As the final seconds ticked down, with his team down a goal, Gerald Logan was putting everything he had on the line.
The Michigan men’s lacrosse team’s redshirt sophomore goalie collided with a Drexel attacker behind the net, splitting his stick in two.
Play stopped with less than 30 seconds remaining as Logan sprinted to the sideline to replace the stick that helped him earn 13 saves on the day. The Wolverines were down a goal and needed to regain possession, get the ball downfield and score in that short period of time. Unfortunately for Michigan, the defense couldn’t accomplish even the first task, as the Dragons (3-5) scored an empty-net goal to defeat the Wolverines, 9-7.
Despite being unable to win possession back in the final minute, there was plenty for Logan and Michigan’s defense to be proud of from their narrow defeat.
The Wolverines (4-4) have responded to giving up 22 goals against Brown by holding their last two opponents to single-digit scores. The Michigan coaching staff has simplified the defensive scheme the past two weeks, helping the Wolverines rebound after the loss against the Bears.
“We’ve really been emphasizing finishing possessions and getting ground balls and stops to lead to offensive possessions,” said senior defender Mack Gembis. “We went back to our fundamentals and what we do well, and started executing better from there.”
Michigan showed particular improvement on ground balls Saturday. The Wolverines won the ground-ball count, 30-25, with Logan and Gembis combining for one-third of balls picked up. Recently, Michigan has performed well when picking up ground balls, winning every game in which it won the count. But on Saturday, the Wolverines were unable to get the job done.
Injuries have taken a toll on a shallow Michigan defensive unit, as junior Chris Walker and sophomore Andrew Hatton, both starting defenders, have been in and out of the Wolverines’ lineup in recent weeks. Sophomore defender Stefan Bergman has filled in for Walker and Hatton without skipping a beat.
“This week, we really stressed next man up,” Gembis said, “We practice hard every week preparing for games, and the guys who don’t play practice that way too. Players like Bergman and Walker have really stepped up and played great defense for us the past two weeks.”
On paper, it may seem like the Wolverine defense struggled throughout Saturday’s matchup. Michigan trailed Drexel in shots nearly the entire game, but it’s a statistic the team doesn’t mind.
“(Logan’s) been making the defense look even better,” said Michigan coach John Paul. “When we’re playing defense and we’re playing it well, we’re trying to force more shots that are easier for him to save, and our defense is doing a better job of that.”
Logan ranks fifth nationally in saves per game with an average of 13.25. Last week against St. Joseph’s, he made three critical saves in four overtime periods as Michigan went on to claim the victory. Against the Dragons, Logan’s heroics once again kept Michigan in the game until the very end.
“(Logan) bails us out all the time,” Gembis said. “He makes all the saves you expect him to and a bunch of saves you don’t. Logan’s a great safety valve and a huge part of our defense.”
With the Wolverines’ attack struggling in recent weeks, Michigan’s defense has stepped up to keep the team afloat. If the defense, led by Logan and Gembis, can stay as hot as they have been the past two weeks, heading into Big Ten play, the Wolverines could be a brick wall conference foes have a tough time tearing down.