The king has returned to his throne.
After missing the previous four games due to a lower-body injury, sophomore attacker Ian King returned to the starting lineup for the Michigan men’s lacrosse team Sunday.
Picking up where he left off, King scored four goals against Rutgers (0-2 Big Ten, 4-8 overall) in his first game since March 3 and sparked the Wolverines (1-1, 5-5) in their 10-8 victory.
In the past few weeks, Michigan’s offense has struggled to match King’s production. Before he was sidelined for four games, King led all Michigan scorers with 12 goals and 10 assists through five games.
Since the attacker’s last appearance in a loss against Jacksonville, the Wolverines have scored an average of 7.75 goals per game, while struggling to finish off their scoring chances, converting on just 24 percent of shots taken.
Inconsistency has plagued the Michigan attack the most over the past four games. The Wolverines lacked a go-to scorer, and were happy to welcome back the attacker who owns several program scoring records.
“(King) adds such stability to our offense,” said Michigan coach John Paul. “He’s a consistent, constant presence for us offensively that we know is going to be able to put a lot of pressure on a defense. We’ve had guys step up into that role game by game, but (King) does it consistently.”
With King at the center of the Wolverines’ offense, Michigan scored in double digits for the first time since March 8 against Brown. The offense outshot an opponent for the first time in six games, and, in a six-goal third quarter, the unit put together one of its best 15-minute periods of the season.
“Ultimately, we just knew it would help to have (King) back,” Paul said. “If that’s two goals or six goals or other guys are scoring goals because he’s in, it doesn’t really matter. We just know we’re a better offense with (King) in there.”
To make up for King’s absence in recent weeks, the Wolverines took a team approach to make up for his contributions. While attackers senior Mike Francia and junior Peter Kraus directly filled King’s role, it has been Michigan’s midfield that benefited most in the past few games.
In particular, junior midfielder Kyle Jackson has driven the Wolverines’ attack the past two games. Of the 14 goals Michigan scored against Maryland and Rutgers, Jackson was involved in six, and his reliability was essential in keeping the offense afloat while King was out.
Against the Scarlet Knights, though, Jackson benefited from defenders needing to pay attention to the dangerous King, opening up even more scoring opportunities for Jackson and other Wolverine attackers.
Jackson took advantage of open spaces created by King’s presence and tallied three goals.
“With King being back in the lineup, guys are a little more focused on him,” Jackson said. “They’re definitely cognizant that he’s on the field, and that opens it up for everyone else.”
For King, Sunday’s four-goal performance won’t be remembered for what he did on the field, but instead, for just being able to join his teammates again.
After waiting weeks to suit up, King felt relief more than anything when he took to the Michigan Stadium turf and reclaimed his scoring crown.
“Watching these guys compete for four weeks was tough,” King said. “Being the one who’s made a difference and watching your friends play, it’s tough. It’s just awesome (being back), it’s something I dreamed of every day.”