The Michigan men’s lacrosse team made history Sunday morning in Florida. With a victory over Mercer, the team earned its first win in the program’s young history. The Wolverines, in their premier season of Division-I play, crushed the Bears, 14-4.

Michigan came off a disappointing loss against Jacksonville on Friday, when the Dolphins scored an overtime goal to take the game, 9-8. With a single day to recover, the Wolverines got down to business in preparation for Mercer. Michigan coach John Paul did not allow the loss to distract his team from the task ahead and was rewarded with the first win of the season.

“It is a very quick turnaround,” Paul said. “They have had all week to prepare for us and we have had a day.”

The game started off in Michigan’s favor, as the team scored four goals in the first period. Mercer closed the deficit to five in the third quarter, but that was as close as the Bears would get. A four-goal Wolverine run in the fourth ended any thoughts of a comeback and gave Michigan a decisive 10-point victory.

With little time to study its opponent, the team knew it could not be tentative against Mercer and decided to take its new mantra — aggressiveness — to heart and to the field. After its impressive performance in the first quarter, the team left little doubt as to who would be the victors in the last game of spring break.

“We are a little relieved, to say the least,” Paul said. “We need to continue to build this program, and (Sunday) was an important step on that path.”

Junior midfielder Thomas Paras led all scorers with four goals and two assists in the victory over the Bears.

“The four goals … is something I take a lot of pride in as a captain,” Paras said. “Everyone on the team stepped up today. We played with a lot of passion and aggression.

“That’s just our style of play.”

Paras’ performance was a key part of the Wolverines’ success, and Paul commended his player, whose role on the team changed significantly from last year.

“(Thomas) is an incredibly talented athlete and very talented lacrosse player,” Paul said. “We moved him this year from attack to midfield. It’s been a little bit of a change for him. He is starting to understand what his role is in the system.”

Fifth-year senior attackman Trevor Yealy and sophomore midfielder Doug Bryant each added three goals. Junior midfielder Willie Steenland had one goal and three assists in the victory, as well. Their performances helped the Wolverines to their highest scoring game of the season.

The players attribute their high-scoring feat to their focus on being aggressive.

“(Michigan assistant) Coach (Keith) Euker sat the attack down and told us that we were not being aggressive enough in all facets of the game,” Yealy said. “(The increase in offense was) a combination of being more aggressive, finding open looks, and guys being able to see … those open looks.”

Another important aspect of the victory over the Bears was the play of fifth-year senior faceoff man Brian Greiner. Greiner was hailed by his coaches for having an exceptional performance in the faceoff position against Mercer. Faceoffs have been a weakness of the Wolverines and were a main cause of their downfall against Jacksonville on Friday. On Sunday, though, Greiner helped Michigan win 15 of 20 faceoffs.

“I knew I needed to do my part to help out and get possessions for us,” Greiner said. “Personally, it’s my only job, so it’s a lot of work, and I take it very seriously. It’s a team effort. It’s my wingers helping me out getting ground balls.”

In the win, Michigan also allowed its fewest goals all season. Freshman goalie Emil Weiss, who returned after a hand injury, was a major contributor for the Wolverines over the weekend.

Weiss played in exhibition matches earlier this year, but played his first Division-I college game against Jacksonville. In his debut performance, Weiss had fifteen saves against the Dolphins and added another four against Mercer.

“(Before the season) we kind of projected him to be our starter this year,” Paul said. “There is no question … he brings in something different than what we have had. He is a big body and he is confident.”

In their game against Jacksonville, the Wolverines started strong, with three quick goals from Yealy in the first quarter. After Jacksonville battled back to gain a 7-6 lead, Yealy scored early in the fourth to tie the game, but the Dolphins answered right back.

With 11.5 seconds left, Steenland completed a desperate attack to tie the game at eight and send the game to overtime. But Michigan lost the initial faceoff, and the game ended with a quick goal from Jacksonville’s Ari Waffle.

Yealy had a four-goal game in the defeat, which matched his season total at the time. His performance kept the Wolverines in the game.

“(Yealy) does have the capability to do that every once in a while,” Paul said.