The Michigan Lacrosse team did almost everything right before letting up a late run and an overtime goal to the Duke Blue Devils at Koskinen Stadium. Here’s how it went down:
The Michigan Wolverines (2-2) played an excellent game, but ultimately fell short in an overtime classic, 8-7, at the No. 7 Duke Blue Devils (4-0) Saturday afternoon.
After falling out of the Inside Lacrosse rankings , Michigan came into this one with something to prove. Head coach Kevin Conry must have had one heck of a pregame speech because the Wolverines had a chip on their shoulders all day.
Conry’s team played with a tenacity and almost desperation that had not been on display in previous outings.
They led the Blue Devils 1-0 after one quarter and maintained a second-half lead in what was a thrilling back-and-forth, defensive slugfest of a contest.
Michigan held a 7-5 lead with under four minutes in regulation before Duke’s best player — Andrew McAdorey — took over. He scored off identical speed dodges from behind the net twice, before burying the overtime winner on the exact same play.
Pace Billings, who traveled with McAdorey all day, was mostly excellent, but the Blue Devils still had enough juice in the tank to pull off the come-from-behind victory.
Billings has established himself as Conry’s No. 1 cover defenseman and will likely follow the best player in every game this season.
The Wolverines were phenomenal on defense. The slide packages were crisp and physical, the sticks were active in passing lanes and Hunter Taylor provided another maestro performance with 10 saves.
It didn’t matter if it was stick side high, low and away, bouncers or wraparounds from GLE, Taylor made it look easy.
Kees Van Wees and Mason Whitney provided more stellar coverage from down low, while Rowan Clay and Max Bonner took the LSM reps. They were terrors on the ride and did a great job in the clearing game (23-for-24).
The Blue Devils scored on a two-man up opportunity, had an end-of-the-half pole goal in transition and scored right off a faceoff. However, in settled six-on-six situations, Michigan was the clear aggressor and dominant force.
There were very few good looks on Taylor and those that he did face, he faced with confidence and sharp decision-making.
SSDM Jack Marlow had a particularly good game, with some stout defense, mean body checks and he even recorded his first career goal on an absolute snipe.
Offensively, it was a bit stagnant from the Wolverines. Ryan Cohen did not make the most of his matchups with short-sticks, and the rest of the bunch had trouble creating off the dodge.
Cohen did record two assists, bringing his career total to an even 100. He is five goals away from joining Michael Boehm as the only players in program history to reach the century mark in both categories.
They found some success hitting cutters inside, even against a collapsing Duke defense. More of those high-danger opportunities will convert this year. Sometimes you run into a hot goalie (14 saves for Patrick Jameison).
Aidan Mulholland further proved that he is an alpha in the midfield, recording two goals and an assist. He is a solid dodger, but his most valuable asset is a lethal, right-wing shot that beat the Blue Devil goalie in the fourth quarter. He should continue to float on that side while the playmakers feed him for catch and shoots.
Lukas Stanat had two goals and showed off his fearlessness attacking the cage. Jack Jenkins added two assists and Bo Lockwood got back on track with a rifling overhand score.
Dylan Bruno also contributed out of the second midfield group, as he took a top right dodge and ripped a left-handed shot for a goal.
In overtime, Michigan made a clutch defensive stop, had a successful clear and called a timeout to set up what could have been a game-winning possession. Unfortunately, a careless over-and-back turnover led Duke the other way where it came out victorious.
Jack Rideout took all 17 faceoffs, winning eight and scooping a ground ball in a gutsy effort. His wings did a bulk of the heavy lifting on ground balls. There was still no sight of FOGO Jackie Weller or SSDM Jack Welcsh and it is unclear if they will return this spring.
Penalties were a bit of an issue (four flags for three minutes) and may have cost the Wolverines a victory. But it’s better to be overly aggressive than to let the opponent control the game.
Michigan’s offense needs to create more scoring chances in settled situations, but there is still plenty to be proud of. The defense is gelling nicely, faceoffs are not dominant but they are certainly no weakness, either and the offense has enough firepower to be a prolific unit.
Taylor is also a Memorial Day Weekend-caliber netminder.
While this is a gut-wrenching defeat for Conry’s group, it marks the end of a brutal road stretch and should fuel them moving forward.
Now, the Wolverines head back to Ann Arbor for a couple of Tuesday dates with Canisius and Cleveland State.
There are no guarantees in this sport, but the Wolverines are well-positioned to get back on track as we near the end of non-conference play.