Ann Arbor, Mich. – Coming off their third-straight MCLA National Championship this past spring, the University of Michigan Men’s Lacrosse team will hold open try-outs beginning on Thursday, September 9^th at 6:30pm at Oosterbaan Fieldhouse.  Practices will continue throughout the following week on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at 6:30pm each night for those who continue to remain on the squad.  First cuts will occur after the initial try-out practice on September 9 and will continue throughout the following week.

Tryouts will be competitive.  Up to 40 potential “walk-ons” are expected to try out for 4 – 6 open spots.

Prospective players should contact Coach Paul at modo@umich.edu by Wednesday and must plan to be at the first session on Thursday.  Prospective players must bring a pen and all necessary equipment, along with a two-colored reversible jersey that is white on one side and dark on the other.  Players seeking assistance from the training staff before practice should arrive early.

Contact: Joe Hennessy – 734-276-8493 – jjhennes@umich.edu

Kohlitz was a faceoff specialist for the Wolverines between 2005-2008, and was a 1^st-Team All American in his final two years.  The 2008 MCLA Tournament MVP, Kohlitz compiled over a 70% faceoff win percentage over his career and set Michigan records for faceoff wins and ground balls.  In May of 2008 Kohlitz became the first MCLA player ever selected in the MLL (Major League Lacrosse) draft, and he spent that summer playing for the Washington Bayhawks.  Kohlitz will join the team in November for training camp before the start of the season.

According to John Paul, his former Head Coach at Michigan, Kohlitz will be a great compliment to the team, “We’re excited for Brekan.  He brings a lot to the table for an organization that is looking to win the possession battle, but more importantly the Stealth are gaining a great person who will give them everything he has.”

The NLL has thirteen teams playing in major markets throughout the United States and Canada.  Each team plays a 16-game schedule running from December to April followed by the Champion’s Cup playoffs in May.  The Stealth are coming off a 14-5 season in 2009-2010 and defeated the Toronto Rock by a score of 15-11 in late May to claim their the franchise’s first NLL Championship.  Set to begin their second season in the Pacific Northwest, the Seattle-based squad has been in existence since 1999 when they began operation in Albany, N.Y. as the Albany Attack before moving to San Jose and taking on the Stealth moniker from 2004-2009.

Kohlitz knows he has a challenge ahead, but is confident in his abilities, “Transitioning to the indoor game will be an adjustment but I am prepared for the change.  Ultimately, facing off is facing off, and GM Doug Locker has the utmost faith in my abilities which I plan on proving correct.  Also, having grown up in ice arenas all over Michigan, I am acclimated to the playing area and the physical play of the indoor game.”

Contact: Joe Hennessy – jjhennes@umich.edu – 734-276-8493

Denver, Colo. -

For the second year in a row, senior faceoff specialist David Reinhard (East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing) [LEFT], and juniors, attackman Trevor Yealy (Pittsburgh, Penn./Upper St. Claire) [RIGHT] and defenseman Harrison Freid (Needham, Mass./Needham) all earned first-team honors.  Yealy earned a second-team nod in 2008, while Fried was a member of the third team.  During the 2010 season, Yealy led the team in goals and total points with 77 tallies and two helpers.  Reinhard finished the season with a .693 win percentage on faceoffs and led the team with 148 groundballs.  Freid [LEFT] was third on the squad with 70 groundballs and was considered by many to be one of the best close defenders in the MCLA.

Two seniors, attackman Kevin Zorovich (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) and midfielder Anthony Hrusovsky (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) were awarded spots on the second team.  Zorovich was third on the team with 46 points (16g, 30a) and second in groundballs with 112.  He earned a third-team spot in 2009.  Hrusovsky added 14 goals and 13 assists in his final campaign.

Senior midfielder Jordan Kirshner (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron) and junior long-stick midfielder Matt Asperheim (East Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids) earned third-team honors, while junior goaltender Mark Stone (Greenwood Hills, Colo./Cherry Creek) was an honorable mention.  Kirshner set career highs in goals, assists and points in his senior season, posting 14-14-28 totals.  Asperheim was the Wolverines’ top LSM during the season and scored goals in both the semi’s and the finals in 2010.  Stone was Michigan’s number one for most of the season, and finished with a 8.04 G.A.A. and a .609 save percentage.

For all of your Michigan men’s lacrosse information over the summer, please visit mgobluelacrosse.com.

Contact: Joe Hennessy – jjhennes@umich.edu – 734-276-8493

Denver, Colo. – The #1 ranked University of Michigan men’s lacrosse team captured their third-straight MCLA National Championship on Saturday night (May 15) in dramatic style, winning 12-11 over #3 seed Arizona State in Denver, Colorado at Dick’s Sporting Good Park in a back-and-forth contest.  Leading by three goals with just over five minutes left in the match, the Maize and Blue held off a late rally from the Sun Devils en-route to the title victory.  With the championship victory, Michigan is the first team in MCLA history to three-peat.

ASU opened the scoring just 46 seconds into the contest on their first possession, but Michigan was able to answer shortly after as senior midfielder Svet Tintchev (Rockville, MD./Bullis) finished a feed from senior attackman Kevin Zorovich (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) to knot things up early on.

Michigan earned their first lead on a rebound goal from junior attackman Trevor Yealy (Pittsburgh, Penn./Upper St. Claire) as the third-year played plucked it out of mid-air and quickly fired for Michigan’s first lead of the game at the 12:02 mark of the first.

The Sun Devils evened things up just under a minute later on a low shot from the left wing, before ASU earned the lead at 5:21 on a dunk down low.

Michigan immediately answered with a faceoff win followed by a goal from senior midfielder Jamison Goldberg (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) [RIGHT] who took a pass from Zorovich right outside the crease and fired low to tie the game at 3-3 with 5:03 left in the first quarter.

ASU responded at 2:44 on a scramble in front, as junior Mark Stone (Greenwood Village, Colo./Cherry Creek) made back-to-back saves but couldn’t stop the third from just outside the crease.

The Wolverines had a great opportunity moments later on a quick-stick try down low from senior attackman Josh Ein (Potomac, MD./Rockville), but the shot hit the ASU netminder in the chest.  The Sun Devils increased their lead to two on their next possession on a hard shot from the far left wing.

U-M was able to earn possession right before the quarter-break and after a time-out to set up their offense, Tintchev dodged down the left wing and fired low to cut the ASU lead to 5-4 as the teams entered the second quarter.

After a long Michigan possession, the Wolverines eventually earned a one-minute man-up following a slashing at midfield five minutes into the period.  U-M was unable to capitalize but scored quickly after as freshman attackman Thomas Paras (Lakewood, Ohio/St. Ignatius) dodged from behind the cage and shot low to even things at 5-5 a minute later.

After possessions for both teams, Michigan was awarded another one-minute man-up in the ASU zone, but the Maize and Blue couldn’t find the back of the net despite three shots.

Michigan scored again shortly after the opportunity as Yealy picked up a rebound off a shot from senior midfielder Anthony Hrusovsky (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest), and fired behind the back as Michigan regained the one-goal lead with their third unanswered goal as Michigan entered the locker room with a one-goal lead.

ASU opened the scoring on their first possession of the second half, but the Wolverines quickly answered on a dodge and fire down the alley from Yealy as U-M led 7-6 early in the third quarter.

U-M increased their lead to 8-6 on a tally from Paras after the first-year player took a feed from senior midfielder David Rogers (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) [LEFT] and fired from just outside the crease.

ASU was able to answer just over a minute later on a two-man man-up opportunity after Stone made the initial save but the rebound shot right out and into the stick of an ASU attackman who quickly fired to cut the U-M lead to 8-7 midway through the third.

Senior attackman Clark McIntyre (Little Silver, N.J./Rumson – Fair Haven) helped Michigan regain the two-goal lead on a goal from just outside the crease after taking a feed from Rogers on the left wing with 5:12 left in the third quarter.  The teams traded possessions for the remainder of the third quarter as U-M took a 9-7 lead into the final frame.

Yealy got Michigan rolling early in the fourth following a nice feed from the right wing from Tintchev.  Yealy turned and quickly fired from just outside the crease as Michigan built their largest lead of the game at 10-7.

Michigan was nailed for an offsides call at 12:11 of the fourth, but the Wolverines man-down defense was up to the task, killing the penalty following a nice save from Stone and a solid clear attempt.  U-M was awarded a one-minute man-up shortly after, but was unable to capitalize.

Following Michigan’s man-up, ASU cut the lead to 10-8 at 9:24 on a dodge from the left wing followed by another tally at 8:13 as the Sun Devils cut the lead to the slimmest of margins.

Following another big save from Stone and a successful Michigan clear, junior long-stick midfielder Matt Asperheim (Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids) notched his second goal in two nights as he took a pass from Zorovich and cut down the middle before firing low for the goal.

The Maize and Blue added another shortly after on a hustle play as the Wolverines won the whistle and Ein fed McIntyre right out front.  McIntyre triple deked before finally firing high as U-M led by three with 5:45 left in the contest.

Trailing by three with time running out, ASU was awarded a one-minute man-up following an illegal body check in the Wolverine zone, followed by another one-minute penalty call on the Maize and Blue.  ASU scored late in the man-up opportunity, to cut the lead to two with two minutes left.

Michigan won ensuing faceoff, and looked to burn time, but eventually turned it over to give the Sun Devils another opportunity with under a minute left.  ASU was able to find the back of the net, but with only eight seconds left in the contest.  U-M won the ensuing faceoff and tried to air it out, but the ball went out of bounds near midfield giving Arizona State one last chance with 1.5 seconds left.  The Sun Devils fired on cage with a number of players in front, but the shot went wide and the Wolverines rushed the field in celebration.

Statistically, Michigan won every category.  The Wolverines outshot the Sun Devils 55-30, and scooped up 49 groundballs compared to 23 by Arizona State.  U-M was 17 of 26 on faceoffs, and cleared the ball at an amazing rate of 15 for 16 while holding ASU to 15-23 on their clears.  The Sun Devils scored twice on three man-up attempts while U-M failed to score on three attempts.

For all of your Michigan Lacrosse information over the summer months, please visit mgobluelacrosse.com.

● Yealy led all scorers with three four points on four goals.

● Six different Wolverines scored.

● Junior Mark Stone (Greenwood Village, Colo./Cherry Creek) finished with 11 saves and 11 goals against.

● Reinhard [RIGHT] finished 17-26 at the “X”.

● Zorovich paced the team with nine groundballs.

● Michigan improves to 6-1 all-time vs. the Sun Devils.

● Both the semifinals and finals were televised live on Fox College Sports.

● The 2010 All-Americans were announced during half-time and Michigan was well represented.  Yealy, Reinhard, and Freid were all named first-team All Americans.  Zorovich and Hrusovsky were named to the second team.  Asperheim and Kirshner were named to the third team, and Stone earned honorable mention.

Head Coach John Paul

On his general impressions: “Obviously a great championship game.  This was indicative of how we had to play against good teams this year.  We had to scratch and claw a lot this season and nothing has coming easy, or perhaps as easy as did the past two years.  The strength of this team is that we’ve been able to survive those kind of games.  When we have to come back, or another team is coming back on us, we’ve been able to close things out. We’ve been able to do it all season.  The key to the game was not giving up transition.  I think it ended up the kind of game we hoped it could be, but I thought with our game plan we could have opened it up a bit more.  But to their credit, they didn’t let us.”

On the play of the defense: “A lot of credit to our defense the past two nights.  I don’t know if this unit every really played at the level we’re capable of playing, but they did well enough and we did a nice job against teams that rely on their top players.  Arizona State puts a lot of pressure on you.  They can attack from both the attack and the midfield.  Tonight they, along with Stone did enough to win.”

On the scoring: “We’re not doing everything through one or two people. We think with our system that every player on the field will get opportunities and we hope they will capitalize on them.  It’s both the depth and the system.  You can certainly try to stop one or two guys against us, but typically that doesn’t work out too well because other guys will just step up.”

On the player losses: “We lose guys every year obviously but we certainly lose some key guys this year, and from almost every position.  Toughest one for us to replace is going to be Reinhard because how important that position is to us.  But we’re confident with the group we have coming back and how we’re developing them and with the kids we have coming in next year in terms of freshman and some possible transfers.”

On the three-peat: “After we won it in 2008, I thought nothing was going to stop us in 2009 because of the type of team we had coming back.  I thought we were just simply better than everyone else besides maybe Chapman, who I thought was probably even. But this year we had some holes and we had some things that never quite got to the level of the year before.  There were some things that contributed to the fact that we had to bite and claw for what we earned this year.  That’s why I’m so proud of this team.  They faced a lot of adversity this year.  Maybe it wasn’t in your face adversity, maybe it was a bit more subtle, but in the end they got it done.  I think we’ve built the kind of culture here that the guys go into every game no doubt expecting to win.”

On the program itself: “There is a lot of excitement about our program right now on campus and in the community.  There is a lot of opportunity right now and we want to take full advantage of that.  If Michigan decides this should be a Division I program in the near future, I think that’s the logical next step.  Some of that still needs to be decided, but regardless of what happens we’re not going to slow down with what we do.  We’re breaking ground on our new building this summer and we’re continuing to recruit hard and hopefully bringing in another assistant coach next year.  We’ve got some things that we think can take us even further whether we’re varsity or not.”

Contact: Joe Hennessy – jjhennes@umich.edu – 734-276-8493

Denver, Colo. –

http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/mcla-d-i-and-d-ii-national-championships

Denver, Colo.

Chapman opened the scoring on the left wing just 59 seconds in the contest, but the Wolverines answered the next time down on the man-up as senior midfielder Jordan Kirshner (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron) found senior attackman Kevin Zorovich (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) parked just outside the crease as Michigan tied the game at 1-1 at the 11:03 mark of the first.

Senior midfielder Svet Tintchev (Rockville, Md./Bullis) [RIGHT] gave the Maize and Blue their first lead of the game on a dodge down the left wing followed by a hard shot to the far-side post.  Michigan earned another man-up opportunity at 5:47 of the first on a trip down low, but U-M was unable to capitalize.

Under four minutes later Tintchev scored his second of the game on nearly the exact same goal as his previous tally, racing in down the left side before shooting high against the grain for the 3-1 Michigan lead with 4:33 left in the first.

The Maize and Blue made it 4-1 on a nice feed from freshman midfielder Joe Hrusovksy (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) who found senior attackman Clark McIntyre (Little Silver, N.J./Rumson – Fair Haven) [LEFT] parked right out front for a quick-stick tally as U-M led by three after one quarter of play.

U-M earned a one-minute man up on another tripping call at midfield early in the second quarter, but it was Chapman that made the most of it following a Michigan turnover as the Panthers raced down field on the man-down and scored to cut the lead to 4-2.

Chapman notched another man-down goal immediately following the faceoff, followed by a brief delay as a segment of the light banks shut off.

Following the break, Michigan got rolling again as freshman attackman Thomas Paras (Lakewood, Ohio./St. Ignatius) responded for the Wolverines with a dodge from the left GLE.  Senior midfielder David Rogers (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) [RIGHT] rebuilt the three-goal U-M lead on a dodge and fire down the right wing at the 7:52 mark of the second.

Chapman responded on their next opportunity on another transition goal right out front led by a Panther long-pole.  Rogers responded for Michigan dodging in on the left side before cutting in and diving in front of the cage and firing back-hand for the three-goal lead late in the first half.  Michigan possessed the ball for the remainder of the first half, but Rogers was nailed for a one-minute un-sportsmanlike conduct call for shooting the ball after the half-time whistle.

Following the half-time break, the Panthers were able to capitalize 26 seconds in on the man-up, but the Wolverines were able to kill the remainder of the penalty following a faceoff win from senior faceoff specialist David Reinhard (East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing). [LEFT]

Michigan earned a 30-second man-up of their own shortly after, but was unable to capitalize.  U-M was able to find the back of the net moments later however on a dodge from behind the cage from senior midfielder Anthony Hrusovsky (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) as the Maize and Blue regained the three-goal lead early in the second half

Joe Hrusovsky put in his lone goal of the game at 6:56 on a dodge from the left GLE as Michigan built their largest lead of the game at 9-5.  Junior long-stick midfielder Matt Asperheim (Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids) increased the Wolverine lead to five as the third-year player dodged from behind the cage, maintained possession and fired low for the goal with exactly four minutes left in the third.

The Panthers clawed within four with 1:26 left in the third quarter on a transition goal as the Maize and Blue were late getting back into the play as Michigan led 10-6 headed into the final frame.

CU opened the scoring at 13:55 of the fourth quarter to cut the lead to three, before scoring on the man-up on a quick-stick goal at 10:37 as Michigan clung to the two-goal lead.

Zorovich [RIGHT] helped the Wolverines regain the three-goal lead on a hard rip that snuck just inside the right elbow after taking a feed from Anthony Hrusovsky with 8:46 left in the contest.

Chapman was awarded another man-up opportunity under a minute later but the Maize and Blue were up to the task, killing the penalty and earning possession in the Panther zone soon after with the sole motive of burning clock.

CU eventually earned possession at the six-minute mark but the Wolverine defense was up to the task again as U-M regained possession and raced down field to set up their offense.  After a lengthy possession, McIntyre added his second of the game as U-M regained the four-goal lead.

Chapman quickly answered however at 2:15 on a dodge from behind the cage before regaining possession following the faceoff with under two minutes left in the game.

With 1:19 left, the Panthers were awarded yet another one-minute man-up chance on an elbow call, and CU was able to capitalize with 37 seconds left in the game.

Michigan won the ensuing faceoff, but quickly turned the ball over giving Chapman the ball with 16.7 seconds left and down by two.

The Maize and Blue defense was up to the task in the final seconds, thwarting a dodge from the left GLE as time expired as the Wolverines moved one step further to capturing their third straight title.

Statistically, it was a mixed bag for U-M.  The Wolverines were outshot by the Panthers 44-37, but scooped up 52 groundballs compared to 36 by Chapman.  U-M was 14 of 25 on faceoffs, and cleared the ball at a rate of 16 for 23 while holding CU to under 50% on their clears with 9-19 totals.  The Panthers scored three times on four man-up attempts while U-M capitalized once out of four tries.

The Wolverines will be back in action on Saturday (May 15) when they take on #3 Arizona State at 6:30pm MST in the National Championship game in the confines of Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.  For all of your Michigan Lacrosse information please visit mgobluelacrosse.com.

● Rogers led all scorers with three points on two goals and an assist.

● Four Wolverines scored at least two goals and eight total players found the back of the net as Yealy failed to register a goal for the first time this season.

● Junior Mark Stone (Greenwood Village, Colo./Cherry Creek) [RIGHT] finished with 15 saves and 10 goals against.

● Reinhard finished 14-25 at the “X”.

● Reinhard also paced the team with eight groundballs.

● Michigan improves to 4-0 all-time vs. the Panthers.

● This was only the fourth time this season Michigan was outshot, but the second time in two games.

● Senior defenseman Zach Mueller (Arlington, VA./Sidwell Friends) finished with a career high six groundballs.  His previous high was four.

Head Coach John Paul

On his general impressions: “When you play a team like this there are a lot of things you need to do well to win.  We did a lot of those things well, especially the way we came out in the first quarter.  I’m not sure we’ve come out that strong all season long against a great team and today we did.  That set the tone for the game and gave us confidence.  We felt like we dominated play today.  We rode well and out-groundballed them by a good margin.  You have to give our guys credit for answering them whenever they got on run.  We got through a mediocre second quarter and got the goals we needed down the stretch.”

On the defense: “I thought the defense played great, especially Freid and Mueller. They were both facing off against their two best players.  We wanted to limit 99 today and we put Harry on an island and didn’t slide to him.  I’m not sure there is another team in the league that isn’t sliding to that guy.  Until he got a couple late, I thought Harry did an outstanding job tonight.  We got what we needed out of the other guys and Stone played solid.”

On the offense: “I think the middies did a great job of controlling the pace today.  We got some good play out of our attack but the midfielders did a nice job of slowing things down and being patient and letting the game come to them.  This is a great example of one of those games where teams try to shutdown Trevor with a long-stick, but we don’t really care because we have so many guys who can get it done.  When we’re getting goals from a LSM and getting plays made from our defensive middies, we don’t need him to make every play.”

On the quick turnaround: “Real quick turnaround tonight.  Arizona State is a very similar team to Chapman.  They are very dangerous in the transition and I think they are a bit underrated defensively.  They put a ton of pressure on you because of the number of quality players they have up front and through the midfield.  What we have to do is very similar to this game.  We need to control possession again and I think the team that does a better job of that will win.”

On the first matchup: “It was a great win for us on the road in a game that we didn’t feel like we played our best.  I think we all felt that we dominated them in the first quarter, but they are so dangerous.  We can’t leave any plays on the field.  They are in the Championship game for a reason.  They beat this Chapman team to earn the seed they got and they deserve it.  We’re excited for what should be a great game tomorrow.”

Contact: Joe Hennessy – jjhennes@umich.edu – 734-276-8493

Denver, Colo.

BYU opened the scoring just 16 seconds in following a Wolverine turnover, but the Wolverines answered immediately as junior attackman Trevor Yealy (Pittsburgh, Penn./Upper St. Claire) took a feed from senior midfielder David Rogers (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) and finished to knot the game at 1-1 early on.

The back and forth action continued as BYU scored at 13:01 to regain the one-goal lead.  Trailing by a goal, junior goaltender Mark Stone (Greenwood Hills, Colo./Cherry Creek) came up with two big saves to keep the BYU lead to one goal early in the first.

Freshman attackman Thomas Paras (Lakewood, Ohio/St. Ignatius) knotted the game up at 2-2 at 10:07 on an unassisted tally before senior faceoff specialist David Reinhard (East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing) won the ensuing faceoff, raced in and fired for Michigan’s first lead of the game.

BYU tied the game at 3-3 on a dodge down the left wing, before the Wolverines killed off a one-minute slashing call, followed by senior midfielder Anthony Hrusovsky’s (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) lone goal of the game as U-M regained the one-goal lead with 3:10 left in the first quarter.  Neither team found the back of the net during the remainder of the period as Michigan took a 4-3 lead into the second.

U-M opened the scoring early in the second, as Reinhard won the first faceoff, dished it to Paras who found senior attackman Josh Ein (Potomac, MD./Bullis) on the close right wing for the two-goal lead.

After multiple possessions for both squads, the Cougars closed the gap to one following a Michigan turnover on a clear attempt.  Paras helped the Maize and Blue rebuild their two-goal lead over two minutes later on a dodge from behind the cage as U-M led 6-4 with just over five minutes left in the half.  BYU immediately answered however at 4:41 to once again cut the lead to one.

Yealy netted his second of the game just seven seconds later following the ensuing faceoff as U-M quickly extended the lead to two again.  Yealy banged home another on a dodge from behind the cage as Michigan built their largest lead of the game at that point at 8-5 with 3:29 left in the second.

Paras extended the lead to 9-5 on a quick dodge down the left wing followed by a shot against the grain as the Maize and Blue led by four at the half.

BYU scored immediately after the opening faceoff in the third-quarter, followed by another tally at 13:08 on a transition tally to cut the lead to 9-7.

Michigan regained the three-goal lead on Yealy’s fourth of the game as he cut back-side and took a feed from Paras before firing quickly.  Yealy added his fifth on a nice goal from just outside the crease, taking a low pass from Rogers and finishing as the Wolverines regained the four-goal lead.

After possessions for both squads, BYU cut the lead to 11-8 on a transition goal to close out the third-quarter scoring.

BYU opened the scoring in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to two at the 11:10 mark followed by a thirty-second man-up opportunity that the Cougars were able to capitalize on to trim the lead to 11-10 with over 10 minutes left in the final frame.

Senior midfielder Jordan Kirshner (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron) got the momentum back in the Wolverines’ favor, scoring from the top of the box following a nice fake-shot that cleared space.  Michigan earned a one-minute man-up opportunity shortly after and Yealy finished a feed from Kirshner from just eight yards out as U-M rebuilt their three-goal lead with 7:19 left.

Paras added his fourth and final tally of the game at 5:19 on an unassisted tally from seven yards out as the Wolverines created a four-goal cushion late in the game.  BYU wouldn’t pack it in however, scoring on a dodge from behind the cage with 3:22 left to cut the U-M lead to three.  Yealy quickly responded however on a dodge from the right GLE as the Maize and Blue regained the four-goal lead.

Senior attackman Clark McIntyre (Little Silver, N.J./Rumson – Fair Haven) closed out the scoring on a nice dodge followed by a ringer off the post to give Michigan a dominating five-goal with just a minute left.

Statistically, it was an evenly played game besides total shots.  The Wolverines were outshot by the Cougars 56-37, but scooped up 47 groundballs compared to 45 by BYU.  U-M was 16 of 31 on faceoffs, and cleared the ball at a rate of 19 for 28 while Brigham Young cleared the ball successfully 12 times in 18 attempts.  BYU scored once on three man-up attempts while the Wolverines finished 1-2.

The Wolverines will be back in action on Friday (May 14) when they play their semifinal matchup against #4 Chapman at 7:30pm MST in the confines of Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.  For all of your Michigan Lacrosse information please visit mgobluelacrosse.com.

● Yealy paced the team with seven points on seven goals.

● Seven different Wolverines registered goals in the game.

● The Wolverines platooned their goaltenders in the game, with Stone starting the game and playing a half, finishing with 11 saves and five goals against.  Fellow junior Andrew Fowler (Grosse Pointe, Mich./Hotchkiss CT) played the second half and allowed six shots while registering three saves.

● Senior faceoff specialist David Reinhard had one of his more difficult nights at the “X”, winning just over 50% with 16 wins in 31 opportunities.

● Reinhard did pace the team with eight groundballs.

● Michigan improves to 7-10 vs. BYU and has one the last five contests vs. the Cougars.

● This was only the third time this season Michigan was outshot.

● Junior defenseman Harrison Freid (Needham, Mass./Needham) tied a career high and set a season high with seven groundballs.

Head Coach John Paul

On his general impressions: “We knew this was going to be a pretty tough draw for a quarterfinal game.  We have a lot of respect for BYU, their program, and how they operate.  We also know that they knew how to win come tournament time so it was a tough matchup.   We didn’t take this game lightly at all, and we put a lot of effort and time into the preparation.  As it went, we had to put a lot of effort into winning it.”

On the early portion of the game: “I don’t know what it is, but it seems like there have been times this year where it takes our offense a little time to get going.  Thankfully the offense got clicking right away and I thought they were outstanding the entire game.  We were getting the looks we wanted early on, and I think the first half was about us weathering the storm.  The offense was able to answer every time they were able to score and I thought that was the story of the game.”

On Yealy: “I never really expect him to get that many good looks because everyone has to key on him one way or another, but when our offense is moving the ball the way they did today, and you have multiple guys that are threats, it can make things really difficult for teams.  We were getting good looks and I think we had so many guys putting pressure on their defense that it really opened up some things for Yealy.”

On the timely goals: “We seemed to be able to answer every time they kept getting after us.  They continued to put pressure on us all game, but every time we were able to answer and that’s a testament to the offense today.  The defense also stepped up and made plays when they had to make plays.  Once they buckled down and started to play smart we were able to get the ball back into our offenses’ hands and get after it again.”

On the well-played aspect of the game: “I thought a lot of the turnovers tonight were forced turnovers and for the most part it was a pretty sharp game between two solid teams.  There weren’t a lot of throw-aways and that’s a sign of two good teams playing near their potential.”

On facing off vs. Chapman again: “We really consider them the other premier program in the MCLA and it’s a shame to see them in the semi-final.  But it is what it is.  We love playing them, and I’m sure they love to play us because you want that kind of challenge and those are the games you really get up for.”

Contact: Joe Hennessy – jjhennes@umich.edu – 734-276-8493

Denver, Colo. –

http://www.collegelax.us/game.php?game=10020

Ann Arbor, Mich.

Michigan opened the scoring on a drive down the left wing from senior midfielder Svet Tintchev (Rockville, Md./Bullis) followed by a dodge from behind the cage from freshman attackman Thomas Paras (Lakewood, Ohio/St. Ignatius).  Tintchev made it 3-0 early on with another dodge and fire down the left wing before senior attackman Clark McIntyre (Little Silver, N.J./Rumson – Fair Haven) increased the lead to 4-0 on a dodge from the left GLE at 7:14 of the first.

Senior attackman Josh Ein (Potomac, Md./Bullis) notched his first of the game on the man-up on a hard shot through a screen with 3:11 left in the first as Michigan took a 5-0 lead into the second quarter.

Texas State got on the board first in the second quarter on a tough-angle shot from the far left wing.  TXST earned another solid opportunity not long after on the man-up, but junior goaltender Andrew Fowler (Grosse Pointe, Mich./Hotchkiss CT) came up big on a one-on-one stop.

Senior midfielder Jamison Goldberg (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) got Michigan rolling again on a dodge on the left wing followed by a hard, bouncing shot for the 6-1 lead late in the second.  Tintchev added his third of the game with 2:14 left before Texas State answered immediately after on a broken ride that resulted in a wide-open net for the Bobcats.

The Wolverines responded on the ensuing faceoff as senior faceoff specialist David Reinhard (East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing) took the ball down the field before hitting Ein for his second of the game.  Paras added his second moments later on a dodge from the left GLE before muscling his way into the middle and the goal.  Paras continued his solid play with just five seconds left in the first half, taking a feed on the transition from junior defenseman Harrison Freid (Needham, Mass./Needham) and finishing as Michigan headed into the half-time break with a 10-2 lead.

Freid and Paras hooked up again right after the break, but this time it was Paras finding the third-year defender for his second goal of the season.  Junior attackman Trevor Yealy (Pittsburgh, Penn./Upper St. Claire) notched his first of the game five minutes later on the man-up before McIntyre tallied his second of the game on an assist from behind the cage from Paras at 4:26 of the third.

Following Texas State’s third and final goal, Yealy added his second before freshman midfielder Willie Steenland (Minneapolis, MN./The Blake School) scored the third goal of his freshman campaign.

Two defensive midfielders, sophomore Brent Kirshner (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron) and senior Michael Bartomioli (Pleasantville, N.Y./Pleasantville – Providence) got in on the action to open the fourth quarter with a goal apiece before Ein and Goldberg wrapped up the scoring as the Wolverines walked away with the decisive victory.

Statistically, Michigan dominated every category.  The Wolverines outshot the Bobcats 55-27, and scooped up 69 groundballs compared to 35 by TXST.  U-M was 20 of 26 on faceoffs, and cleared the ball at a rate of 23 for 24 while Texas State cleared the ball successfully 13 times in 32 attempts due to the relentless Michigan ride.  The Maize and Blue held the Bobcats scoreless on two man-up attempts while going 2-4 themselves.

The Wolverines will be back in action on Thursday when they play their quarter-final matchup against the winner of #8 Brigham Young and #9 Michigan State.  Inclement weather postponed that opening-round matchup until Wednesday (May 12), which bounced the Wolverines’ quarter-final game to Thursday either at 4:00pm or 7:00pm.  For all of your Michigan Lacrosse information please visit mgobluelacrosse.com.

● Ein paced the team in total points with three goals and three assists.

● 11 different Wolverines registered goals in the game.

● Tintchev set a career-high with three goals in the game for his first career hat trick. His previous high was two, recorded multiple times.

● Freid tied a career high with his two-point effort.  He notched two assists vs. Michigan State in 2008 (April 19).

● Senior faceoff specialist David Reinhard was dominant at the “X”, winning 16 of 21 faceoffs.  His backup, sophomore Ed Ernst (Washington, D.C./Sidwell Friends) was just as impressive, winning 4 of 5.

● Reinhard also paced the team with 13 groundballs.

● Andrew Fowler played the first half and recorded five saves with two goals against, while fellow junior Mark Stone (Greenwood Village, Colo./Cherry Creek) stopped 11 shots with only one goal against.

● Every healthy and active Wolverine saw action.

● This was the first matchup between the two teams.

Head Coach John Paul

On his general impressions: “We just wanted to start fast today and come out with energy.  The weather was kind of pleasant for the first half and I think initially we expected it to be worse.  We had a great first quarter and controlled play.  Other than a little lapse in the second quarter, I think we sustained that the whole game.  I think we had some defensive breakdowns that continue to haunt us this year that I want to see us clean that up.  Most of that has to do with communication.  We wanted to establish the things we do well in terms of riding and groundballs, and I think we did that.”

On the scoring: “We’ve never really been focused on getting the ball to Yealy.  We just try to run our offense, and he’s an opportunist. When he gets a chance, he finishes.  Our offense is meant to spread it around and we also want to see some scoring chances on the transition and that is going to lead to some goals for defenders.  That’s what we want to see.  We want a lot of guys to get opportunities and that is what happened today.”

On the goalies: “We go through his week with two great goalies and we just want to have the right goalie in at the right time to give us the best opportunity to win that game.  We’re focused on the quarters and there are some things that BYU and Michigan State do that might result in Fowler doing a little bit better of a job for us, but after that it’s wide open again.  Regardless, we’ve been in this situation for two years now and we have total confidence in both goalies.”

On the upcoming game: “It’s a much tougher road for us this year, than in years previous.  No matter who we play in the quarters, both teams are very good.  We knew that going in though and I think we’ve prepared ourselves well. We will do everything we can to be ready, and I am confident the team is mentally ready for the challenge at hand.  I don’t think it matters at this point in the season though who we play.  It’s just about winning four games, and at this point, you expect to be playing some pretty good teams.”

Contact: Joe Hennessy – jjhennes@umich.edu – 734-276-8493

Ann Arbor, Mich. – The University of Michigan men’s lacrosse team earned the top-seed in the upcoming MCLA National Championship Tournament between May 11-15 in Denver, Colo. at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.  With the top seed, the Maize and Blue will take on #16 Texas State in opening round action, and with a win, will take on the winner of #8 Brigham Young vs. #9 Michigan State.

Texas State enters the contest with an overall record of 12-3, to go along with a 4-1 record in the Lone Star Alliance.  After losing an early April game vs. Texas, the Bobcats won their last regular season game before securing the LSA Conference Championship with three consecutive wins, including a 12-10 decision over the Longhorns in the conference finals.  TSU is led by senior attackman Matthew Malcom who has tallied 47 goals and 24 assists through 15 games.

The Wolverines earned the top spot with a 14-1 record, with wins over nine ranked opponents.  After years of struggling to advance past the quarterfinals, and one semi-final appearance, U-M has won the last two MCLA National Championships, defeating the #4 seed Chapman in both finals. The Wolverines put together back-to-back perfect seasons in 2008 and 2009, going 20-0 in each campaign.  U-M opened 2010 with nine more straight wins before losing to Colorado in Boulder in mid-April.

Michigan’s side of the bracket features four opponents that the Maize and Blue have already seen in 2010, #5 Brigham Young, #8 Brigham Young, and #9 Michigan State.  U-M defeated each of those squads, including two wins over Michigan State.  #4 Chapman also resides on Michigan’s side of the bracket.

For a complete bracket, please visit mcla.us and for all of your Michigan Men’s Lacrosse information, please visit mgobluelacrosse.com.

Contact: Joe Hennessy – jjhennes@umich.edu – 734-276-8493