Michigan 13, Oregon 8

Trevor Yealy dodges through the Oregon defense (and a monsoon). Photo by Clark Bell

Though the first half didn’t stream online due to technical difficulties, Michigan fans were able to tune in for the second half of the impressive victory over Oregon in the MCLA Quarterfinal round last night. The Wolverines came out looking to prove their 2OT victory over the Ducks in the regular season was a fluke, and did just that.

Tempo-Free

From the official game recap, here’s your tempo-free breakdown:

This was not Michigan’s best performance from an efficiency standpoint, but when you dominate possessions like they did against the Ducks, a so-so game can be excused. That possession advantage started on faceoffs, where Brian Greiner has rounded into form late in the year. He won 76% of draws in this game.

Per standard operating procedure, Michigan also outperformed the opponent in the ride/clear game. The Wolverines aren’t at their historical peak in either phase. It seems they’re having a few more errant passes from clearing long poles in their own end than they have in the past, though for yesterday’s game specifically, weather definitely played a factor. On the ride, they’re mixing the 10-man in a little less-frequently, which means they aren’t dominating the lesser opposition (I don’t mean to imply that Oregon isn’t a top program), but it’s probably paying off against the Arizona States and Chapmans of the world.

Oregon likes to play an up-and-down transition game, so to hold the possessions to a relatively low number is probably a win for Michigan. Being more efficient than the opposition is a solid way to win lacrosse games.

Notes

Speaking of Oregon liking to get out and run in all phases of the game, it’s a serious testament to the Michigan coaching staff that they mixed in a ton of zone throughout this game. It helped slow down the pace, and the Ducks had a 5+ minute possession(!) at one point without getting a good look on cage. John Paul on that possession:

“We’ve been working the past couple of weeks on that zone and have only had a couple opportunities to really use it in a key time during a game… Even if we had not held them scoreless in that stretch it really slowed them down and that’s what we needed at that time.

The Wolverines probably could have put up a few more goals in this game, but as JP mentioned above, they were really trying to slow it down, especially with a lead late in the game.

After having a relatively quiet year in the goal-scoring department throughout the regular season, Trevor Yealy has really turned it on when Michigan needs him. 4 goals for the Pennsylvanian last night, while Chad Carroll chipped in 3. Joey Hrusovsky tied for second in team points with a goal and two helpers. Stephen Levitt and Doug Bryant each had two points.

Keeper switch happened as usual. Both Mark Stone and Andrew Fowler allowed 4 goals, with Stone making two saves and Fowler making three.

Elsewhere

Official site recap. 412 Lax weighs in with a couple thoughts.

Up Next

Michigan takes on #5 Arizona State in the semifinals on Friday at 7PM MDT (9 in real life hours). The Wolverines won the regular season matchup in Oosterbaan 12-10. The game will air live on Fox College Sports, which your cable provider probably has on a sports tier.