Despite the efforts of senior midfielders Curran and Brent Noseworthy, who together contributed five of the Wolverines’ nine goals, Michigan (3-9 overall, 0-4 Big Ten) fell to Rutgers (7-6, 2-2) on Saturday in an intense, back-and-forth chess match for contention in the Big Ten Tournament.
In one season, the team that was once a cautionary tale on the difficulties of starting up a high-major lacrosse program from scratch has become a success story.
A matchup against the nation’s No. 1 team in Penn State (3-0 Big Ten, 10-1 overall), proved to be too much for the Wolverines (0-3, 3-8), as they dropped their seventh game in a row in a 17-7 defeat.
For the Michigan men's lacrosse team (3-8 overall, 0-3 Big Ten), the moment was the lone bright spot on an afternoon where offense was hard to come by. Penn State (10-1, 3-0) would score seven unanswered goals after Curran's goal en route to a 17-7 throttling of the Wolverines.
Sophomore attacker Caitlin Muir, positioned behind the goal, received a pass from sophomore midfielder Maggie Kane off the opening draw. She wrapped around and took a shot that found the back of the net, giving the No. 8 Michigan women’s lacrosse team (14-1 overall, 4-1 Big Ten) the lead over Rutgers (5-9, 0-4) just 17 seconds into the game en route to a 12-8 win on Saturday.
When the No. 7 Michigan women’s lacrosse team (3-1 Big Ten, 13-0 overall) left town, Maryland stood alone atop the conference. The Wolverines fell 14-3 to the second-ranked Terrapins (4-0, 14-0), dropping their first game of the season and snapping a 15-game winning streak dating back to last year’s campaign.
Unfortunately for the Michigan men's lacrosse team (3-7 overall, 0-2 Big Ten), the quick start was short-lived as No. 2 Maryland (9-2, 1-0) eventually kicked it into high gear en route to a 16-12 win.
Overcoming a two-quarter scoring drought is hard enough in any circumstance. Against one of the premier lacrosse programs in the NCAA, it’s nearly impossible.
The Michigan men’s lacrosse team (3-6 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) learned this lesson the hard way over the weekend when it faced No. 18 Johns Hopkins (4-4, 1-0). A 10-0 run by the Blue Jays spanning the second and third quarters proved too much to come back from for the Wolverines, who lost by a final score of 14-8.
While Garn himself gave up the goals, the Blue Jays’ frequent extra-man chances made it difficult for his defense to truly provide him with much support. Ultimately, in a game where Michigan struggled to remain at full strength, Garn did as well as could be reasonably expected.
When the No. 8 Michigan women’s lacrosse team (13-0 overall, 3-0 Big Ten) took the field on Saturday afternoon, not only was it putting its perfect record on the line –– it was seeking its first win in program history against No. 18 Johns Hopkins (8-3, 1-1). And led by an offensive outburst from sophomore attacker Caitlin Muir and sophomore midfielder Maggie Kane, the Wolverines powered their way to a 16-11 victory at U-M Lacrosse Stadium.