It was a forgettable all around performance Saturday afternoon in North Carolina for the Michigan Lacrosse team. Here’s what went wrong for the Wolverines in the blowout loss:
The No. 15 Michigan Wolverines (1-1) came out flat and couldn’t get anything going as the No. 16 North Carolina Tar Heels (1-0) rolled to a 15-6 victory in what was a miserable afternoon in Chapel Hill on Saturday.
Coming off an excellent season opener , this game was always going to be a test for head coach Kevin Conry’s squad. Going on the road, into ACC territory, against a hungry North Carolina group that wanted to prove something to its season debut home crowd.
And boy, did the Tar Heels prove it.
Michigan fell into an early 5-1 hole and despite cutting the deficit to two, it never really had a chance. The Tar Heels responded whenever it felt like the Wolverines could go on a run.
Whether it was failed clears, costly turnovers or lackadaisical defending, nothing went right for Michigan.
The offense was stagnant and faltered against an aggressive, physical North Carolina defense. There were too many turnovers and not enough quality looks. The Wolverines also couldn’t figure out Princeton grad transfer goalie Michael Gianforcaro, as he stopped 12-of-18 shots.
The Wolverines tried high to high, high to low, low to high, bouncers, crease curls and even three-quarters field attempts during the 10-man ride. Gianforcaro was all over everything.
Star attackman Ryan Cohen had two goals and an assist, but his five turnovers were the real story. He — and the rest of the team — simply looked uncomfortable. He didn’t have his normal dodging fluidity and it felt like nobody could create off-ball separation.
Cohen is the primary playmaker for the offense, but where do they turn when he’s having an off-game? Someone needs to emerge as a legitimate No. 2 creator.
Key guys like Bo Lockwood, Jack Jenkins and Aidan Mulholland also had difficulty creating off the dodge. CJ Reilly showed some flashes, but the offense was mostly silent.
Defensively, Pace Billings traveled with arguably the best sophomore in the country in Owen Duffy. Duffy was a hassle with his speed and finishing wreaking havoc on Michigan’s defense. He and his classmate, Dominic Pietramala, combined for eight goals.
Hunter Taylor didn’t see the ball well in net, allowing 15 goals on 22 shots. There were plenty of easy finishes down low, so it’s not all on him, but he was far from his best.
Expect a major bounce-back performance.
The most concerning part of the defense was the slide packages. There were too many instances of Tar Heels wheeling through slides and infiltrating the slot. This is a big, tough defense that will likely played with a chip on its shoulder moving forward.
And for all the inadequacies of the settled 6-on-6 game, it was clearing (or, lack thereof) that really killed the Wolverines’ comeback aspirations.
They went 17-for-25 in the clear game but at one point they were a mind-boggling 6-for-12. North Carolina used the 10-man ride to frustrate Taylor and the long poles into poor decisions. Oftentimes, the ball carrier would hit space in the middle of the field before the Tar Heel riders collapsed.
There is nothing more frustrating than a bad clear. The defense made the stop, the offense is eager for the ball, and you have to reset everything because of correctable mistakes. Michigan will need to be far better in this category to compete with top teams. Everything looked rushed and out of control.
Jackie Weller had his moments at the faceoff X — going 10-for-22 — but never got into a consistent rhythm. Nick Lauderback spelled Weller and went 1-of-3 on the draws.
The game went from bad to worse when SSDM Jack Welcsh, one of the key emotional and on-field leaders for Conry, suffered an apparent knee injury. Welcsh played in just three games in 2024 before suffering a season-ending injury.
Hopefully Welcsh recovers quickly. If he does miss extended time, expect Carson Billig, Justin Ennis and Jack Marlow to carry the load in the defensive midfield.
Meanwhile, the Wolverines will need to wash off the stench of defeat before traveling to upstate New York to battle Hobart next Saturday. Michigan has a chance to regain its swagger and improve its non-conference resumé.