It was an emotional affair on Saturday afternoon for Marquette Lacrosse. as it played its first game since the deaths of players Noah Snyder and Scott Michaud, who passed in early September in a car accident.
The Golden Eagles (0-1) had to have had more on their minds than the game, which the No. 20 Michigan Wolverines (2-0) won, 14-7.
Early on, it was freshman attackman Luke Shannehan ripping a sidearm shot from the right wing for the opening score. Shannehan recorded an assist later on, and while it is still early, he looks like he could have a bright future at that left attack spot.
A couple minutes later, junior attackman Nick Roode made it 2-0 on a transition tally, the first of his five-goal outburst.
Senior goaltender Hunter Taylor was terrific all game — particularly early when he had to bail out his defense — but he was beaten by an outside shot during a man-down that cut Michigan’s lead in half. He finished with 12 saves on 19 shots and remains the heartbeat of the defense.
Junior midfielder CJ Reilly opened the second quarter with a bull dodge down the left wing and through Marquette’s collapsing defense before finishing inside. However, the Golden Eagles came back strong, getting a pair of goals from Carsen Brandt in just 35 seconds, each of which required stronger secondary slides.
Reilly returned to that spot the next time down the field, but rather than attacking the cage, he stung a low-angle, far-side high snipe to retake the lead, 4-3. Marquette would respond after causing the Wolverines to bite on a pump fake, hitting a post and getting the fortuitous rebound for the leveler.
That was about all Michigan allowed during this upset bid, going on a 10-1 run in about 23 minutes to put the game out of reach.
The main four long poles of Georgetown graduate transfer Will Tominovich, juniors Rowan Clay and Max Bonner and senior Ryan Lyngklip, along with help from this outstanding, veteran short-stick defensive midfield unit — led by senior Carson Billig, graduate Jack Welcsh and junior Jack Marlow — limited further scoring opportunities with a more tenacious on-ball approach and more responsible off-ball play.
Meanwhile, the offense found its groove as Roode added another pair, sophomore attackman Tommy Augustine scored on an extra-man opportunity from another Georgetown graduate transfer, midfielder Kade Goldberg, who had a goal and two assists.
Even with the major loss of Ryan Cohen due to graduation, this is still an enticing offensive group with traits familiar in a Kevin Conry-coached group, such as a deep array of midfielders, attackmen with complementing skillsets and plenty of athleticism.
Junior attackman Alex Gatto, who had a goal and two assists, was particularly effective dodging from up top, as the Wolverines will need all the creation help they can get. Senior attackman Bo Lockwood continued to be one of those trusted playmakers and chipped in two assists.
Junior attackman Jack Jenkins (two assists), senior midfielder John Morgan (one goal), junior attackman Alex Lobel and junior midfielder Matt Han will all remain in the mix, too.
At the faceoff X, freshman Tay Rodriguez impressed with a 10-of-16 performance and an assist on Marlow’s fourth-quarter score. Junior Jackie Weller spelled him, going 5-of-9.
Michigan should improve to 3-0 as it hosts Detroit Mercy on Tuesday. It is imperative it pick up as many wins as possible before entering a grueling Big Ten season.
