MANCHESTER, England – A four-year long rebuilding project by the U.S. men’s national team culminated Saturday in a 12-10 victory over Canada — the team that dethroned it in 2006 — in the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championship final before 4,651 fans at the University of Manchester.
 
“We dreamed of this. This was our destiny,” said Team USA head coach Mike Pressler. “The script was written. We just had to go out there and prove it.”
 
Team USA’s seventh world title did not come easy. The U.S. seized an 8-4 halftime lead with four unanswered goals in the second quarter. But Canada stormed back, blanking Team USA in the third quarter to tie it at 8. It set up another epic U.S.-Canada, fourth quarter showdown.

 
Zack Greer gave Canada its first lead of the game after getting topside on U.S. defenseman DJ Driscoll, faking and beating Team USA goalie Brian Dougherty on the doorstep to put the Canadians ahead 9-8 with just under 17 minutes remaining.
 
Dougherty came up huge with two saves — including a lunging kick save off his left knee on Kevin Crowley — on a man-down possession to keep Team USA within a goal.
 
Team USA attackman Brendan Mundorf rewarded him by scoring off a quick flip from Ryan Powell with a low, right-handed release – tying the game at 9 with about 12 minutes remaining.
 
John Grant Jr. answered for Canada, posting up U.S. defenseman Shawn Nadelen, getting topside, rolling back outside and dunking a goal on Dougherty to put the Canadians ahead 10-9 with less than 10 minutes remaining.
 
That’s when Ned Crotty, not much of a factor for Team USA in the early rounds, got untracked. The team’s youngest player and 2010 Tewaaraton Trophy winner with Duke, Crotty tied it at 10 on a low-to-high riser off a Mike Leveille feed with 8:24 left.
 
Less than three minutes later, Crotty scored the go-ahead goal on a phenomenal bounce shot as he fell to the ground. The ball flung off the turf and found a space under the crossbar and above the stick of Canadian goalie Chris Sanderson.
 
Canada turned the ball over with about four minutes remaining and Team USA possessed the ball the rest of the way. Sanderson kept it at a goal by taking a Leveille shot off the lid of his helmet. The U.S. corralled the rebound and called timeout with 2:30 left.

Despite pulling Sanderson from the game and doubling the ball with an extra field player, Canada could not regain possession, committing a number of fouls and chasing the likes of Team USA’s Matt Zash and Max Seibald.
 
After a series of penalties, Leveille scored on an empty net with 1:19 left to seal the victory. Canada could not create the turnover it needed. The game ended with the ball in the stick of Ryan Boyle, a three-time Team USA member, in the corner.
 
Midfielder Paul Rabil finished with three goals and was named the MVP of the 2010 FIL World Championships. Leveille added three goals. Mundorf and Crotty scored two apiece.
 
Grant led Canada with three goals and an assist. Greer added two goals.
 
Dougherty finished with 15 saves, his highest total of the tournament, for Team USA. Sanderson made 10 saves in the loss.
 
Joining Rabil on the All-World team were  Leveille, Seibald, Mundorf and defensemen Ryan McClay and Kyle Sweeney.
 
FIL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – GOLD MEDAL GAME
 
USA – 3 – 5 – 0 – 4… 12
CAN – 2 – 2 – 4 – 2… 10
 
Goals: USA – Rabil 3, Leveille 3, Crotty 2, Mundorf 2, Powell, Striebel; CAN – Grant 3, Greer 2, Billings, Crowley, Huntley, Steenhuis, Williams.

Assists: USA – Crotty, Mundorf, Powell; CAN – Duch, Grant, Huntley, Small.
 
Saves: USA – Dougherty 15; CAN – Sanderson 10.
 
Faceoffs: USA – Smith 11-of-22, Peyser 0-of-1; CAN – Snider 12-of-22.

For Immediate Release – 2010 FIL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

U.S. authorities initially had refused to accept the passports issued by the Iroquois Confederacy, which lack new security features now required for border crossings because of post-Sept. 11 crackdowns on document fraud and illegal immigration.

Asked why the State Department had dropped its opposition and awarded the one-time-only waiver, spokesman P.J. Crowley said: “There was flexibility there to grant this kind of one-time waiver given the unique circumstances of this particular trip.”

Federation of International Lacrosse spokesman Ron Balls said in a statement on the 2010 official championship website earlier on Wednesday that the Iroquois team would forfeit the opening game against England on Thursday night if it didn’t arrive on time. But Frichner and other team supporters had held out hope that the game would be rescheduled.

The Iroquois Confederacy oversees land that stretches from upstate New York into Ontario, Canada.

The Iroquois, known to members as the Haudenosaunee, helped invent lacrosse, perhaps as early as 1,000 years ago. Their participation in the once-every-four-year world championship tournament is a rare example of international recognition of their sovereignty.

U.S. authorities had said the issue was a matter of border security rather than Iroquois sovereignty.

“For other countries, including the United States, that is not a travel document that is on par with a U.S. passport,” Crowley said of the Iroquois documents. He noted that the Iroquois have had similar problems with their passports in foreign countries before.

“The best way to open doors around the world is to obtain a U.S. passport,” he said.

New U.S. passports contain embedded radio-frequency identification chips, similar to the ones inside highway toll transponders. The Iroquois documents look similar to U.S. passports but are emblazoned with a Haudenosaunee insignia featuring a tree and animal emblems. The simple blue booklet is made with thinner paper than U.S. passports, has no high-tech chips and some information is handwritten.

At least four Indian nations, including the Kootenai, of Idaho; the Pasqua Yaqui, of Arizona; the Tohono O’odham Nation, of Arizona and Mexico; and the Seneca, of New York, have been working with federal officials to develop ID cards that meet new security guidelines, but would be good only for arrivals in the U.S. by land or sea, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Frichner, who also is the North American Regional Representative to the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, said the Iroquois have almost completed a transition to higher security passports. The process has cost the six-nation confederacy more than $1.5 million, she said.

Native Americans are not the only ones that have been asked to beef up travel document security features in recent years.

Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the U.S. has tightened up identification rules for foreign travelers from close U.S. allies like France, Germany and the United Kingdom. A growing number of visitors from those countries who wish to travel to the U.S. without a visa must now present passports containing digital photographs and embedded electronic information.

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative also began requiring most U.S. citizens to present their passports when re-entering the country from Canada or Mexico. Previously, travelers needed only to show a driver’s license and orally declare their citizenship.

Normally when a new coach is hired, the headline would read: same face, new place. Not the case for Lindenwood University.

On June 7th the Lions announced that Derek Schaub would be the new men’s lacrosse head coach.

“I’m an extremely competitive person that loves a challenge,” Schaub said. “I saw this opportunity as a new and exciting challenge.”

But Schaub is no outside hire. He founded the lacrosse program back in 2003 and led the then GRLC Division B Lions to an 8-0 conference record and a conference title.

Now, seven years later Schaub has returned to the program he founded to take on his old role.

“When I got to Lindenwood, I was originally hired as the hockey coach but I wanted to start a lacrosse program,” Schaub said. “They told me I could but I had to coach the first year which I was willing to do.”

After the 2003 season, Schaub stepped aside to coach the Lindenwood University men’s ice hockey program. The program has had phenomenal success under Schaub over the past seven seasons posting a record of 217-57-3, according to a press release from Lindenwood.

When former Lindenwood lacrosse coach Troy Hood stepped aside after the 2010 season, the Lions reached out to Schaub.

“I was contacted right at the end of their season,” Schaub said. “The vice president of the club at the time suggested I step into the role. It didn’t seem like a reality at first, but over time I got more and more excited.”

Schaub admits he didn’t immediately take the challenge. As the current and successful men’s hockey coach, Schaub had a lot to think about.

“It took me about 10 days to think and pray about the decision,” Schaub said.

But in the end, Schaub decided to choose the lacrosse position.

“The challenge was very attractive.”

Schaub stepped down from the men’s ice hockey head coaching position – a position that he excelled at. The hockey program won back-to-back national championships the past two years.

“I thought the university was going to call me crazy for leaving but they were very supportive,” Schaub said.

Schaub also cited his family as a reason for taking on the lacrosse coaching position.

“It’s definitely a shorter season,” Schaub said. “It enables me to be a better husband and better father.”

It was, however, a unique situation for Schaub as he was chosen to replace Hood, a man he originally hired.

“When I originally stepped aside for the lacrosse program, I was 100% involved in the process of hiring Troy,” Schaub said. “He took the program from Division B and moved it up to Division 1. He gained national respect for the program. He was outstanding.”

Schaub says he still stays in touch with Hood.

“I call him up every now and then and he still helps me out,” Schaub said. “I’ve been busy watching game film, talking to players and assistant coaches, assessing the current program, and looking at our recruits. Troy has been a big help with that.”

Joining Schaub’s staff are familiar faces for Lindenwood. Jim Lange, Matt Levy and Jesse Politowski are returning to the sidelines from last year for the Lions. Politowski originally played for Schaub and Schaub said he encouraged Lange to come to Lindenwood.

Schaub’s goals for the program are simple.

“First and foremost, I want the program to grow as a unit,” Schaub said. “I want to grow the team as a family. I want us to grow closer.

I want to gain more respect and notoriety for the program in the community and around campus. There are still some people around St. Charles that do not know what lacrosse is. We’re going to work on changing that.”

Off the field, Schaub is planning on having the team participate in several team building exercises, most notably Habitat for Humanity during which the team will build a house.

On the field, Schaub has one thing on his mind: a national championship.

“My last two years ended with a national championship,” Schaub said. “I expect it to be the same this year. It’s my goal. We’re not looking for a .500 season. We’re not looking to only make the tournament.”

When practice for the Lions starts in the fall, Schaub will be ready. He already has a practice plan ready for ‘Day 1’.

“We’re going to have a nice long talk about what it takes to be a champion. Not necessarily what it takes to win a championship, but how to be a champion. And there’s going to be a lot of conditioning. These players today are extremely talented and committed. I am going to test their loyalty and commitment. I want to make sure my players walk the walk.”

If all goes according to plan, Schaub hopes his program will be showcased among the Rocky Mountains of Denver, Colo. in May of 2011.

“I want to get to the National Championship tournament, win a game or two and get some momentum going. When you’re there, anything can happen.

You only have one chance to do it right the first time and one chance to make a first impression.”

With Schaub’s coaching success – especially recently at National Championship tournaments – the Lindenwood Lions are hoping for just that.

April 16, 2010

This Week

The Westminster men’s lacrosse team travels to San Rafael, Calif. for two games at the Baggataway Tournament this weekend. The Griffins face Grand Canyon at 1 p.m. on Saturday. They conclude the tournament against Dominican at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Both games will be hosted by Dominican University.

Westminster heads to the tournament at 9-3 on the season and riding a season-best four-game winning streak. They are 1-0 in RMLC action and are 3-1 on neutral field and 2-1 in road games. The Griffins sit at No. 4 in the Prodigy Network/CollegeLAX.us Top 25 Coaches’ Poll that was released on Wednesday. They are also No. 6 in the Adidas/MCLA The Lax Mag Top 23 and 10th in the Laxpower.com computer poll.

The Griffins are averaging 11.3 goals per game and scoring on 32.3 percent of their total shot attempts. Westminster attempts 34.8 shots per game and puts 69.1 percent of those on goal. They have gone 10-of-55 (18.2 percent) in man-up situations this season and won 51.8 percent of 284 total faceoffs. Defensively, they allow 10 goals per game and have held the opposition to just 9-of-79 (11.4 percent) with a man advantage.

Against Grand Canyon

Westminster has gone 1-1 in two all-time meetings against Grand Canyon. Westminster won the first meeting 18-2 in Salt Lake City. They dropped a 17-9 decision on the road last season.

Against Dominican

The Griffins are a perfect 3-0 against the Penguins all-time. They have outscored Dominican 51-17, including a 20-8 win in Phoenix last season.

Looking Ahead

Westminster will complete the regular season with two RMLC games next weekend. They begin the trip on Saturday, April 24 in Durango, Colo. against Fort Lewis. The next day, Westminster faces Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, Ariz.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (April 11, 2010) – Faced with the toughest game of the season, the Rams did not back down. They stayed neck and neck with No. 1 University of Michigan until the last quarter when Michigan took a firm lead and won the game.

““It was a great lacrosse game today.  The scoreboard wasn’t what we wanted at the end, but we fought the whole game long,” Head Coach Alex Smith said. “All the credit to Michigan for outplaying us in the fourth quarter and having a great game plan.  I thought it was pretty evenly matched except for that four minute stretch where they pulled away a bit in the fourth,” Smith said.

Goals went back and forth between the teams, making it clear why both were ranked the top two in the MCLA. With the scores tied at threes at halftime, the defense had something to be proud of.

“Pat Sullivan held one of the best players in the country to no goals in settled offense,” Smith said, “and Andrew Stein, Tyler Zabor and Hayden Porter were terrific for us too. I think if we can take advantage on the other side of the ball a little bit better and clear with more consistency against them, we can have a good shot if we are lucky enough to see them again.”

To improve their game and prepare to finish the season as strongly, Smith plans to work on shooting smarter on offense and getting more competitive at the key moments when facing off.  “We did pretty good all game, but when it really counted, they made the plays and we were just a little short,” he said.

It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that Michigan got away from CSU. With a few well executed plays, the Wolverines gained a four point lead.

 “You definitely can’t fault our effort today.  In my mind, we played very well and easily could have won had we just turned a couple things around.  Unfortunately, you can’t almost lose and be champions.  If we really want the ultimate goal, we are going to have to figure out how to put a full game together against a very quality team,” Smith said.

The next game will be against Michigan State on Sunday, April 18 at 1:00 p.m. on the CSU intramural fields.

Game Statistics

Lacrosse Box Score (Final)

#1 Michigan vs #2 Colorado State (Apr 11, 2010 at CSU)

Michigan (10-1) vs. Colorado State (12-1)

SCORE BY PERIOD       1  2  3  4  Tot

————————————-

Michigan…………  2  1  2  5 – 10

Colorado State……  0  3  2  1 -  6

Michigan SCORING: GOALS: Rogers, David 2; Yealy, Trevor 2; Zorowich, Kevin 1;

Ein, Joshua 1; Hrusovsky, Anthony 1; McIntyre, Clark 1; Goldberg, Jamison 1;

Sutton, Sean 1.

ASSISTS: Kirshner, Jordan 1; Rogers, David 1; Tintchev, Svetin 1.

Colorado State SCORING: GOALS: Miller, Luke 2; Kehoe, Cooper 1; Larson, Paul 1;

Fisher, Austin 1; Unkrich, Stephen 1.

ASSISTS: Kehoe, Cooper 2; Devlin, Alex 1.

SHOTS BY PERIOD       1  2  3  4  Tot

————————————-

Michigan…………  7  7 12 11 – 37

Colorado State……  5  6  7  8 – 26

GROUND BALLS BY PRD   1  2  3  4  Tot

————————————-

Michigan…………  8  8  7  9 – 32

Colorado State……  7  7  8  8 – 30

FACE-OFFS BY PRD       1     2     3     4     Total

—————————————————-

Michigan…………  3-3   3-5   3-5   4-7  – 13-20

Colorado State……  0-3   2-5   2-5   3-7  -  7-20

CLEARS BY PERIOD       1     2     3     4     Total

—————————————————-

Michigan…………  5-7   6-6   5-5   7-9  – 23-27

Colorado State……  4-7   7-9   6-8   2-5  – 19-29

EXTRA-MAN OPPS         1     2     3     4     Total

—————————————————-

Michigan…………  0-0   0-0   1-3   0-0  -  1-3

Colorado State……  0-1   0-0   0-0   0-0  -  0-1

SAVES BY PERIOD       1  2  3  4  Tot

————————————-

Michigan…………  4  2  5  3 – 14

Colorado State……  4  4  6  0 – 14

TURNOVERS BY PRD      1  2  3  4  Tot

————————————-

Michigan…………  3  6  5  4 – 18

Colorado State……  2  3  1  3 -  9

PENALTIES – Michigan 1/0:30; Colorado State 3/1:30.

###

March 31, 2010

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio—The John Carroll Blue Streaks took on conference rival No.6 Grove City on Saturday, March 20 in Grove City, Pa. JCU came into the game feeling good after a productive week at practice and it showed with freshman Andy Seil putting in the game’s first goal, which gave JCU a 1-0 lead. From there, JCU struggled a bit in transition and against Grove City’s offense and gave up a few unanswered goals. John Carroll’s freshman attackman Chad Riley found the back of the net late in the first quarter to keep the game within reach with JCU down 5-2.

The Streaks’ lack of numbers seemed to hurt them as the game went on as they fell behind further in the second. The team was playing overly aggressive, leading to too many penalties. Grove City’s man-up offense capitalized, putting away four extra man goals.

Meanwhile, JCU’s offense went stagnant. JP Washington held strong in the goal, making some incredible saves, but the Grove City offense proved to be too much. Even with the Streaks’ hustle and physical play and goals from long pole Kyle Sepesy, midfielder Brian Jaszka and another goal from Riley, the goaltending of Grove City’s All-Amercian Andrew Dymski allowed the Wolverines to pull away and take the game 13-5.

JCU was on the road again Saturday against the University of Michigan-Dearborn. The Streaks came out hot with early scoring from Riley, Seil and Pat Durkin and controlled the ball for most of the first quarter. For the first time this spring, the Streaks took a strong lead in the first frame and were able to build on it throughout the game.

John Carroll’s defense was led by a strong performance from sophomore defenseman Pete Grisanti and Sepesy, who is also the team’s backup goalie and started in the cage against the Wolves. Sepesy and the JCU defense held Dearborn scoreless through the first as JCU took a 3-0 lead into the second quarter.

After claiming the lead in the first, the Streaks did not take their foot off the gas. Riley put away six goals, freshman attackman Ryan Cox had two goals and six assists and Durkin tallied two more scores, giving the John Carroll attack a combined 18 points on the day. Colin McNulty, Tommy Janowicz, Jaszka and Seil tagged a few scores of their own as the Blue Streaks earned their first win of the season, beating Dearborn by a final of 17-4.

JCU will be on the road again Wednesday looking to continue its success against Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

“We have a nice history with SFU, even though we haven’t played them in several years,” Head Coach Alex Smith said. “Way back in 1999, we beat them for our first national championship.  They have really improved over the past several seasons and become a dominant team, especially on offense.  We will need a focused team effort to stop some of their better players,” he said.

CSU has had a powerful beginning to its season. The team’s overall record this season is 3-0, and they recently swept back to back games against Lindenwood University and Texas. This game will provide a challenge for the Rams, as Simon Fraser is the best team they have seen this year, according to Smith.

“They are legitimate contenders for the national title, and for us to be in the conversation about playing for a championship, this is the type of team we need to be competitive with,” Smith said.

SFU is ranked # 3 in the MCLA LaxMag Adidas Top 23 Poll and # 4 in the CollegeLax.us Prodigy Network Top 25 Poll. The polls were released on Monday, February 22 and Thursday, February 25 respectively. They have recently begun their season, winning their first game against Western Washington.  CSU will be their second opponents this season.

The game is being deemed the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Classic, and will be held at Shea Stadium in Highlands Ranch at 7:30, after a game between Mountain Vista and Kent Denver high schools. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the gate. For more information on events and door prizes, visit www.csulacrosse.com.

According to North Texas Chapter President Tom Fitzsimmons, “We have some great high school programs playing, two top NCAA D-3 teams and four top MCLA, college club teams, including the University of Michigan who is aiming for its’ third national championship in a row. All sports fans should come on out to SMU to see the fastest sport on two feet, while supporting the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP).” The WWP benefits families of wounded servicemen and women.

Facing off on Saturday, March 20 at SMU’s Ford Stadium will be:
10:00 am St. Mark’s School of Texas v. Loomis Chaffee School (Connecticut)
12:00 pm Nazareth College v. Western New England College
2:30 pm Highland Park High School v. Mullen High School (Colorado)
4:30 pm SMU v. Texas A&M
7:00 pm University of Michigan v. University of Oregon

In addition to the 5 games on Saturday at Ford Stadium, three games will be played there on Friday afternoon/evening.

Finally, a number of exciting Division III College games and High School games will be played the week leading up to the Saturday lineup. Check back soon for more details on the full week’s schedule.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. –– Palm Beach Atlantic men’s lacrosse coach Chris Southard has announced an 11-game schedule for the Sailfish this season. The 2010 schedule currently includes five home and six road games for the navy blue and white. This season’s schedule also includes six opponents who were nationally ranked at some point last season.

The Sailfish will start the 2010 season at home on Saturday, Jan. 30 against The Citadel. This is an SELC South Region game (4:00 p.m. start) and the atmosphere should be electric. In addition, game day sponsors like Chick-Fil-A and Red Bull are expected. The Bulldogs were a charter member of the SELC and despite falling on hard times, they are looking to resume their storied league history. The Citadel and Palm Beach Atlantic have never met previously.

The following Saturday, PBA will travel to Fort Myers, Fla. for a matinee against Florida Gulf Coast University. Game time is 3:00 p.m. on Feb. 6, 2010. Last season, the Sailfish dismantled FGCU, 18-8.

On Friday, Feb. 12, Palm Beach Atlantic will host the University of Miami for the first time in program history. This game is the first of two consecutive home games against the Hurricanes (2010/2011). The game is set to begin at 7:00 p.m., marking the second time the ‘Fish will play under the lights in the early part of 2010. Last season, Miami withstood a ferocious PBA comeback to win, 16-13, in Coral Gables, Fla (The ‘Canes lead the overall series, 2-0 [MCLA]).

On Feb. 14, the Sailfish welcome Georgia Southern University to West Palm Beach for the first time with a 2:00 p.m. faceoff. After this, the team hits the road for a day trip to Eckerd College on Feb. 20 (4:00 p.m.).

The University is proud to announce the 2010 Sailfish Shootout. Palm Beach Atlantic has invited Georgia State University (SELC-II) and Stonehill College (PCLL-II) to compete in the round-robin tournament. The weekend kicks off on March 5, as the Sailfish host Georgia State (8:00 p.m.). On Saturday evening, PBA will meet Stonehill (7:00). The weekend concludes on Sunday with Georgia State-Stonehill (10:00am).

PBA travels to Savannah, Ga. for a matchup with the Savannah College of Art & Design on March 20, 2010. In 2009, SCAD narrowly edged PBA, 11-9, meaning this season’s winner could possibly lock up an SELC-South Region championship. On the next Saturday (March 27), PBA and the University of North Florida will be at a neutral site (Bishop Moore High School, Orlando, 2 p.m.) for another crucial conference game. Last season, the Sailfish dismantled UNF en route to an 18-5 victory.

In April, PBA will hit the road for their toughest road trip in school history. Beginning with Emory University (ranked #4 in last year’s final CollegeLAX.us poll) on April 10 (5:00 p.m.) and ending with Kennesaw State University (ranked #23) on April 11 (noon), this trip should be an excellent litmus test for the Sailfish lacrosse program. In addition, both games should allow the team to become battle tested in preparation for the SELC Championships in late April.

In addition to the spring schedule, Palm Beach Atlantic would like to announce the 2009 South Florida Lacrosse Invitational. This four-way scrimmage features Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida International University and a men’s club team (the Treasure Coast Scorpions), and takes place on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009:

The event site is Gaines Park (directions here) in West Palm Beach, Fla. As the first event of its kind, the program hopes this will encourage further collegiate growth in the area. It will be a great day for college lacrosse in South Florida!

2010 Men’s Lacrosse Schedule:

The Cougars didn’t need a win to qualify for the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association National Tournament; they wanted a win. In a conference rematch, the BYU Men’s lacrosse team revenged a regular season loss to the University of Colorado Buffalos in an 11-10 victory at the Rocky Mountain League Conference Championship in Boulder, CO. The win over top-seeded Colorado, gave the Cougars an the automatic qualifying spot for the MCLA National Tournament next week in Denver.

The Cougars had to work all four quarters to notch the victory Saturday. Beginning the 4th quarter tied with the Buffaloes, BYU Attackman, Mark Manning (Sophomore, Waterford School), tallied three 4th-quarter goals, including the game winner on an Assist from Elliott Grow (Junior, Highland High) with less than 2 minutes to go. Britt Cone, a Long-Stick Midfielder from Potomac, MD (Junior, Walt Whitman High) kept the Cougars playing offense on Saturday with a team, season-high, 13 Grounds Balls.

Jason Lamb, wrapping up his 14th season at Cougars’ helm, sees real benefit to earning the tournament crown even though the Cougars were a virtual lock for an at large bid. About taking home the RMLL title Coach Lamb said “It’s great to three-peat as RMLL Champions but, as importantly, this years’ players now know they have they have the kind of heart and energy to best tough competition, on the road, through the rigors of the 4-game MCLA tournament structure.” Lamb added that “CSU fought like cornered lions Friday, as they were pretty certain that an automatic berth was their only shot to advance and CU made us really work to the final minutes for the trophy. These are among the tops in the Nation so we feel great about our squad”.

The biggest reward for the Cougars came on Monday morning when the tournament seeding for the Championship tournament was announced. Moving up one spot from the previous poll, the Cougars learned they will head to Denver with a #2 seed, with only Michigan above them. BYU will face #15 University of Oregon in the first round on May 12th at Dick’s Sports Complex in Commerce, City, CO, a rematch from the early season where the Cougars defeated the Ducks 15-8 in Minneapolis, MN. The Cougars head into the National Tournament 16-3 overall.

This represents the Cougars third straight Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference title, The BYU squad has won 8 conference championships since 1995 and three national titles, with the most recent being 2007. Jason Lamb likes his chances for leading the Cougars to his fourth National Championship as BYU’s head coach.

The University of Colorado at Boulder has been selected as the latest CollegeLAX Team of the Week after racking up four wins in the last seven days to bring their record to 9-4 on the season.

The Buffalos, ranked #12 in the latest Prodigy MCLA Division  1 Poll, began their win-streak in dramatic fashion by knocking off the #4 BYU Cougars in Provo.

The 10-8 upset victory last Friday night was followed by successive weekend wins over conference opponents Utah and Utah State after which the Buffs took a few days off before hosting #9 Lindenwood in Boulder Thursday. CU continued their winning ways in the out-of-conference test against the GRLC heavyweights, besting the Lions 9-4 in another strong performance.

Colorado Head Coach John Galvin said that one of the keys to the Buffalos’ recent success has been the team’s poise in the string of tough contests. “Play with poise, that’s what we’ve been preaching,” said Galvin. “We know what we need to do, we just need to keep playing our game.”

The Buffs win over BYU came with the help of 4 goals and an assist from attackman A.J. Blackburn and a 19 save night from goalie Kevin Moriarty. Galvin said the return of Blackburn, now healthy after missing games earlier in the season, helped his team take down their highly ranked conference rivals. “I think we surprised BYU a little bit,” he said.

Colorado held on to first-quarter leads to knock off both Utah and Utah State, benefiting from ball possession, spread scoring and five more goals from Blackburn in the games in Utah.

“A.J.’s been playing great,” said Galvin of the sophomore. “He’s kind of taking his role as an offensive threat more seriously.”

Thursday’s game against Lindenwood saw the Buffs trailing after the opening period for the first time in the four game span. Playing in a slight rain infront of some 250 fans, CU scored 3 second-quarter goals to regain the lead and eventually top the Lions for their second upset of the week.

Galvin credited the Lions’ defense with the game’s single digit score, but said offensive poise helped his team take the win. “We were able to possess and get the shots we needed,” he said.

The Buffaloes’ current success can be seen as something of a rebound after the team dropped three straight games in March, albeit in tough out-of-conference tests.

Coach Galvin said key injuries necessitated some mid-season position shuffling, a circumstance that spelled trouble for the Buffs when their ambitious schedule sent them to Michigan for two tough losses against Michigan and Michigan State in March. Having players injured during a challenging stretch of games was hard on the team, Galvin said. “It kind of takes the wind out of your sails,” he said.

Now healthy, with Blackburn and versaitile long-poll Marty Taffet, among others, back on the field, the Buffalos will look to continue their winning ways in the coming weeks when the squad hosts #18 Sonoma State before facing the in-state rival Rams of #10 Colorado State on April 18. Though always a highly anticipated rivalry between the two Rocky Mountain programs, Galvin said the Buffalos won’t be tempted to look past the visiting Seawolves, who come to town on April 14.

“As cliche as it sounds, it’s one game at a time,” he said.

CollegeLAX will recognize one MCLA team each week during the 2009 season. To nominate a deserving program, contact CollegeLAX by email.

Event: Men’s Lacrosse
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Oosterbaan Fieldhouse)
Score: #1 Michigan 14, #4 Brigham Young 11
Records: U-M (9-0, 2-0 CCLA), BYU (11-2, 2-0 RMLC)
Next U-M Game: Friday, April 3, 2009 – 8:00pm EST – vs. #7 Minnesota-Duluth – Ann Arbor, Mich. (Oosterbaan Fieldhouse)

Ann Arbor, Mich. – The #1 ranked University of Michigan Men’s Lacrosse team remained perfect on the season with a 14-11 win over #4 Brigham Young University on Saturday night (March 28) in Ann Arbor, Michigan at Oosterbaan Fieldhouse. 754 fans packed in to witness another classic game between the two rivals, with the Maize and Blue holding on down the stretch for their ninth win of the season and their fourth over a ranked opponent.

Sophomore attackman Trevor Yealy (Pittsburgh, Penn./Upper St. Claire) continued his solid play vs. the Cougars, notching four goals in the contest. In his two games last season vs. BYU, Yealy scored four goals each time; once in early March, and again in the MCLA semi-final round. Junior attackman Kevin Zorovich (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) and senior midfielder Anthony Hrusovsky (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) each added three goals of their own as Michigan’s three-goal halftime lead held up in the end.

Michigan opened up the game with back-to-back goals from two unlikely sources this season, as junior midfielder Svet Tintchev (Rockville, MD./Bullis) scored on a dodge from the right wing, before sophomore long-stick midfielder Matt Asperheim (Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids) bounced a shot from a similar spot as Michigan took a 2-0 lead.

After BYU answered back at 9:11, Senior captain Riley Kearns (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Brother Rice) scored on a scrum in front to help the Wolverines regain the two goal lead. Michigan extended the lead to 4-1 on a transition tally from senior attackman Peter Vasher (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer), who streaked down the right wing and fired high for the goal.

BYU scored next to cut the lead to 4-2 on a goal right out in front and almost had an opportunity with just seconds left in the first quarter, but sophomore defenseman Harrison Freid (Needham, Mass./Needham) threw a timely stick-check that forced a slow roller as Michigan took the two-goal lead into the second quarter.

Kevin Zorovich got the Wolverines on the board first in the second quarter on bad-angle shot from the right wing before BYU answered again at 10:21 to cut the U-M lead to 5-3. A BYU slash resulted in a Wolverine man-up attempt two minutes later and Anthony Hrusovsky notched his first of the game on a blast from the far right win for the 6-3 lead. BYU immediately answered however with back-to-back goals to cut the lead to 6-5 mid-way through the quarter.

Michigan slowed the momentum on a settled goal from Hrusovsky, his second in the quarter, but the Wolverines were immediately called for a penalty, resulting in a man-up tally for the Cougars. Michigan answered with their man-up goal from Zorovich who fired from the right wing after receiving a feed from junior attackman Josh Ein (Potomac, MD./Bullis). Trevor Yealy added his first goal of the game just over a minute later as Michigan rebuilt their three-goal lead, ahead 9-6 at the half-time break.

Michigan kept up their solid play coming out of the break as Yealy banged home another just outside the crease following a feed from Vasher. After multiple possessions for both teams, Yealy grabbed a mid-air rebound off of an initial Hrusovsky shot and fired high for Michigan’s largest lead of the game at 11-6 with 4:49 left in the third quarter. The Maize and Blue kept up the pressure, scoring immediately following a man-up attempt on a long pass upfield from Hrusovsky that found Zorovich open on the crease.

Just as it looked like Michigan might start to blow things open, BYU notched back-to-back goals over the span of late in third quarter to cut the Wolverine lead to 12-8 as the teams entered the final frame. Two late third quarter penalties gave BYU a two-man up opportunity to open the fourth quarter, and BYU was able to capitalize, notching their third unanswered goal to the cut the lead to 12-9 early in the fourth.

The man-up fest continued, and it was the Wolverines’ turn next following a BYU hold, as Yealy notched his fourth of the game on a feed from the top from junior captain David Rogers (Wayne, N.J./Wayne) as Michigan led 13-9 with 13:02 left in the fourth.
Another penalty on the Wolverines resulted in another man-up goal for the Cougars on a shot from the right wing at the 7:08 mark, but the Maize and Blue immediately responded 21 seconds later as Hursovsky dodged in on left wing, cut to the front, and fired high for the 14-10 lead.

BYU answered back under two minutes later on a nifty behind the back goal from the left wing from Elliot Grow, but the Cougars were never able to mount a serious come-back attempt in the final minutes of the game and the Wolverines secured the 14-11 win.

Statistically, Michigan narrowly won most of the major categories. U-M out-shot their opponent 41 to 38, and won the groundball battle, 52 to 34. The Wolverines were 16 of 30 on faceoffs, and finished 21 of 29 on clears, while BYU cleared at a slightly better rate with 22-27 totals. The Maize and Blue finished 3-7 on the man-up, while the Cougars scored three times in four opportunities.

The Wolverines will be back in action next weekend when they host #7 Minnesota-Duluth on Friday night (April 3) at 8:00pm before taking on #8 Colorado State on Saturday night (April 4) at 7:00pm

NOTES

- Junior faceoff specialist David Reinhard (East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing) won 16 of 30 faceoffs and scooped up a team-high 13 groundballs to increase his team lead to 98.
- Hrusovsky led the team in points with five (3-2-5).
- Yealy paced the team with four goals and also recorded a career-high eight groundballs.
- Matt Asperheim’s first-quarter goal was the first of his career.
- Michigan improves to 5-10 all-time vs. Brigham Young.
- Sophomore goaltender Andrew Fowler (Grosse Pointe, Mich./Hotchkiss CT) started the game and played the entire game for the first time this season. He allowed 11 goals while stopping 10 saves.
- In the past two games, the Wolverines have recorded 14 penalties. In their previous three games, U-M committed four total penalties.
- Michigan is currently on a 29-game winning streak beginning with the opening match of 2008, a win over Kenyon in Ann Arbor (Feb. 16). The squad is also on a 19-game road winning streak spanning back to an 8-5 victory over UC-Santa Barbara on May 5 of 2006.

QUOTES

Head coach John Paul:

On his general impressions: “I think now its official that it’s a rivalry now that we’ve won a few in a row. As I’ve said, I love getting a chance to play BYU because their style is so similar to ours. We both try to run the same kind of program and I know both coaching staffs have a lot of respect for each other. They prepare so hard throughout the entire season just like we do, and it’s always a great opportunity to play these guys because the programs are so similar.”

On the game: “We thought we could matchup well in the six on six on both ends of the field and we were happy with our game-plans and that proved to be true, but they were solid on the man-up and did a great job forcing the transition. They’ve got guys who can finish and they move the ball extremely well. They ride similar to the way we do, and they take a lot of pride in it.”

On the failed chances: “We had some frustrating chances that we didn’t finish on that could have really extended the lead, and to their credit, they kept battling back. We talked about the fact that there is going to be adversity at some point, and when they battled back and got on a little run, we answered ourselves and that was really the key to the game.”

On the execution: “It’s always a little concerning when you haven’t had the need for the high level of execution you’ll need in this type of game. Fortunately, the focus was there tonight, and for the most part we did a solid job executing our offensive and defensive game-plans. I was proud of the way the guys played against a team that pressures like they do.”

On continuing the focus into the next week: “I think this team has learned over the past two years that it’s just about approaching each game with the same intensity and focus. The guys will need tomorrow to recover from this game, but we’ll be right back at it on Monday. The thing about next weekend is that we’ll have to game-plan for two opponents and that changes the dynamic a little bit.”

Senior captain Riley Kearns:

On the game: “It was a fast-paced game at first and both teams were playing with a lot of energy. Once we started to operate our offense and have some success, we knew they couldn’t stop us.”

On keeping focus throughout the past weeks: “Going into this week, it hasn’t been too hard getting up for this one and staying focused. But in previous weeks we just tried to keep sight of the bigger picture and focus on getting better.”

Senior Anthony Hrusovsky:

On the rivalry: “To sum it up simply, for us, this is our Ohio State. These games are always a struggle, and personally, I’ve never beat these guys. We’ve always been close before but we just couldn’t get over that hump. I was really itching to get this one, and it was nice to finally nail it home.”

On the importance of practice: “To stay focused and on top of your game during our previous stretch it was just a matter of pushing ourselves as hard as possible in practice. Mentally it’s more of a challenge than anything else.”

Sophomore Andrew Fowler:

On seeing some high-pressure shots for the first time in weeks: “During practice over the last three weeks there has been a lot of focus on this game, and working on the types of shots we’d see today. We kept the drills really high paced and tried to up the intensity so we’d be ready for tonight.”

On the importance of communication: “My defense does a great job working together out there. We had some long periods there in our zone with the combination of turnovers and penalties but we just keep talking and everyone stays focused regardless of whether you’re tired or not.”

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