Scores and Schedule: April 13, 2013

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Tim

Both Division-1 men’s teams in action, a ton of high school teams in play, and much more this afternoon.

Yesterday’s Results

Division-1 Women

Detroit 19, Stetson 9

MCLA-1/2

Ferris State @ Central Michigan, 7 p.m.

High School Boys

Ann Arbor Pioneer 7, Ann Arbor Skyline 3
Rochester Hills Stoney Creek 10, Bloomfield Hills 9
Cranbrook 10, East Grand Rapids 8
Culver Academy Prep 24, Forest Hills Central 1
Forest Hills Eastern 13, Holt 6
Lansing Waverly 4, Grand Ledge 2
Lake Orion 12, West Bloomfield 3
Northville 16, Walled Lake Northern 10
Portage Central 12, Zeeland 3
Dearborn Divine Child 11, Romulus 1
Salem 12, Grand Blanc 3
South Lyon 16, Huron Valley-Lakeland 3
Detroit Catholic Central 9, St. Michael’s (Ont.) 10
Walled Lake Western 9, Howell 8
Tecumseh 28, Ypsilanti 0
Hartland 9, Canton 8
Chelsea 12, Kalamazoo United 3
Saline 16, Temperance Bedford 1
Dexter 7, Ypsilanti Lincoln 4
Warren Cousino @ Auburn Hills Avondale
Walled Lake Central @ Lapeer West-East
Brighton @ Novi
Waterford @ Plymouth

High School Girls

Brighton 10, Birmingham United 8
Grand Rapids Catholic Central 15, Caledonia 8
Clarkston 23, Rochester 9
Holland West Ottawa @ Grand Haven
Hudsonville @ Grand Haven
Flint Powers Catholic @ Hartland
Farmington Hills Harrison @ White Lake Lakeland
Grand Rapids Christian @ Lowell
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep @ Bloomfield Hills Marian
Flint Carman-Ainsworth @ Oxford
Forest Hills United @ Rockford
Northville @ Saline
East Lansing @ Ann Arbor Skyline
Troy @ Rochester Adams
Sacred Heart Academy @ Bloomfield Hills Lahser

Today’s Schedule

Division-1 Men

Detroit @ Siena, 1 p.m. (Loudonville, N.Y.) – Preview and information.
Michigan v. Ohio State, 3:30 (Michigan Stadium) – Preview and information.

Division-3 Men

Alma @ Adrian
Calvin @ Trine
Hope v. Olivet

Division-3 Women

Adrian @ Alma
Trine @ Calvin
Olivet @ Hope

MCLA-1

Pitt @ Davenport, 3 p.m.
Michigan State @ Virginia Tech, 7 p.m. (Bel Air, Md.)

MCLA-2

Siena Heights @ Lawrence Tech, 1 p.m. (Madison Heights Bishop Foley High School)
Grand Valley State @ Indiana Tech, 1 p.m.
Michigan-Dearborn @ John Carroll, 4 p.m.
Ferris State @ Northwood, 5 p.m.
Grand Valley State @ Taylor, 5:30 p.m.

High School Boys

Ann Arbor Huron @ Ann Arbor Greenhills
Cincinnati St Xavier @ Birmingham-Seaholm
Perrysburg @ N Chelsea
Belleville @ Canton
Archbishop Moeller @ Detroit Country Day
Brother Rice @ N Culver Academy Prep
Utica Eisenhower @ De La Salle
Brighton @ Univ Detroit Jesuit
Ann Arbor Skyline @ DeWitt
Petoskey @ N Grand Rapids Christian
Portage Northern @ Holland Christian
Northville @ Holt
Grand Haven @ Holland West Ottawa
Grosse Pointe South @ L’Anse Creuse
Grand Rapids Cath Cent @ Lansing Waverly
Grandville @ Lowell
East Lansing @ Mattawan
Troy Athens @ Notre Dame Prep
Rockford @ Okemos
Plymouth @ OL St Mary’s
Battle Creek Harper @ Pennfield
Traverse City West @ Pennfield
Swartz Creek @ Port Huron
Spring Lake @ Petoskey
Novi @ Rochester Adams
Rochester HS @ Romeo
Warren Mott-Sterling Ht @ Royal Oak
Flint Powers @ Saline
Swartz Creek @ St Clair United
AA Gabriel Richard @ Tecumseh
Spring Lake @ Traverse City Cent
Grand Rapids Christian @ Traverse City Cent
Detroit Catholic Cent @ Upper Canada College
Grosse Pointe North @ University Liggett
Caledonia @ Vicksburg
Holland @ Vicksburg
Hudsonville @ Vicksburg
Walled Lake Western @ Walled Lake Northern
Midland @ Haslett-Williamston

High School Girls

Flint Powers Catholic @ N Forest Hills United
South Lyon United @ N Forest Hills United
Holt @ Canton, MI
Rockford @ Cranbrook Kingswood
Warren Regina @ Grosse Pointe North
Catholic Central @ Grand Rapids Christian
Mattawan United @ Williamston-Haslett
Okemos @ Williamston-Haslett
South Lyon United @ Williamston-Haslett
Detroit Country Day @ Livonia Ladywood, MI
University Liggett @ Lake Orion
Ann Arbor Huron @ Marian, MI
Gabriel Richard @ N Northview, MI
Mattawan United @ N Flint Powers Catholic
DeWitt @ Saginaw Heritage
Northview, MI @ Skyline, MI
Gabriel Richard @ Skyline, MI
Farmington HS, MI @ Walled Lake United
Bedford, MI @ Anthony Wayne Club

Corrections, omissions, etc. always appreciated in the comments.

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Michigan Preview: Ohio State

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Tim

So, uh, Michigan might be slightly worse than last year. Sure, they’re showing signs (a lot of them) of having greater potential, but the Wolverines aren’t showing up on the scoreboard. Ohio State, on the other hand, is a touch better than last year’s team, and that’s shown up on the field.

Michigan surprised by keeping last year’s game close… and it’ll be tougher this time around.

 

Ohio State Buckeyes Lacrosse

A nut with a body. And a lacrosse stick.

Ohio State

3:30 p.m. EST
April 13, 2013
Michigan Stadium
Free Admission
Live Stats. Live video ($$$).
Will (probably) air on Big Ten Network later in the week.
@UMichLacrosse.
Michigan pregame notes. .pdf notes.
Ohio state pregame notes. .pdf notes.

Tempo-Free Profile

The TempoFreeLax.com numbers displayed here are adjusted for strength of schedule. Ohio State has played a pretty decent slate – just a few places below the national average. That includes a healthy mix of really good teams, really bad teams, and those in between.

Delaware 2013
Pace 65.45 (35)
Poss% 52.64 (11)
Off. Eff. 31.34 (24)
Def. Eff. 27.29 (19)
Pyth% 68.05 (17)

Ohio State is a pretty darn good – and well-rounded – team. The only thing that doesn’t earn a high national rank is pace. That’s a style matter (not quantitatively good or bad), and the Buckeyes are well within their recent historical range.

Possession is the phase in which OSU is doing the best in comparison to the competition. Faceoffs have been good, clearing has been excellent, and the ride is… shall we say not emphasized.

On either end of the field, the Buckeyes are good but not elite. The offense has been above-average nationally, but not too far in that direction. The defense has been a tick better, and combines with the pace to make the Buckeyes give up very few goals per game.

Offense

Senior attackman Logan Schuss is once again the focal point of the offense, though the Canadian attackman/midfielder is not anywhere near the blistering pace he put up in 2012. In fact, he’s not even that far separated from No. 2 scorer, freshman attack Carter Brown. Sophomore midfielder Jesse King (another Canadian) is the other high-volume scorer. Those three have 36, 29, and 28 points, respectively, with each heavier on goals than assists.

There’s a big dropoff after that point, and sophomore midfielders Turner Evans and David Planning have only 15 and 13 total points, respectively. There’s another precipitous drop after that point, and it’s clear that’s where the real threats end. While a few more players have a handful of points here and there, they aren’t responsible for nearly as much of what the Buckeyes do on that end of the field.

Despite OSU not having any high-scoring players with a whole lot of assists, they’re still assisting on over 60% of their goals. Every player with big involvement in the offense is comfortable scoring or dishing.

When that factor combines with an elite attackman (as Schuss certainly is)… it’s the exact sort of offense that has been shredding Michigan’s D this year.

Defense

Ohio State’s defense has been predicated for a few years on slowing things down and letting the keeper make a lot of stops. That works when you have a goalie like Greg Dutton. His numbers aren’t great this year (just a .519 save percentage), but he’s played some elite offenses like Denver and Loyola, so their sharpshooters are bound to find openings here and there. Dutton’s backup, junior Scott Spencer, has just a little bit of action, but decent numbers. If the game gets ugly, he could see some time between the pipes.

In front of Dutton, the Buckeyes don’t cause a lot of turnovers. That’s their style, preferring to funnel things to a good keeper (and simply prevent the offense from getting off any good shots). Junior Joe Meurer is the star as much as anyone from that system can be as an individual, with 14 caused turnovers to lead the team. Darius Bowling and Dominic Imbordino round out the all-junior crew. Freshman Robbie Haus is another longpole who has started every game, and I believe he’s the pole.

Nothing about Ohio State’s defense looks that impressive on a statistical level, but it all combines to form the country’s second-best stopping unit. Michigan’s offense doesn’t have the experience to probe and find openings (we shall not speak of the performance against Air Force’s zone in the first half), so… that might not be good.

Special Teams

I briefly mentioned faceoffs above, and they’re really good. That’s primarily on account of senior specialist Trey Wilkes, who wins .573 of his draws. He doesn’t pick up a ton of GBs, so if Michigan opts to muck things up and go for 50/50 ground balls, that’s a possibility. The question becomes whether they can win those ground balls.

Ohio State’s ride is excellent, and if you recall the last time these two teams met up, there was a full-field goal for the Buckeyes. It might be wise not to employ a heavy ride. Coming the other way, OSU doesn’t put a whole lot of effort into turning opponents over on the clear – which is aligned with their overall defensive philosophy – so Michigan’s wounds there will likely be self-inflicted, unless the Buckeyes choose to mix things up against an inconsistent clearing team.

Ohio State is a really clean team from a penalty perspective, much like Michigan. They convert on EMOs at a great clip, while allowing opponents decent success, too. Whenever there’s a penalty, it’s going to be tougher than usual to convert for OSU, since Michigan’s man-down is (oddly enough) one of the nation’s best.

Big Picture

Ohio State is good. Michigan is not good. Last year we saw the Wolverines capitalize on a poor shooting day by OSU, and the adrenaline rush of the Battle at the Big House event, etc. to keep things close despite the talent disparity between the squads.

It would be a monumental upset for Michigan to win this game – TempoFreeLax gives the Wolverines less than an 8% chance – and should it happen, it would be a great building block for Team Two to take into the final couple games and the offseason.

Predictions

There are a few areas where Michigan can do well, but just about everything would have to go right to pull the upset.

  • Faceoffs won’t be too heavily slanted toward Ohio State. If they are, it will be because the Buckeyes dominate on 50/50 ground balls in that phase of the game (and likely every other phase where there are 50/50 ground balls, too).
  • Some of Michigan’s turnover-prone youngsters will clean things up a bit. The unforced turnovers won’t plague Michigan, particularly because this isn’t a team that puts the pressure on a lot. However, forced passes will still result in a few bad plays.
  • Logan Schuss had three goals and two assists last year, but it took him 13 shots to get those five points. He’ll be more efficient this time around, since I seem to remember him (uncharacteristically) hitting several pipes last year.
  • This could be Gerald Logan’s worst statistical game of the year. The Buckeyes do a pretty good job assisting on most of their goals, and they have guys who can score in a variety of ways. Whether it’s bombing from the outside or creating openings on the crease, they’ll find ways to score.
  • A Michigan player that hasn’t seen a ton of action yet this year – likely an outside shooter – will have his biggest game of the season. Whether that’s just taking a lot of shots (most likely) or actually converting into goals, somebody new will step up. Or just Mike Hernandez, 50/50.

The Wolverines have been up and down, and just when it seems like they’re really down, they surprise and keep a game close against an opponent who should outmatch them (unfortunately, they surprise in the other direction when it seems like they’re in position to play somebody close). This is a game that they’ll ride an emotional high to keep things closer than expected until the fourth, but I have a hard time believing they’ll seriously threaten the upset. Ohio State wins, 13-7.

Share your predictions, discussion, etc. in the comments.

Posted in division 1, previews | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Michigan Preview: Ohio State

Detroit Preview: Siena

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Tim

Detroit has rebounded from a really rough start to the season (including a couple losses that shouldn’t have been) to win two of three, both victories coming in impressive fashion and the lone loss in overtime. This team is playing well – and this one’s for high stakes.

 

Siena Saints Lacrosse

“Saints” as in “Saint Bernards,” rather than “canonized people.” I can dig it.

Siena

1 p.m. EST
April 13, 2013
Loudonville, N.Y.
Live Stats. Live video ($$$).
@DetroitTitans
Pregame Notes.

Tempo-Free Profile

The TempoFreeLax.com numbers displayed here are adjusted for strength of schedule. Siena has played one of the easiest schedules in the country (No. 54 out of 63), so they’re definitely at one extreme. Detroit is right within that range.

Siena 2013
Pace 73.18 (6)
Poss% 51.55 (16)
Off. Eff. 28.10 (44)
Def. Eff. 33.02 (46)
Pyth% 42.39 (42)

Siena does one thing well, a few things poorly, and it all averages out to being a below-average but not terrible squad.

The good thing that the Saints do? Possess the rock. They do a great job holding the ball more than opponents, which is generally a good thing for teams that are otherwise outmanned by the competition.

Oddly, a team that has a below-average offense and defense speeds things up quite a bit. It would make more sense to slow things down and hope for a little randomness. But what do I know? Barn-burners that were high-scoring close losses to Hobart, St. John’s, Hartford, and Jacksonville could have swung the other way with fewer possessions.

As for that offense and defense, Siena hasn’t played many good teams, so those numbers are adjusted down because of competition, but… when you’re 4-7, “adjusting for the competition” doesn’t really apply. If you’re not good enough to beat the poor teams you’re playing, you’re just not good.

Offense

The Saints had a really good offense last year, but they lost Bryan Neufeld (it’s not often that a MAAC team has a player drafted by the MLL), Chris Roth, and Chris D’Alberti. Only Neufeld was a big part of the offense, but it’s somewhat collapsed without him.

Sophomore midfielder Conor Prunty has borne the majority of the scoring load in Neufeld’s replacement. He’s doing most of his work through goals of his own (20), though he’s putting up a fair number of assists as well (10). Classmate and linemate Nate Barry isn’t far behind from a scoring perspective, but he’s more distributor with 13 goals and 16 assists. Redshirt sophomore attack Richie Hurley is not far behind with 26 points on 15 goals and 11 assists.

The next three scorers are almost strictly finishers, with a combined 18 assists among their 70 points. Junior attack Colin Clive, senior attack Danny Martinsen, and redshirt junior midielder Kyle Curry are the dangermen there.

After that group of six starters, there’s an enormous dropoff in production.

Defense

The Siena defense looks like it’s been banged up all year. Senior Joe Ednie leads the team in caused turnovers with 11, despite only starting seven games (and missing one completely). Classmate Mike Generi has only played in eight games – and started five – and is second with 10 CTs.

Nobody else on the team has more than six CTs – that’s sophomore two-way midfielder Ryan Mallon – but three players are tied with five apiece. Longpoles Erik Casparius, Adam Hall, and Jake Kissick – a senior, junior, and sophomore, respectively – are in that tier.

In goal, it’s been almost all senior Matt Sharp. He’s saving .522 of shots faced and allowing 12.12 goals per game – both mediocre numbers (though the goals/game mark is inflated by Siena’s fast pace of play).

Special Teams

Faceoffs have been a huge area of success for the Saints. Sophomore Casey Dowd has won  .542 of draws taken – and is piccking up more than half the ground balls himself. If there’s one area that has single-handedly kept the Saints from totally collapsing this year, it’s been Dowd. A few backups have taken just a couple draws, and ranged from ok to blah.

Siena’s clear is pretty poor. They’re No. 53 at 81.66%. They make some of that up with a middle-of-the-pack ride. Still, this is not a strength of the team. They’re a great possession squad… that’s bad at two-thirds of the possession game. That speaks to the job Dowd is doing.

Siena takes a lot of penalties (that’s saying nothing when the opponent will be Detroit, of course), and they let opponents convert a lot of them – nearly 40%. On the flipside, Siena is actually converting on EMOs at an even better clip. You don’t want this squad to get man-up on you – though that’s something that will certainly happen to Detroit.

Big Picture

If Detroit wins this game – especially on the road – it will definitely be an upset. While this is the worst Siena team of the past four years (by a wide margin), Detroit isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire themselves. However, an upset may be just what they need. The Titans are playing their best ball of the year over the past three games, while Siena has been up and down all year. That’s mostly down, and just about as bad as Detroit has been.

Most importantly, if the Titans pull off the victory, they’ll be in very good position to make the MAAC Tournament. While that’s not exactly the loftiest goal for a team that returned just about everybody, it’s a great recovery from how the season started. It also would mean a damn good chance to win six of the final seven regular-season games, and enter the postseason on a hot streak.

Predictions

Siena, of course, is riding a long streak of winning the conference regular season – every year since Detroit has existed, much less been a member of the MAAC. The Saints have a bit to play for themselves.

  • Faceoffs might get ugly… or they might not. I think Siena’s Dowd will have a great day on draws, but it’s when I make such predictions that the Titans seem to surprise with a near-.500 mark. It’s safer to assume he’ll be good.
  • Siena assists on just over half their goals, a decent number. I think they’ll outdo that number against a Detroit team that gives up most of its goals assisted.
  • The Titans will counteract some of that by forcing a lot of turnovers. Siena is pretty sloppy, and Detroit makes teams like that pay…
  • That also means a lot of penalties for Detroit (as it always does).
  • Alex Maini will not lead Detroit in scoring – and that’s a good thing. Since he’s moved from the focal point of the offense to an important cog in the machine, Maini seems to be playing better, and the offense is executing better, too. That’s a good thing.

Detroit is on a roll, but I still have a tough time seeing them having what it takes to overcome a semi-dominant possession team. Siena is bad in both ends of the field, but great in owning the ball. That’s not a great matchup for UDM. It’s close but no cigar, and Siena takes home the 13-11 win.

Share your predictions, discussion, etc. in the comments.

Posted in division 1, previews | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Scores and Schedule: April 12, 2013

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Tim

I’m assuming – perhaps incorrectly – that I’ll be talking about Michigan’s first win of the year right about here.

Yesterday’s Results

MCLA-2

Aquinas 17, Northwood 5
Grand Valley State 16, Ferris State 1

High School Boys

Ann Arbor Greenhills 9, Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard 8
Rochester 18, Auburn Hills Avondale 6
Birmingham Seaholm 15, Farmington 10
Grosse Ile 11, Belleville 6
Forest Hills Eastern 17, Rockford 5
Grand Haven 12, East Grand Rapids 7
Romeo 10, L’Anse Creuse 9
L’Anse Creuse North 11, Grosse Pointe North 10 (OT)
Grand Rapids Christian 9, Lowell 5
Midland 11, Flint Powers 4
Mattawan 18, Portage Northern 7
Northview 9, Grand Rapids Catholic Central 3
Okemos 11, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 7
Lake Orion 16 Royal Oak, 5
Holland West Ottawa 11, Spring Lake 4
Troy Athens 10, Rochester Adams 3
Vicksburg 5, Battle Creek Lakeview 2
Anchor Bay 14, Warren Cousino 10
Davison @ Bay City Western
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep @ Clarkston
Haslett-Williamston @ Grand Ledge
Comstock Park @ Grandville
Muskegon Reeths-Puffer @ Grand Rapids South Christian
Farmington North-Harrison @ West Bloomfield
Hudsonville @ Zeeland

High School Girls

Ann Arbor Pioneer 19, Temperance Bedford 1
Ann Arbor Huron 6, Farmington Hills Mercy 4
East Lansing 18, Battle Creek Harper Creek 3
Clarkston 9, Lake Orion 7
Grosse Pointe University Liggett @ Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
Williamston-Haslett @ Detroit Country Day
Midland Dow @ DeWitt

Today’s Schedule

Division-1 Women

Detroit @ Stetson, 4 p.m. (DeLand, Fla.)

MCLA-1/2

Ferris State @ Central Michigan, 7 p.m.

High School Boys

Ann Arbor Skyline @ Ann Arbor Pioneer
Warren Cousino @ Avondale
Saline @ Bedford
Rochester Stoney Creek @ Bloomfield Hills
Kalamazoo United @ Chelsea
Hartland @ Canton
East Grand Rapids @ Cranbrook
Forest Hills Central @ Culver Academy Prep
Lincoln-Ypsilanti @ Dexter
Holt @ Forest Hills Eastern
Lansing Waverly @ Grand Ledge
West Bloomfield @ Lake Orion
Walled Lake Central @ Lapeer West-East
Brighton @ Novi
Walled Lake Northern @ Northville
Waterford @ Plymouth
Zeeland @ Portage Central
Divine Child @ Romulus
Grand Blanc @ Salem
Huron Valley-Lakeland @ South Lyon

High School Girls

Troy @ Rochester Adams
Sacred Heart Acad, MI @ Bloomfield Hills Lahser
Birmingham United, MI @ Brighton, MI
Caledonia @ Catholic Central
Rochester HS, MI @ Clarkston
Holland West Ottawa @ Grand Haven
Hudsonville @ Grand Haven
Flint Powers Catholic @ Hartland
Farmington Hills Harriso @ White Lake Lakeland
Grand Rapids Christian @ Lowell, MI
Notre Dame Prep, MI @ Marian, MI
Carman-Ainsworth @ Oxford, MI
Forest Hills United @ Rockford
Northville @ Saline
East Lansing @ Skyline, MI

Corrections, omissions, etc. always appreciated in the comments.

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Lax Links: April 11, 2013

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Tim

It’s been a long time since one of these posts, which means a very long edition.

High School Links

Brother Rice opened the spring in Lacrosse Magazine’s midwest top ten at No. 2. They’ve stayed there to date, staying a spot behind Culver (Ind.).

The Oakland Press runs through the top 45 lacrosse players in the county. They’re not in any particular order.

Not a link per se, but be ready for the return of the North American Lacrosse Invitational to Brother Rice May 18 and 19:

(BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI – March 28, 2013)  Southeast Michigan will get an up-close look at some of the leading high school men’s varsity lacrosse teams from the Midwest and Canada at the North American Lacrosse Invitational (NALI) set for May 18-19 at Brother Rice High School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. 

Stay tuned.

Ann Arbor Greenhills preseason fluff.

Preseason fluff on Ann Arbor Pioneer.

The inaugural season of the Saginaw Valley League.

Local fluff on Forest Hills Central midfielder Colin Schlosser. Forest Hills Central is hoping to repeat its state title.

Fluff on Flint Powers.

Muskegon Reeths-Puffer fluff.

D-1

Brother Rice alums Jamie and Andy Hebden are key components of the Detroit lacrosse team. Jamie Hebden is second nationally in caused turnovers.

Detroit FOGO Damien Hicks was named the MAAC Rookie of the Week.

Detroit’s official site has a story about Canadians – including several on the Titans’ men’s and women’s rosters – making an impact in Division-1 lacrosse.

Detroit (obviously) features heavily in the Inside Lacrosse MAAC conference checkup. IL pegs Jordan Houtby as fifth in the conference POY race.

Detroit sophomore attack Tessa Keuler talks after the lady Titans’ victory over Howard:

Chase Brown was the ECAC rookie of the week a couple weeks back.

MCLA

MCLA Fan chats with Coast Guard captain Tim Wyderko, and alumnus of Orchard Lake St. Mary’s.

Former Davenport coach Bob Clarkson was inducted into the Corning Painted Post Hall of Fame in recognition of his contributions to lacrosse.

Davenport has a player named Cross. He still pales in comparison to Penn State’s Tom LaCrosse.

Old news, but a game story from Michigan State’s loss to Colorado State.

Game story from Davenport’s 23-8 victory over Western Michigan.

You can re-watch the Davenport victory over Western Michigan on the DU athletics website.

Davenport won the WHAC championship. Jordan Richtsmeier was named the conference player of the week.

Game story from the official Davenport site on the victory over Virginia Tech, and the 16-12 triumph over Clemson.

Rercuiting

Michigan commit P.J. Bogle is mentioned in a season preview of Culver (Ind.).

High School Roundup

Forest Hills Eastern beat Ann Arbor Skyline 14-3.

Oxford 12, Swartz Creek 3.

Grand Rapids Catholic Central 10, Vicksburg 2.

Ann Arbor Skyline 16, Plymouth 4.

Spring Lake 16, Hudsonville 3.

Notre Dame Prep 10, Troy 9 *OT).

Brother Rice (JV) 11, Saline 10.

Holland West Ottawa 9, Mattawan 6.

Ann Arbor Greenhills 7, Auburn Hills Avondale 2.

Grand Rapids Christian 13, Zeeland 2.

Brother Rice 13, Forest Hills Central 5.

Grand Rapids Christian 9, Portage Central 8.

Flint Powers 10, Rochester Adams 8.

Holland Christian 9, Spring Lake 4.

Northview 6, Vicksburg 5 (OT).

Grand Haven 19, Hudsonville 1.

Ann Arbor Skyline 9, Okemos 2.

Caledonia 10, Grand Rapids South Christian 1.

Warren De La Salle 13, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 5.

Oxford 6, Saginaw Heritage 4.

Saline 14, Dexter 1.

Holland West Ottawa 12, Portage Central 6.

Ann Arbor Greenhills 12, Chelsea 2.

Spring Lake 10, Zeeland 9 (2OT).

Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 15, Rochester Adams 3.

East Grand Rapids 9, Holt 4.

South Lyon 14, Ypsilanti Lincoln 2.

Brother Rice 15, Dexter 3.

Lowell 11, Portage Northern 8.

Flint Powers 14, Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard 8.

Muskegon Reeths-Puffer 11, Grandville 9.

Mattawan 19, Battle Creek Pennfield 7.

Holland West Ottawa 13, Grand Rapids Christian 6.

Ann Arbor Huron 15, Temperance Bedford 4.

Ann Arbor Pioneer 11, Saline 3.

Game stories about Detroit Catholic Central’s wins over Warren De La Salle and Brighton.

Etc.

Minnesota’s athletic director is at least mentioning lacrosse. That’s a positive sign, even if his statement on the matter is that nothing is imminent.

LXM Pro midfielder Sam Bradman will be appearing at Bloomfield Sports Shop inside Ultimate Soccer Arenas April 20.

GLS Elsewhere

Inside Lacrosse’s Christian Swezey talked about whether faceoffs matter in college lacrosse. I responded on College Crosse.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Lax Links: April 11, 2013

Scores and Schedule: April 11, 2013

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Tim

With the weather yesterday (and today, too), a lot of cancellations/delays going around…

Yesterday’s Results

Division-3 Men

Albion 22, Calvin 1
Olivet 16, Alma 6
Adrian @ Hope – delayed, will be played tonight

Division-3 Women

Alma 17, Olivet 9
Albion 7, Calvin 6
Adrian 22, Hope 5

MCLA-1

Davenport 23, Western Michigan 8

High School Boys

Ann Arbor Huron 15, Temperance Bedford 4
Brighton 10, Walled Lake Western 7
Warren De La Salle 12, Grosse Pointe South 6
UD-Jesuit 7, Detroit Country Day 6
Dexter 14, Monroe St. Mary-Catholic Central 4
Farmington 10, Rochester Adams 9
Canton 12, Grand Blanc 10
Hartland 12, Salem 10
Novi 10, Huron Valley-Lakeland 2
Northville 12, Howell 8
Royal Oak 10, Farmington North-Harrison 9 (OT)
Ann Arbor Pioneer 11, Saline 3
Plymouth 10, Walled Lake Central 6
South Lyon @ Waterford
Dearborn Divine Child @ Madison Heights Bishop Foley
Ypsilanti @ Chelsea
Holt @ Lansing Waverly
Tecumseh @ Ypsilanti Lincoln
Swartz Creek @ Lapeer West-East
Oxford @ Rochester
Port Huron @ Utica Stevenson

High School Girls

East Grand Rapids 12, Forest Hills United 5
Rochester Adams 11, Dexter 6
Canton 9, Salem 5
Grosse Pointe North 17, Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard 7
Hartland 20, Grand Blanc 6
Mattawan United 19, Holland West Ottawa 8
Northville 12, Novi 11
Rockford 17, Grand Rapids Catholic Central 16 (OT)
South Lyon United 13, Plymouth 8
Bloomfield Hills Marian 13, Troy 10
Brighton 18, Walled Lake United 1
Grand Haven @ Grand Rapids Christian
Farmington Hills Harrison @ Livonia Ladywood
Bloomfield Hills Lahser @ Pontiac Notre Dame Prep
Lowell @ Northview
Rochester Hills Stoney Creek @ Oxford
Ann Arbor Pioneer @ Saline
White Lake Lakeland @ Waterford United
Caledonia @ Lansing Waverly HS

Today’s Schedule

MCLA-2

Northwood @ Aquinas, 5 p.m.
Ferris State @ Grand Valley State, 7 p.m.

High School Boys

Ann Arbor Greenhills @ Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard
Rochester @ Auburn Hills Avondale
Davison @ Bay City Western
Farmington @ Birmingham Seaholm
Grosse Ile @ Belleville
Holland Christian @ Caledonia
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep @ Clarkston
Rockford @ Forest Hills Eastern
Haslett-Williamston @ Grand Ledge
East Grand Rapids @ Grand Haven
Comstock Park @ Grandville
Portage Central @ Kalamazoo United
Romeo @ L’Anse Creuse
Grosse Pointe North @ L’Anse Creuse North
Grand Rapids Christian @ Lowell
Flint Powers @ Midland
Portage Northern @ Mattawan
Grand Rapids Catholic Central @ Northview
Okemos @ Orchard Lake St. Mary’s
Lake Orion @ Royal Oak
Muskegon Reeths-Puffer @ Grand Rapids South Christian
Holland West Ottawa @ Spring Lake
Rochester Adams @ Troy Athens
Battle Creek Lakeview @ Vicksburg
Farmington North-Harrison @ West Bloomfield
Anchor Bay @ Warren Cousino
Hudsonville @ Zeeland

High School Girls

Temperance Bedford @ Ann Arbor Pioneer
Farmington Hills Mercy @ Ann Arbor Huron
Grosse Pointe University Liggett @ Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
Williamston-Haslett @ Detroit Country Day
Midland Dow @ DeWitt
Battle Creek Harper @ East Lansing
Grosse Pointe South @ Grand Blanc
Rochester @ Warren Regina
Temperance Bedford @ Lake Orion
Clarkston @ Lake Orion

Corrections, omissions, etc. always appreciated in the comments.

Posted in division 3, high school, mcla | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Scores and Schedule: April 11, 2013

Scores and Schedule: April 10, 2013

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Tim

High school season is starting really get back into the swing of things. Possibly some weather delays this week, but we’ll see where things go from there.

Yesterday’s Results

Division-3 Women

Aquinas 17, Olivet 8

MCLA-2

Delta @ Siena Heights – canceled

High School Boys

Ann Arbor Skyline 9, Okemos 2
Flint Powers 14, Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard 8
Bloomfield Hills 8, Troy Athens 7
Belleville 19, Ypsilanti 4
Comstock Park 13, Grand Rapids South Christian 6
East Lansing 4, Grand Ledge 3
Lansing Waverly 4, East Lansing 3
Holland West Ottawa 13, Grand Rapids Christian 6
Grand Haven 19, Hudsonville 1
Muskegon Reeths-Puffer 11, Grandville 9
L’Anse Creuse North 19, Warren Mott-Sterling Heights 10
Northview 7, Zeeland 4
Brother Rice 22, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 3
Mattawan 19, Battle Creek Pennfield 7
Lowell 11, Portage Northern 8
Portage Central 8, DeWitt 3
Romeo 20, Warren Cousino 2
Bay City Western @ Saginaw Heritage
Haslett-Williamston @ Brother Rice Orange
Vicksburg @ Kalamazoo United
Bay City Western @ Midland

High School Girls

Ann Arbor Pioneer 20, Dexter 0
Grosse Pointe North 17, Farmington Hills Harrison 1
Detroit Country Day @ Farmington Hills Mercy
Holt @ Midland Dow
Battle Creek Harper Creek @ Lansing Waverly

Today’s Schedule

Division-3 Men

Calvin @ Albion
Alma v. Olivet
Adrian @ Hope

Division-3 Women

Alma @ Olivet
Albion @ Calvin
Hope @ Adrian

MCLA-1

Western Michigan @ Davenport, 7:30 p.m.

High School Boys

Dearborn Divine Child @ Madison Heights Bishop Foley
Walled Lake Western @ Brighton
Ypsilanti @ Chelsea
Grosse Pointe South @ Warren De La Salle
Detroit Country Day @ UD-Jesuit
Monroe St. Mary-Catholic Central @ Dexter
Rochester Adams @ Farmington
Canton @ Grand Blanc
Salem @ Hartland
Novi @ Huron Valley-Lakeland
Northville @ Howell
Holt @ Lansing Waverly
Tecumseh @ Ypsilanti Lincoln
Swartz Creek @ Lapeer West-East
Oxford @ Rochester
Farmington North-Harrison @ Royal Oak
Ann Arbor Pioneer @ Saline
Port Huron @ Utica Stevenson
Plymouth @ Walled Lake Central
South Lyon @ Waterford

High School Girls

East Grand Rapids @ Forest Hills United
Dexter @ Rochester Adams
Salem @ Canton
Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard @ Grosse Pointe North
Grand Haven @ Grand Rapids Christian
Grand Blanc @ Hartland
Farmington Hills Harriso. @ Livonia Ladywood
Holland West Ottawa @ Mattawan United
Bloomfield Hills Lahser @ Pontiac Notre Dame Prep
Novi @ Northville
Lowell @ Northview
Rochester Hills Stoney Creek @ Oxford
Hudsonville @ Portage Northern
Grand Rapids Catholic Central @ Rockford
Ann Arbor Pioneer @ Saline
Plymouth @ South Lyon United
Bloomfield Hills Marian @ Troy
Brighton @ Walled Lake United
White Lake Lakeland @ Waterford United
Caledonia @ Lansing Waverly HS

Corrections, omissions, etc. always appreciated in the comments.

Posted in division 3, high school, mcla | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Scores and Schedule: April 10, 2013

The Next Level: April 9, 2013

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Tim

Our weekly look at Michigan natives who are playing college lacrosse at division-1 institutions this spring:

Air Force 15, Mercer 9

  • Junior attack Tommy McKee (Holt) – Started, scored two Goals on six Shots, caused on turnover and picked up one ground ball. Also committed two turnovers.

Detroit 14, Manhattan 8

  • Sophomore attack Brandon Beauregard (Notre Dame Prep) – Started, scored a Goal on three Shots, and picked up one ground ball. Also committed three turnovers.
  • Sophomore midfielder Mike Birney (Detroit Catholic Central) – Started, scored four Goals on eight Shots, and added an assist. Also committed three turnovers.
  • Senior midfielder Brandon Davenport (Grosse Pointe North) – Won five of eight faceoffs, picking up seven ground balls, recorded two Assists, and took one Shot. Also committed one penalty for 1:00.
  • Freshman LSM Nick Demattia (Clarkston) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.
  • Sophomore midfielder Scott Drummond (Birmingham Seaholm) – Started, scored a Goal on two Shots, added three Assists, and picked up one ground ball. Also committed one turnover.
  • Senior defenseman John Dwyer (Detroit Catholic Central) – Started, caused two turnovers, and picked up two ground balls. Also committed one penalty for 1:00.
  • Sophomore defenseman Joe Gifford (Notre Dame Prep) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.
  • Freshman midfielder Andy Hebden (Brother Rice) – Started, scored two Goals on three Shots, and picked up one ground ball. Also committed two turnovers.
  • Senior defenseman Jamie Hebden (Brother Rice) – Started, caused four turnovers, and picked up two ground balls. Also committed one penalty for 1:00.
  • Senior LSM/D Andrew Khalil (Warren De La Salle) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.
  • Junior midfielder Joe MacLean (Detroit Country Day) – Caused one turnover and picked up one ground ball.
  • Redshirt freshman midfielder Chris Mandell (Warren De La Salle) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.
  • Freshman attack Nick Melucci (Northville) – Took one Shot.
  • Senior midfielder Chris Nemes (Detroit Catholic Central) – Scored a Goal on his only Shot.
  • Junior midfielder Tim Robertson (Notre Same Prep) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.
  • Sophomore midfielder Tom Sible (Forest Hills Central) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.
  • Freshman midfielder Mike Spuller (Dexter) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.
  • Freshman midfielder Dylan Swanson (Ann Arbor Pioneer) – Played, but only made the scoresheet by committing one turnover.
  • Freshman defenseman Jordan Yono (Detroit Catholic Central) – Won his only faceoff attempt and picked up one ground ball.

Georgetown 6, Villanova 8

  • Junior midfielder Grant Fisher (Brother Rice) – Took three Shots. Also committed one turnover.

Georgetown 14, St. John’s 13

  • Junior midfielder Grant Fisher (Brother Rice) – Scored a Goal on two Shots.

Hofstra 13, Saint Joseph’s 1

  • Senior defenseman Michael Hamilton (Brother Rice) – Started and picked up one ground ball. Also committed one penalty for 0:30.

Marquette 5, Notre Dame 17

  • Redshirt freshman midfielder K.C. Kennedy (Brother Rice) – Won six of nine faceoffs, picking up two ground balls.
  • Freshman attack Henry Nelson (Brother Rice) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.

Marquette 4, Denver 15

  • Redshirt freshman midfielder K.C. Kennedy (Brother Rice) – Won 11 of 20 faceoffs, picking up four ground balls, and took a Shot. Also committed one penalty for 1:00.
  • Freshman attack Henry Nelson (Brother Rice) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.

Michigan 5, Delaware 12

  • Senior midfielder Zach Dauch (Bloomfield Hills Lahser) – Recroded one Assist and picked up one ground ball.
  • Sophomore defenseman Mack Gembis (Cranbrook) – Started and picked up two ground balls.
  • Senior defenseman Rob Healy (Notre Dame Prep) – Started, but did not accrue any statistics.
  • Sophomore attack Will Meter (Brother Rice) – Started, took three shots, and picked up three ground balls. Also committed five turnovers.
  • Sophomore midfielder Thomas Orr (Detroit Catholic Central) – Played, but only made the scoresheet by committing one turnover.
  • Junior midfielder Tom Sardelli (Notre Dame Prep) – Scored a Goal on his only Shot.
  • Junior LSM Dakota Sherman (Cranbrook) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.
  • Senior defenseman Austin Swaney (East Grand Rapids) – Played, but only made the scoresheet by committing one turnover.
  • Freshman defenseman Chris Walker (Brother Rice) – Played, but only made the scoresheet by committing one penalty for 1:00.

Mount St. Mary’s 8, Quinnipiac 12

  • Senior midfielder Conor Carey (University of Detroit Jesuit) – Started and scored a Goal on two Shots (both on goal).
  • Senior midfielder Jon Marsalese (University of Detroit Jesuit) – Won 12 of 22 faceoffs, picking up 12 ground balls(!). Also committed one turnover.

Penn State 13, Drexel 7

  • Senior Attack Nick Dolik (Brother Rice) – Scored a Goal on three Shots. Also committed one turnover.
  • Senior midfielder Danny Henneghan (Brother Rice) – Started and won 10 of 21 faceoffs, picking up four ground balls, and took one Shot.

Rutgers 9, Villanova 11

  • Freshman midfielder Jacob Coretti (East Grand Rapids) – Scored two Goals on two shots. Also committed two turnovers.

Sacred Heart 21, Wagner 8

  • Sophomore midfielder  Joe Kemp (Troy Athens) – Played, but did not accrue any statistics.

As always, feel free to share corrections, additions, or stats from other divisions in the comments.

Posted in division 1 | Tagged | Comments Off on The Next Level: April 9, 2013

Scores and Schedule: April 9, 2013

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Tim

I’m assuming – perhaps incorrectly – that I’ll be talking about Michigan’s first win of the year right about here.

Yesterday’s Results

Division-3 Men

Albion 12, Otterbein 14

High School Boys

Madison Heights Bishop Foley 11, Grosse Pointe North 8
UD-Jesuit 9, Ann Arbor Pioneer 6
South Lyon 14, Ypsilanti Lincoln 2
Dexter @ Grosse Pointe University Liggett

High School Girls

Hartland 18, White Lake-Lakeland 1
Plymouth 12, Novi 9
Ann Arbor Skyline 26, Temperance Bedford 6
Canton 12, South Lyon 9
Grand Blanc 16, Walled Lake United 0
Brighton 13, Waterford 1
East Lansing @ Dexter
Swartz Creek @ Oxford
Northville @ Salem

Today’s Schedule

Division-3 Women

Olivet @ Aquinas

MCLA-2

Delta @ Siena Heights, 7 p.m.

High School Boys

Okemos @ Ann Arbor Skyline
Flint Powers @ Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard
Saginaw Heritage @ Bay City Western
Troy Athens @ Bloomfield Hills
Ypsilanti @ Belleville
Haslett-Williamston @ Brother Rice Orange
Battle Creek Lakeview @ Caledonia
Grand Rapids South Christian @ Comstock Park
Grand Ledge @ East Lansing
Holland West Ottawa @ Grand Rapids Christian
Hudsonville @ Grand Haven
Muskegon Reeths-Puffer @ Grandville
Vicksburg @ Kalamazoo United
Warren Mott-Sterling Heights @ L’Anse Creuse North
Bay City Western @ Midland
Zeeland @ Northview
Brother Rice @ Orchard Lake St. Mary’s
Mattawan @ Battle Creek Pennfield
Lowell @ Portage Northern
DeWitt @ Portage Central
Troy @ Rochester Hills Stoney Creek
Romeo @ Warren Cousino

High School Girls

Dexter @ Ann Arbor Pioneer
Portage Northern @ DeWitt
Farmington Hills Harrison @ Grosse Pointe North
Detroit Country Day @ Farmington Hills Mercy
Holt @ Midland Dow
Battle Creek Harper Creek @ Lansing Waverly

Corrections, omissions, etc. always appreciated in the comments.

Posted in division 3, high school, mcla | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Scores and Schedule: April 9, 2013

Detroit 14, Manhattan 8

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Tim

Yay, more wins. The Titans are one failed clear in overtime away from being in a great spot in the MAAC. The win against Manhattan may have been little more than “taking care of business,” but for a team that hasn’t done so every time out this year, that’s progress.

Mike Birney Detroit Titans lacrosse Manhattan Jaspers

Mike Birney winds up. #crank

The Titans led wire-to-wire against the Jaspers, and things were never in doubt.

Tempo Free

From the official box score, a look at the tempo-free stats:

Manhattan 2013
Manhattan Detroit
Faceoff Wins 8 Faceoff Wins 18
Clearing 15-17 Clearing 18-20
Possessions 27 Possessions 40
Goals 8 Goals 14
Offensive Efficiency .296 Offensive Efficiency .350

The Titans dominated possession in this one, thanks to good work on faceoffs (about which more in a moment) and taking care of business on the clear. That’s good.

It’s even better when the team efficiencies are as lopsided as they were in this one. The Titans put up a great offensive efficiency number, and while the defense wasn’t great, it was more than enough to get the win in this one.

Notes

I’ve mentioned several times that, with Shayne Adams out, the Titans need to figure out better ways to share the ball. If Alex Maini can’t be the Joel Matthews or Shayne Adams type that can dominate the rock and still play efficiently, playing a role in the larger picture of the offense is necessary. That happened in this one. The Titan offense clicked, even though Maini scored just one goal and had just four shots.

Sophomore midfielders Mike Birney (four goals, one assist) and Scott Drummond (one goal, three assists) and junior attack Tom Masterson (two goals, one assist) stepped up in a big way. That’s what the offense needs, and it worked well. Can it be replicated against better defenses? Probably not, but it’s likely that some of the growth will carry over.

Damien Hicks started on faceoffs, and did very well before exiting the game after his illegal stick penalty. He wasn’t win the clamp that frequently (probably 40 percent of the time, despite winning 75% of his draws), but when he didn’t, he was able to much things up and make it a 50/50 ball or better. When he did win things cleanly, it often led to an easy fast break opportunity for the Titans, including the wiped out goal. Brandon Davenport had a 5/8 day, longpole Jordan Yono won his only faceoff – during Hicks’ penalty – and Ryan Tarzia had just one attempt.

Defensively, I was surprised to see relatively few caused turnovers against what has been one of the country’s least capable teams when it comes to holding onto the ball. Of course Jamie Hebden (four caused) and John Dwyer and Jordan Houtby (two each) got theirs, but you’d expect even more. The Jaspers actually caused the same number. On the other hand… Detroit almost double up Manhattan, so how much complaint can there be?

This was apparently Troy Dennis’ first game at SSDM (thanks to GLS regular Reg Hartner for the tip), and he was pretty good. Obviously there are some growing pains at the position, but he has the skills, and can clearly go forward with the ball as a former offensive player. Joe MacLean and Tom Sible were more comfortable at the position, but Dennis showed great potential.

The Titans committed seven penalties, but honestly it felt like there were even more watching live. Some of them were questionable (which will always be the case), but on the other hand, the style of play – causing a lot of turnovers – is just going to result in it. There are times where controlling individual discipline when it comes to making that last check, or laying a big hit comes into play. Aggressive but under control is the next level of evolution for this D.

I’m not sure what to think of A.J. Levell’s performance. On one hand, he made two or three robberies on the doorstep, but on the other, a few of the goals he let in (and one-non goal on a post) were as soft as can be. Maybe he just wasn’t seeing the ball well on this day – and it’s unfair to complain when he compensates in other ways to put up good numbers – but I just don’t know, man.

I don’t want to rip on Manhattan – they probably get enough of that – but man, was that a bad team. The 6v6 defense was inept, and while they got a few good looks at goal, they didn’t have a whole lot of artillery when it came to finishing.

Game Photos

All photos by GLS.

Elsewhere

The official boxscore. UDM Recap. Official UDM photo gallery. Manhattan site recap.

Up Next

Detroit has a tough matchup this weekend against Siena, although the Saints aren’t the dominant team in the MAAC like they have been in most recent years. Still, a road game against a more talented team is always a tough matchup. This is the sort of game where just about everything has to go right for the Titans to win.

After that, the road trip continues in two very winnable games, with Michigan (first night lacrosse game in Michigan Stadium, next Wednesday) and Marquette (the following Saturday) on the docket. Then, it’s a season finale against Canisius in what looks to be shaping up as a game where the winner makes the MAAC tournament and the loser sees its 2013 come to a close.

Posted in division 1 | Tagged , , | 5 Comments