With 11:17 left in the first quarter Saturday, the Michigan men’s lacrosse team faced a 1-0 deficit after Lafayette’s Eric Jospeh scored the first goal of the game.
What ensued next, however, would lay the foundation for a blowout victory and just the second 2-0 start in the Wolverines’ young history.
Michigan would net six consecutive goals to finish out the first quarter, a scoring barrage that started with 9:10 minutes left in the frame. Lafayette would never lead again, and would struggle to keep pace with the Wolverines for the remainder of the game.
“We gave up the first goal the other day too, in our first game of the year,” said Michigan coach John Paul. “The first goal doesn’t matter so much. We’re more focused on closing out quarters, and that’s something I thought we did a pretty good job of today.”
The 6-0 run — over an eight-minute span — was Michigan’s most dominant stretch of action Saturday. The final four goals of the quarter were scored between the 3:18 and 1:03 minute marks, showing the Wolverines have the potential to score in a hurry with a cluster of goals.
“(The first quarter) really put us in a more comfortable position, knowing what we had to do for the rest of the game,” Paul said.
Senior attacker Ian King led the scoring outburst, tying the game, 1-1, with his first goal of the season. King would add two more soon thereafter, ending the first quarter with a hat trick. Rounding out the scoring stretch was a trio of goals scored by senior midfielder Mikie Schlosser, junior attacker Pat Tracy and sophomore attacker Rocco Sutherland.
“(King) was hurt all week. He actually didn’t practice all week,” Paul said. “We weren’t even sure we were going to have him today so (it’s) great to see that he could have that kind of performance coming off a week with no practice.
“I know he’s a little bit upset that he didn’t shoot very well last week. So it was important for him to get his shot going early, and he did.”
After giving up the opening goal, sophomore goalie Tommy Heidt held steady, as Michigan went on its run of unanswered goals to take the pressure off the defense. The goal-scoring spree ensured that Heidt would have a comfortable lead to work with going into the second quarter, and eventually, the second half.
“Our offense was feeling it today,” Heidt said. “They were putting up a bunch of points. Having Rocco, Brent (Noseworthy), and Ian down on attack makes our jobs much easier on defense. Knowing that they’re going to be able to put the ball in the net is great to know when you’re playing on defense.”
Being able to score in bunches in short intervals of time could become a game-changing facet to Michigan’s identity. And if Saturday’s scoring avalanche is indicative of what’s to come, the Wolverines will have a potent offense to shoulder the load as the season wears on.