Zonino will have a chance to contribute earlier than expected. Photo appears courtesy of PhillyLacrosse.com.
Sounds like a release from the Michigan program is coming soon, but it sounds like Michigan goalie Gerald Logan’s recent should surgery will cause him to miss the entirety of the 2014 spring season.
Sophomore Mike D’Alessio and freshman Robbie Zonino are the only other goalies currently listed on Michigan roster (though I wouldn’t be surprised if some walkon depth was added at this point), and it seems that Zonino – the No. 67 freshman in the country, according to Inside Lacrosse – will be the guy.
Zonino played at Philadelphia-area power Conestoga, was team captain as a senior, and was the No. 1 goalie (though he split time) for the Mythical National Championship-winning ‘Stoga squad his junior year.
UPDATE: Official release from Michigan:
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Sophomore goalie Gerald Logan (Sachem, N.Y./Shoreham-Wading River) of the University of Michigan men’s lacrosse team will miss the 2014 season with a shoulder labrum tear that required surgery, the squad announced today (Friday, Jan. 10).
Last season, Logan was selected to the All-ECAC Rookie Team and was named the team’s MVP. Logan was No. 2 in the NCAA with 211 saves and ended his freshman campaign averaging 15-plus saves per contest. He recorded double-digit stops in 13 of 14 contests and stopped at least 15 shots in nine games. Logan compiled a 56.3 save percentage, faced 565 shots, and led the team with 36 ground balls.
His program-record 25 saves against Army on March 2 tied the NCAA season high for saves in a single game.
U-M has a pair of goalkeepers expected to fill the void in 2014. Highly touted true freshman Robbie Zonino (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga), who was ranked as the No. 8 freshman goalie in the country by Inside Lacrosse, is the projected starter heading into the 2014 season. Also on the roster is sophomore goalkeeper Mike D’Alessio (Eastchester, N.Y./The Hackley School), who did not see game action last season.
“We’re obviously going to miss Gerald on the field this season, but our first priority is always the long-term health and welfare of our student-athletes. We expect him back to 100 percent by next fall,” said head coach John Paul. “We have full confidence in Robbie as our starter. He had a great fall where he gained valuable experience against Notre Dame, and he has been preparing himself for this role for a few months now.”
The Wolverines will open the 2014 season with an exhibition contest against Marquette in Oosterbaan Field House on Saturday (Feb. 1) at 1 p.m.
So there’s that.
Ouch. If I have this right this is the third straight year UM will be starting a freshman goalie with no recruited backup. Logan is a difference maker. The interesting thing is he was not that highly touted out of high school and Zonino was. I guess we’ll see if he lives up to that.
Quick check of the roster confirms only the two goalies left after Logan. Where did Westerhold go? He actually started their first few games two years ago when Weiss was hurt. He was on the roster this fall. Tim is probably right that they will have to find another goalie on campus just to ensure they can practice effectively. Is Weiss still in Ann Arbor?
Logan is certainly a difference maker, but an improved defense (and team for that matter) along with a goalie that would seem to be comparable to the injured starter (at least on paper) makes this anything but a dire situation. Tough break for sure, but also quite manageable in the grand scheme of things. In the long-term, the Wolverines will have two experienced goalies in 2015.
Tim (or anyone else), any chance that Zonino would have challenged a healthy Logan for playing time, or is this an unquestionable downgrade?
I saw UM play Hopkins early last year and two things were clear from being only 20 feet from the field. First, Logan has great goalie reflexes and wasn’t rattled at all on the big stage, despite a porous defense in front of him. Second, his shoulder was hurting even then, so I’m surprised he made it through the whole season. No matter how good Zonino is, he will lack Logan’s experience, so this has to be a blow entering the season.
Logan hurt his shoulder against Bellarmine (second game of the year), and while he was healthy enough to play most of the year – maybe at the expense of playing this season – he was never at 100%. Makes his performance from last year even more impressive.
Zonino was highly ranked coming out of high school. Logan proved last year that his lack of a ranking was an oversight (which ultimately resulted in his being overlooked for all-freshman teams as well, a serious slight to a great player), and he also has a year of D-1 experience.
I would say that no matter who’s back there, it’s going to be a downgrade until proven otherwise – and the depth is scary with just the walkon D’Alessio also at the position. The numbers might be a bit better with a strong defensive unit in front of Zonino still.