Torrential rains gave way to a perfect day and trip for the cadets of West Point as the men’s and women’s teams finished the day on the winning end, defeating Michigan and Florida State. Sandwiched in the middle were the women of blue and maize, who took home a dub with an upset win over Boston College in overtime.
The men’s team shook off a slow start to defeat the pesky Wolverines 13-11 in the first game of the three-game Atlanta Lacrosse Invitational. Junior middie Matt Han put Michigan on the board first with his first goal of the game. Jack Jenkins added to the lead with a goal two minutes later.
Ten minutes of action took place before Cal Lambert, with an assist from Evan Plunkett, was able to cut the lead with a low-to-low shot from about 10 yards out.
Michigan kept the engine primed and maintained a slim two-goal lead going into the half. The lead swelled to three before the Cadets went on a 4-0 run to take a 9-8 lead heading into the last period.
The Army defense and offense over the last 15 minutes were far better than their first 15. The Cadets held Michigan to three goals on seven shots on goal. Their scoring efficiency was solid, scoring four goals on six shots on goal.
While the Wolverines missed an opportunity to take down a Top-10 opponent, they are a far cry from the team that took the field in UM’s inaugural season. It won’t be long before the 2023 Big Ten Tournament Champions are consistently in the NCAA Tournament Final Four conversation.
Overstuffed Goodie
Where the Michigan men fell short, the women succeeded, taking the second match of the tournament. Ceci Stein buried a shot in sudden-death overtime to lift the Wolverines to a 10-9 win over sixth-ranked Boston College.
Junior attack Emma Bradbury opened up the Wolverines’ scoring with a laser from just outside of the right post. Scoring from a narrow angle was one thing; doing it through a space less than a foot against Shea Dolce, one of the top goalkeepers in the NCAA, was as difficult as threading a needle while wearing oven mitts.
The score was identical to the men’s game, with the Wolverines ahead 3-1 after twelve minutes of play.
Michigan kept the pressure up on both ends of the field through the second period.
Boston College opened the third trailing 2-5 and promptly gave up another goal. Michigan controlled the draw and fed midfielder Ava Class on a dead run. Class ran past two defenders before cutting to the left post and firing a shot past Dolce for a 6-2 lead.
BC outscored Michigan 6-2 over the next 14 minutes. Molly Driscoll buried a pair of goals in the back of the net in the span of 70 seconds to start the Eagles’ run. Kylee Colbert evened the score, and Giulia Colarusso gave the Eagles the lead late in the third.
Emma Bradbury scored her third goal of the game to give Michigan a 9-8 lead. Colarusso erased that lead two minutes later to set up overtime.
One overtime became two as Colarusso’s shot ricocheted off the post. Sudden death overtime lasted almost a full five minutes. The look in Stein’s eyes said it all. She dodged left, then right, before spinning back left and firing a left-handed shot ahead of the chopping defense of sophomore middie Emma Claire Quinn, past Dolce, and into the back of the net.
A Different Retreat
Army held off blowing retreat until after it gave first-year Florida State its first taste of Top-25 women’s lacrosse with a 13-7 decision.
The game wasn’t as close as the final score might seem. Army scored the first four goals inside of five minutes. Chloe Garrett scored two of her three goals two-and-a-half minutes apart. Allison Reilly assisted on three of the four goals.
Freshman attack Amelia Brite broke through for a goal at the eight-minute mark to put the Seminoles on the board. Army reeled off another four consecutive goals to close out the first.
Florida State trailed 2-11 at the start of the second half. Brynn Perkins scored the Seminoles’ third goal 55 seconds into the third. Meg Kenny and Lola Mancuso added to the total, helping Florida State outscore Army in the period.
The Seminoles continued the trend against the West Point seconds, finishing the night with two more goals. Army improved its record to 3-1 while Florida State dropped a notch to 3-2.