Facing a 3-0 deficit halfway through the first quarter, the No. 17 Michigan women’s lacrosse team had a surprising state of affairs to handle — especially given the unranked status of its first home opponent.
So when graduate attacker Kaley Thompson broke onto the scoreboard for the Wolverines less than a minute later, and junior midfielder Annabelle Burke scored just 12 seconds after that, it seemed that Michigan had woken up. The score soon reflected that narrative when sophomore midfielder Jill Smith nailed a free position shot on the next possession, re-engaging her top-scoring season start and tying the game.
But according to Michigan, the gameflow went according to plan from the jump.
“The first couple of possessions down we just had to intake information because it was Harvard’s first game, so there really wasn’t any scout on them,” junior defender Maddie Burns said. “I think it was just getting into those huddles and working through what they were doing and figuring out what we needed to do to stop them.”
Early-season jitters were undoubtedly present for the Wolverines (2-2 overall) on Sunday, but in terms of the game itself they remained firmly in the driver’s seat and cruised to a 17-10 win over the Crimson (0-1).
After Harvard’s early run, the eventful first quarter was played almost entirely on Michigan’s terms. The Wolverines won twice as many draws as the Crimson, and they forced turnovers every time they didn’t have possession during the quarter. On offense, Michigan drew four fouls and scored on all four free position attempts.
When that first period expired, the Wolverines led 6-3 and the pendulum had fully swung their way.
“I think on the offensive side, our gameplan was more to be in control,” Smith said. “So that we control how the game is gonna go and not let the other team control us.”
That grip on gameflow was somewhat lost by Michigan in the second quarter, though. Winning fewer draws and committing more fouls than the Crimson, the crucial edge it once claimed on set pieces had faded.
But the Wolverines’ three-goal lead grew to four despite three Harvard goals because they made more from less. Graduate midfielder Erin Garvey and sophomore midfielder Julia Schwabe turned fouls and turnovers on their own end into goals, and two out of the three draws the Wolverines controlled promptly found the back of the net thanks to Burke and Smith.
“It was just a little bit of not executing the basics,” Michigan coach Hannah Nielsen said. “It sounds cliché, but focusing on the fundamentals of catching, throwing, rushing on offense, really cracking down on our one-to-one defense and just doing the little things well. It did start to click, and I knew it wouldn’t require much more than that.”
By the second half, backup goalies stood in net for both teams and the action slowed. The theme, however, remained the same. Again, the Crimson had their fair share of possession and set pieces, reaching the Wolverines’ first-half scoring total by game’s end. Michigan executed more reliably, though, with all but one of the Wolverines’ goals originating from controlled draws or Harvard fouls.
Committing almost as many fouls on their own end and losing the shot battle, there’s no question that Michigan’s quest for control left plenty to be desired. The Wolverines just got on the scoreboard when they needed to most, and they lived to fight another day.
But if Michigan can execute the way it did in key moments for a full 60 minutes, they have the makings to be more dangerous down the stretch.