The Michigan men’s lacrosse team ended its regular season on a high, coming out on top in a thrilling showdown against Ohio State.
The Wolverines (7-6 overall, 2-3 Big Ten) triumphed 13-12 over the Buckeyes (6-8 overall, 1-4 Big Ten) in a game where they dominated the first three periods, then overcame a late scare to secure the win.
“It was just about the little things,” Michigan coach Kevin Conry said. “We come into our huddle at all points and just say, ‘hey, you know, it’s 15 one-minute games’, and you rely on the guys who are veterans and have been there before.”
And indeed, it was about the little things. The statistics showed just how close the two teams were in many areas — 36 shots for the Wolverines to 39 for Ohio State, 23 shots on goal apiece, and 42 ground ball pickups for Michigan versus 41 for the Buckeyes. But the difference in numbers wasn’t what made the difference — the performance of the Wolverines’ veterans did.
Junior attacker Ryan Cohen had a decisive performance, scoring three goals on four shots. One of these was the goal at the beginning of the fourth period that ended up being the game-winner. Senior attacker Michael Boehm had a two-goal performance of his own. Senior midfielder and captain Isaac Aronson, who usually does not dominate the scoresheet, stepped up as well, capping off his regular season with a hat trick of his own.
“This was a very, very physical game,” Conry said. “And he’s a guy that can match body for body with some of the short sticks, so he was able to get to pick spots, use his physicality and all that work that Jason Cole does with our group in the weight room paid off.”
Aronson leaned on his experience to implement that physicality to his game, fighting for picks and going in on ground balls. Just as Michigan has leaned on its seniors and graduates such as Boehm, Pederson, graduate attacker Justin Tiernan and graduate midfielder Christian Ronda all year to win games, it once again pulled through largely thanks to the efforts of its veterans — efforts that allowed them to race out to a 12-7 lead throughout three periods.
The veterans also helped the Wolverines excel in faceoffs Saturday. Senior faceoff option Justin Wietfeldt — one of the best faceoff takers in the country — led a unit that won 18 faceoffs to the Buckeyes’ 11. The faceoff unit has been important to Michigan’s offensive strategy all year long, and the same rang true against Ohio State.
“We were able to score most of our offense through the faceoff game,” Conry said. “And in the middle of the field. Our mission was to attack the middle of the field where we were riding and trying to score a faceoff.”
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. The fourth period marked a scare for the Wolverines, as the Buckeyes scored five unanswered goals, to nearly tie the game.
But ultimately, Michigan’s experience prevailed again, as it maintained its composure to defend the lead for the final few more minutes and come away with the win.
The statistics showed that there was very little separating the Wolverines and Ohio State, and the final score indicated that as well. But ultimately, it was Michigan’s veterans who stepped up with those “little things” to deliver the win.