Q2 Surge Powers #1 Wolverines over #9 Spartans

East Grand Rapids, Mich. – The #1 ranked University of Michigan men's lacrosse team wrapped up their regular season on Saturday night (April 24) in East Grand Rapids, Michigan at East Grand Rapids High School, defeating #9 Michigan State by a score of 11-8 in the annual Great Lakes Lacrosse Classic.

With the game tied at 3-3 after 15 minutes, the Maize and Blue put together a 6-2 second quarter and amped up the ride in the second half to earn a first-round bye in next weekend's Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association conference tournament.

Michigan State opened up with back-to-back goals from just outside the crease to forge an early 2-0 lead just five minutes into the first quarter. The Wolverines responded at 9:09 as senior defenseman Zach Mueller (Arlington, VA./Sidwell Friends) fed junior attackman Trevor Yealy (Pittsburgh, Penn./Upper St. Claire) on the transition following a successful Wolverine ride.

Michigan put home another transition goal just over two minutes later as senior midfielder Jordan Kirshner (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron) put home a high to low shot after dodging across the face of the goal.

Tied 2-2 with time running out in the first quarter, State put together their own transition tally, finished up with a blast from the right wing as MSU took a 3-2 lead. U-M responded immediately on a nice feed from senior midfielder Anthony Hrusovsky (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest), who delivered a perfect pass to fellow senior midfielder Svet Tintchev (Rockville, Md./Bullis) who quickly turned and fired from 10 yards straight out to knot the game up at 3-3 as the teams entered the second quarter.

The teams traded possessions for the first five minutes of the second quarter before State buried another transition chance at 9:12. The Maize and Blue responded immediately however, as senior faceoff specialist David Reinhard (East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing) won the ensuing faceoff and fed Yealy right out front to tie the game at 4-4 just five seconds later.

MSU regained the lead at 7:26, but once again, the Wolverines were quick to answer, as freshman attackman Thomas Paras (Lakewood, Ohio./St. Ignatius) stripped the ball from a Spartan defender on the ride before Yealy came in to scoop up the loose ball. The third-year player cut in and fired high for his third of the game.

Michigan earned their first lead of the game 1:37 later, as Tintchev fed senior attackman Josh Ein (Potomac, Md./Bullis) right out front for the 5-4 lead as Ein dipped and dunked for his first of the game. Senior midfielder David Rogers (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) increased Michigan's lead to 7-5, dodging in and firing from the right GLE, only to get illegally checked into the crease following the goal. Ein added his second on the ensuing man-up, firing a low to high side-arm shot from the right wing that snuck just inside the far-side elbow.

Yealy put home his fourth with just :17 left in the first half, taking a feed from senior midfielder Michel Bartomioli (Pleasantville, N.Y./Pleasantville - Providence) right outside the crease before tossing three fakes on the Spartan net-minder. With the late tally, Michigan took a 9-5 lead into the half-time break with five unanswered goals to close out the first 30 minutes.

Michigan opened the scoring in the second half with a nifty play as Kirshner teased his defender into thinking he was going to sub at midfield, before darting back into the box alone, taking a feed from Ein on the right GLE and firing high for the 10-5 lead moments into the third.

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2010-04-25