Said Paul of the weekend, "With our attack and top midfielders, I knew we'd be able to score again this year. Our focus this fall is on improving our defense. I was really happy with the play of our starting longsticks, Dave DiCamillo (Port Washington, NY/Schreiber HS), Wesley Martus (Chesterfield, MI/Hillsboro HS) and Brady Kim (Columbia, MD/Columbia HS). We are definitely farther along at this point than we were last year. I'm also really pleased with our effort level and focus. We were never able to put together 60 good minutes last year, and I think we are well on our way to being able to do that. The Falcon Cup was a great way for us to get started on our goals for 2000. It's a well run tournament, and it gives us a chance to play some nearby NCLL teams that we can't schedule in the spring."

Adam Denenberg drives against Ohio University in the title game

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