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March 29, 2005
Michigan Men’s Lacrosse
2005
Weekly Release #5
Upcoming Schedule
● Friday, April 1, 7:00pm CST -
vs. Texas – Austin, Texas. (UT Lacrosse Fields)
● Saturday, April 2, 5:00pm CST –
vs. Texas A&M – College Station, Texas – (Penberthy Intramural Complex)
● Friday, April 8, 7:00pm EST –
vs. Indiana – Ann Arbor, Mich. – (Oosterbaan Fieldhouse)
This Week – Deep in the
Heart
The University of Michigan men’s lacrosse team will be taking their
first trip to Texas in team history this week to take on local powers
Texas and Texas A&M in a pair of games on April 1 and 2. It will be a
short trip for the Wolverines, departing on Thursday and returning to
Ann Arbor on Sunday.
After the trip to Texas, the Wolverines will return home for a pair of
contests vs. CCLA foes Indiana on Friday, April 8, and vs. Miami (Ohio)
on Saturday, April 9 at Oosterbaan Fieldhouse in Ann Arbor.
Last Week
The Wolverines grabbed three victories last weekend, two vs. ranked
teams, defeating #7 Colorado, #11 Oregon, and Florida during the annual
Michigan Invitational that was held at Oosterbaan Fieldhouse in Ann
Arbor.
In the first game of the Invitational, the Wolverines defeated #7
Colorado by a score of 11-3 in front of 512 fans at Oosterbaan
Fieldhouse. Michigan came storming out of the gates on their way to 8-1
half-time lead, and never looked back in the second half.
It wasn’t until the 8:37 mark of the first period before someone found
the back of the net, with the Wolverines striking first, grabbing the
1-0 lead on a goal from freshman Peter Krauss (Grand Rapids,
Mich./Forest Hills Central). Colorado answered, tying the game at
1-1 just over a minute later on a goal from junior captain Brandon
Bailey on a low shot off a drive down the left alley. Four minutes
later at the 3:06 mark, Michigan regained the lead on a blast from up
top from senior captain Anthony Ragnone (Flint, Mich./Flint
Powers). Ragnone received the pass from freshman Evan Fox
(Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) and fired a high shot through traffic for
his third goal of the season.
Michigan struck again a minute later on a goal from an unfamiliar
source. Scoring the third goal of his four-year career, senior captain
Kirk Kozel (Barrington, Ill./Taft Ct.)
took over possession at midfield and carried it deep into the
zone. The Wolverines scored two more goals in the first, from more
familiar sources in sophomore attackman Matt Hudson
(Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) and senior captain Ryan Clark
(Summit, N.J./Summit).
Junior midfielder Jim Constantine (Troy, Mich./Seaholm)
and Mike O’Leary (St. Louis, MO./Clayton) would provide
the scoring punch in the second on two from Constantine and one from
O’Leary. Michigan entered halftime with an 8-1 lead.
After a scoreless third period of play, Colorado struck first in the
fourth quarter on a goal from sophomore Cameron Dunford to cut the lead
to six, 8-2. Three minutes later, Colorado scored again on a goal from
junior Brian Morgan from just inside the top of the box, drawing the
game to 8-3.
Colorado got no closer however, as Evan Fox notched his first goal of
the night two minutes later on an assist from Ryan Clark. Fox finished
the scoring on the day with his second of the game to make the final
11-3. Senior goaltender Dan Webber (Weston, Mass./Weston)
was excellent throughout, staying focused even while Michigan controlled
possession for long stretches of time. Webber finished with 11 saves in
the contest and lowered his already stellar goals-per-game average of
3.48 by only allowing three goals in the contest.
The Wolverines dominated possession in the game posting 22-29 clear
numbers while holding Colorado to 16-26, and also winning the groundball
battle 32-27. The Wolverines were 11-18 in the faceoff circle, and
finished 5-9 on the man-up while allowing only one goal in five Buffalo
chances.
The second game of the Invitation for the Wolverines would be a classic
8-7 overtime win over the #11 Oregon Ducks with Evan Fox netting the
overtime goal with only 34 seconds left in the contest.
Coming out of the half with the scored tied at 3-3, Oregon scored first,
grabbing the 4-3 lead four minutes into the period at 11:04 on a goal
from Darryl Schuitevoerder who was right on top of senior goaltender Dan
Webber.
The Wolverines found a way to answer, five minutes later at 6:31 on a
transition goal from Ryan Clark. The play started as senior long-stick
midfielder David Silverman (Potomac, Md./Churchill)
scooped up a loose-ball at midfield and fed freshman Peter Krauss who
was darting up the left side. Krauss switched the field on a pass to
Clark who was streaking in on the right side. Clark received the pass
and dodged deep into the zone and fired a high shot that found its way
just inside the post to tie the game at 4-4.
Michigan earned the ensuing possession and set up shop in Duck territory
and found an open Jim Constantine 10 yards out at the top of the
zone. Constantine quickly released the shot to give Michigan its first
lead since the first half. The Wolverines didn’t slow up, extending
their lead to 6-4 on Evan Fox’s second goal of the game at 2:00 minutes
even, and then found the back of the net again 40 seconds later at 1:21
on a wrap-around goal from Ryan Clark to push the lead to 7-4 entering
the final frame.
Oregon didn’t shy away from the challenge however, and came out firing
in the last period of play, netting a quick goal at 13:34 and following
up with another at 7:35 to draw within one at 7-6. After multiple
possessions for both teams, Oregon was able to knot the game up at 7-7
with 3:19 remaining on a goal from Schuitevoerder right outside the
crease on a breakdown in front.
Oregon was able to muster a number of quality chances early in the OT
period, but senior goaltender Dan Webber was up to the job and kept the
Wolverines in the game. Michigan was eventually able to earn possession
and move the ball up-field after an excellent clearing pass from Webber
to senior defenseman Mike Roth (South Orange, N.J./Montclair
Kimberly). Roth found an open Clark on the right wing who reversed
fields to Evan Fox, who was streaking in on the left wing. Fox received
the pass and was able to fire a shot that squirted its way just inside
the left post to give the Wolverines an 8-7 overtime victory.
Statistically, the Wolverines won every category except for the man-up
totals. U-M finished the game with 45 shots to Oregon’s 18 and scooped
up 34 groundballs to 29. Michigan won 11-19 faceoffs, and cleared the
ball at a rate of 17-24, with Oregon posting 16-26 totals. The Maize
and Blue finished 2-6 on the man-up while Oregon scored once on two
opportunities. Dan Webber finished the night with seven saves, while
Nathan Cordova stopped 12 shots.
In the final game of the Invitational vs. Florida, the Maize and Blue
defeated the Gators by a score of 20-6, scoring the first six goals of
the game and never looking back. In the Wolverine’s second most
lop-sided win of the year, Evan Fox finished with seven goals and one
assist for eight points while Ryan Clark did his part, finishing with
1-5-6 totals. Jim Constantine also had a career day finishing with
4-2-6, all career highs.
After five first-half goals from Evan Fox, Michigan led 9-3 entering
halftime. The Wolverines scored first coming out of the half, on
Constantine’s third goal of the game. The tally was assisted by senior
captain Anthony Ragnone. Constantine added his fourth goal
before Fox tallied his sixth, which was assisted by freshman Tom
Lehman (Beverly Hills, Mich./Univ. of Detroit Jesuit).
Florida answered 40 seconds later with back-to-back goals to cut the
lead to 12-5. It would be the closest the Gators would get for the
remainder of the game as Michigan tallied four more unanswered goals
before the period break and entered the final frame leading 16-5.
The Maize and Blue were able to empty the bench in the final quarter
with every Wolverine seeing the field. Freshman attackman Doug Bell
(Troy, Mich./Troy) notched his first career goal while fellow
freshman, defenseman Nick Uhler (Pittsburgh, Penn./North
Allegheny) recorded his first career point, an assist on the final
goal of the game.
Michigan dominated every statistic of the game, finishing with 47 shots,
while Florida posted 16. U-M scooped up 48 groundballs to the Gator’s
31, and finished with better clear numbers at 25-31 compared to
Florida’s 16-28 totals. Michigan was 6-11 on the man-up, while Florida
finished 3-7. In the faceoff circle, the Wolverines finished 19-30.
Senior goaltender Dan Webber (Weston, Mass./Weston)
finished with two saves through three quarters of play, while sophomore
Ryan Kaufman (Olney, Md./Magruder) posted three saves in
his quarter of play.
Scouting the Opponents
Texas - A member of the Lone Star Alliance, the University of
Texas Longhorns enter the contest with a record of 5-8 overall and 3-1
in the conference. Texas is coming off a 15-5 loss to UC-San Diego in
the last contest, on March 25. Texas and Michigan have shared one
common opponent so far this season, with Texas losing to Florida by a
score of 13-10 in Gainesville. Last season, Texas finished with a
record of 12-6, winning their conference but falling in the opening
round of the USLIA Championships in St. Louis.
The ’05 Longhorns are led by senior midfielder Mike Raab and senior
midfielder Kevin Garrett, along with senior Bryan Chambliss up front.
On defense, Texas features a mix of youth and experience with four
freshman but no seniors. Texas is led in the back by 6-6, 225 lb’er,
junior Al Roberts and fellow junior Scott Snodgrass. Junior Ben
Jenschke is also a versatile two-player at Long-stick midfield. The
Longhorns are strong in goal with senior captain Garrett Cox protecting
the pipes.
Head coach Noah Fink enters his second year at the helm of the
Longhorns, guiding the squad to a conference championship and a #17
ranking in his first year. Currently Fink holds an overall record of
17-14. Fink is a ’96 graduate of Bucknell and was a four-year player
for their program.
http://www.longhornlacrosse.com/
Texas A&M – The Aggies of Texas A&M are also a member of the Lone
Star Alliance conference and enter this weekend’s action with a record
of 7-9 but are coming off six straight losses. The Aggies dropped their
last contest, a 12-9 decision to UC- San Diego on March 23. Texas A&M
has shared two opponents with the Wolverines so far in the ’05 season,
defeating Florida by a score of 7-6, and falling 11-4 to CCLA rival
Oakland.
Up front, the Aggies are led by sophomore Nathan Tab and junior Ryan
Turnbow who finished second and third respectively last year in total
points for Texas A&M. The Aggies also have experience up front with a
total of 10 upperclassmen in the midfield and on attack. On defense,
seniors Bryan Just and Brian Despain lead the way, and in goal junior
Andrew Dabney guards the net.
Tony Scazzero enters his 26th year as head coach for the
Aggies, posting a 359-107 mark over that period. In 2003, Scazzero was
named the conference coach of the year after leading the Aggies to their
fourth consecutive conference championship and guided A&M to their fifth
trip to the USLIA National Championships.
http://www.aggielacrosse.com/
Injury Update
The Wolverines were dealt a serious blow to
the midfield corps as senior Brian Vincent (Farmington Hills,
Mich./Univ. of Detroit Jesuit) will be side-lined for the rest of
the season with a torn ACL. Vincent tallied 3-0-3 before falling to
injury.
Sophomore midfielder Thomas Groenke (Cincinnati, Ohio/St.
Xavier) is currently suffering from an injured shoulder and will
probably miss the weekend.
Freshman midfielder Paul Kang (St. Louis, MO./Parkway Central)
is suffering from an ankle injury and will miss this weekend’s
games.
Fellow freshmen Bobby Groat (Canton, Mich./Salem) will
miss the trip with an injured groin.
Senior face-off specialist Trevor Broad
(Grosse Pointe, Mich./University Liggett) has come down with a
sinus infection and is probable for the weekend.
Starting off at Home
Unlike the last four seasons in which Michigan has begun playing the
majority of their games on the road, the 2005 campaign opened with two
home games, a win vs. Missouri 18-1, and 9-8 loss to St. Vincent. In
2001 and 2002 U-M played three of their first four on the road, while
the 2003 Wolverines played their first six contests on the road. Last
season, Michigan opened up with three contests away from home, finishing
2-1 with wins over Central Florida, and Florida, and a loss vs. BYU.
Highs in 2005
·
Freshman Evan Fox recorded a career-high
seven goals and eight points (7-1-8) vs. Florida on March 27.
·
Senior Ryan Clark finished with a
season-high five assists and six points vs. Florida (1-5-6) on March 27.
·
Junior Jim Constantine finished with a
career-high in goals and points with a 4-2-6 effort vs. Florida on March
27.
·
Brian Vincent recorded a career-high six
groundballs in the contest and a career-high eight shots vs. Missouri
(Feb. 18).
·
Senior long-stick midfielder David
Silverman (Potomac, Md./Churchill), the team’s leading
groundball man last year showed his offensive prowess vs. Missouri (Feb.
18), registering a career high two goal effort. His two goals were only
the second and third of his career.
·
Silverman finished with a season-high 11
ground balls vs. Colorado (March 25).
·
The five shots allowed vs. Eastern
Michigan marks the lowest game total so far in the ’05 season.
Michigan’s previous low was vs. Missouri which was eight.
·
Senior faceoff specialist Trevor Broad
(Grosse Pointe, Mich./University Liggett) finished 10 for 10
in the circle vs. Eastern Michigan (March 18).
·
Michigan set a season-high with 61
groundballs vs. Eastern Michigan tied a season-high with 29 shots on
goal.
Show Me Game vs. Show Me
State
In the February 18 contest vs. Missouri, a total of seven Wolverines
notched their first career points for the Wolverines. Missouri native,
Mike O’Leary recorded 2-1-3 totals in the contest, one point shy of his
career high. Paul Kang (St. Louis, MO./Parkway Central),
another player from Missouri scored his first career goal. The
+17 margin of victory was the largest for the Wolverines since last
year’s season opener vs. Central Florida in which Michigan won 24-0, and
other than that game, the last time the Wolverines held someone to only
one goal in a game was in 2003 vs. Illinois on March 28 when U-M won
11-1.
Successful Transition
Michigan has been succeeding so far in ’05 gaining possession and moving
it up field posting 175-223 clear totals for a conversion rate of .785.
After eight games last season the Wolverines totaled 116-178 (.652).
With a relatively successful effort last week in the Invitational,
Michigan’s rate of defending clears totals 132-230 (.574) in ’05.
Team Leaders
Through nine games freshman Evan Fox leads the team in goals,
assists and points with 26-13-39 totals. Fox also leads the team with
63 shots and 10 man-up goals. Second on the team in points and tied for
the lead in assists with Fox is Ryan Clark who has posted 10-13-23
totals. Second in goals is Mike O’Leary who has totaled 12-3-15 in
’05. 2004’s leading groundball man David Silverman once again paces the
squad with 64 groundballs. Senior captain Kirk Kozel
(Barrington, Ill.Taft Ct.) is second with 34. Both players are
poised to break their career highs, set last season.
Clark Bouncing Back
After another scare to his knees early on in the season, senior captain
Ryan Clark has worked his way back into the line-up and currently is in
second place in total points with 10-13-23. In his last two games,
Clark has totaled 3-7-10.
Webber Solid through Nine
Through nine games, senior goaltender Dan Webber is posting career
numbers with a 4.23 goals per game average and a .628 save percentage.
Last year, Webber finished with a 6.16 goals per game average and a .627
save percentage. As a team, the Wolverines are allowing 4.42 goals per
game.
Contributing Quickly
To say the freshman class is contributing would have to be considered an
understatement with four of the top six scorers playing their first
seasons with the Wolverines. Evan Fox leads the team with 26-13-39
totals, while Krauss is third in total points with 18 and Lehman is
fifth with 4-11-15 totals. Freshman Bobby Morales (Bloomfield
Hills, Mich./Brother Rice) is currently sixth on the team with
8-6-14.
O’Leary Building Off Late
’04 Run
After finishing the 2004 season with a five-game run that included
9-3-12 totals, O’Leary has started the 2005 campaign right where he left
off. Through nine games O’Leary is fourth on the team and second in
goals with 12-3-15 totals and with a nine-game scoring streak, is only
five points away from his season high in points which is 20, tallied
last season. O’Leary also tied his career high in goals with a
three-goal effort vs. Arizona State and also tied his career high in
assists with two vs. Arizona.
Pre-Season Q&A with Head
Coach John Paul
With the strength of the team on defense, and considering some of
the losses up front to the offense, where are you looking for the bulk
of the scoring to come from?
It will be pretty spread this year. I'd be surprised if we have one or
two guys who emerge as our clearest threats. We're fairly deep
offensively, but we don't have any real superstars, which is kind of
similar to last year.
The Wolverines will face another difficult regular season
schedule, taking on a number of top-25 opponents throughout the year.
How do you think a difficult schedule like this prepares the team for
the USL-MDIA Championships?
Of course, it helps. We aren't playing UCSB or CSU this year, which is
disappointing, but we have some other outstanding teams on the schedule,
about half at home and half on the road. We have to become a better
road team, and this spring trip and our Texas trip later in the year
will go a long way toward showing if we can do that.
With an interesting combination of 12 seniors and 17 freshman,
which “unexpected" player from each class do you think might step up and
surprise everyone?
It's a unique mix for us. I think anyone who steps up for us on the
offensive end, other than maybe Ryan Clark, will be a surprise to anyone
not familiar with our program. We've graduated the "name" guys. We
have some guys I fully expect to step up, but I'd like to hold off on
naming names until they emerge on their own.
Having two full seasons under his belt, what can we expect from
Dan Webber in his last shot at a championship?
Dan has consistently improved every year. His confidence is very high
right now. He started to get some recognition at the end of last
season, so I don't think he'll surprise anyone. We expect him to make a
real difference for us this year. If he plays with consistent focus,
he's going to be hard to score on. One of the key areas he's really
improved is his clearing. He's deceptively fast, and he's worked hard
on his outlet and
passing skills. He's also worked hard on his strength. Dan is going to
be a real key for us this year.
Which team(s) do you think might be able to take the next step this year
and become a legitimate national power?
I think Arizona is poised to take that step. Our game there on March 2
is pretty big. We beat them here by one last year in a come from behind
win, and they beat us down there by one three years ago. They are well
coached and talented. Colorado, who we play here March 25, is also
right there. There are other teams like Oregon, Florida, Georgia Tech
and Florida State that are getting close, but getting there and staying
there for awhile are two different things - and all of those teams have
yet to prove themselves over a long haul. I also think Oakland has a
real shot a making some noise nationally this year. If they're going to
do it, this is their best chance. Our game with them on April 13 is
probably going to be the most anticipated CCLA contest ever. A lot of
people question our ability to go farther than we have, so I guess you
can lump us in there as well. I like our chances, but it's early to say
how we match up.
Michigan in the Polls
The Wolverines, who were ranked second behind Oakland in the pre-season
CCLA poll (six votes to five), were ranked #6 in the USL-MDIA Division A
Shamrock Lacrosse pre-season poll, ahead of #10 Oakland. In the third
poll of the regular season, Michigan held on to the #5 spot with a win
over Eastern Michigan. The next poll will be released on Wednesday,
April 6 on
www.uslia.com. Polls are released every two weeks throughout the
season.
Current USL MDIA Top 25 Poll Presented by Shamrock Lacrosse (Poll #3)
1. Colorado State (27 1st place votes) - 747 pts
2. Univ. of California, Santa Barbara (2 1st place votes) - 714 pts
3. Sonoma State (1 1st place vote) - 681 pts
4. Brigham Young University - 661 pts
5. Michigan - 641 pts
6. Arizona - 574 pts
7. Colorado - 564 pts
8. Virginia Tech - 506 pts
9. Oakland University - 490 pts
10. Boston College - 475 pts
11. Oregon - 391 pts
12. Univ. of California, San Diego - 382 pts
13. Florida State - 377 pts
14. Georgia Tech - 345 pts
15. Lindenwood University - 343 pts
16. Utah - 307 pts
17. Chico State - 278 pts
18. Cal Poly SLO - 221 pts
19. Miami University - 188 pts
20. Chapman University - 146 pts
21. New Hampshire - 143 pts
22. Minnesota-Duluth - 117 pts
23. Washington - 109 pts
24. (tie) Pittsburgh - 79 pts
24. (tie) Simon Fraser University - 79 pts
Contact:
Joe
Hennessy (734) 276-8493 – jjhennes@umich.edu
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