NEXT GAME IS TODAY 4PM on BTN+ against a Canisius team that finished 2-13 last year. Hopefully that recap isn’t this painful.

Game 1 Recap

Michigan coach Conry gave UVA some bulletin board material this week when asked about how the team matches up against the ACC/UVA. "We play in the best conference in the country. It's not the pretty-boy conference. It's full of 6-foot-4 gorillas ready to rip your face off." While that may be true, UVA looks like what lacrosse teams will look like 10 years into the future when freak athletes no longer default to football. Their defensemen stand at 6’7, 6’6, and 6’5. Michigan’s offense just could not get through them, seemingly losing every 1v1 matchup. Bohem had trouble facilitating without a clear scoring threat coming from anywhere else. When the offense moved through midfield, they had more success, but only slightly. It was nearly halftime before Michigan scored their first even strength goal, to make it 3 to 9 UVA.

On the other side of the ball, Michigan effectively shut down Heisman Tewaaraton candidate Connor Shellenberger, holding him to two goals, zero assists. It seemed like this was the game plan coming in, but turns out that he doesn’t even need the ball to make a difference. You’ll see why below. Number one overall prospect, true freshman, and lacrosse family prodigy McCabe Millon seems like he’ll make the transition to college just fine, scoring 5 goals in his debut. Payton Cormier played Robin to Schellenberger’s Batman last year, but this offense has no sidekicks anymore. They are Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster.

I started to take screenshots of each goal; beginning, middle, end of each score, but that would be 90 photos. I don’t even know if MGoBlog would even accept that post. I’m trying out one photo per goal to explain what happened with some light drawing. Maybe this will end up too long, but remember, I’m writing this for me, not you.

I also just learned how to draw arrows. I feel like John Madden. Nothing can stop me.

Virginia Goal #1, comes off an odd-man fast break. This is Lacrosse 101. Four v three. Defender 1 takes ball, defender 2 slides to the first pass, defender three slides to the second pass, repeat. Shellenberger is such a threat that this pump fake eliminated the most important defender. 1-0 UVA.

Virginia Goal #2. More Lacrosse 101. For those unfamiliar, lacrosse offense is basketball offense. A simple pick play get Schellenberger too much room here. Trying to keep a long pole on Schellenberger, there’s no switch. Help comes too late and he buries it in the top corner.

I already regret doing this. A pick before this gets a mismatch down low. M would rather have the long stick guarding this play. Number 26 for Virginia sets a big screen. Schutz listed at 6’3, 220 looked noticeably bigger than most people on the field. M switches but the defender is too far or waiting for a drive. This is a mid-range jump shot. 3-0 UVA.

Michigan is a man up here, thanks to a one-minute cross check penalty. UVA playing zone, Michigan slips two men into the center from behind, UVA defender up top is guarding nobody. Tiernan get a pass and puts one in for the good guys. 3-1 UVA.

Michigan elects not to switch on another ball screen. Both defenders are taken out of the play. Help side defense is late, but it’s probably an assist if he’s on time. Millon put it in the bottom left corner. 4-1 UVA. Did I mention the help defender was late? He clobbers Millon, gets a late hit penalty. Chippy-ness after the play keeps it even 5 on 5.

No drawing needed here. Cormier gives a little back down bump on the defender. Three inches and 50lbs extra creates just enough space to get a shot off. This is the first one you would have liked Hunter Taylor to save, but it gets past him, stick side high. 5-1 UVA after the first.

Similar to goal number three for UVA, 26 sets a big screen, but Michigan is switching now. Millon stops on a dime, staring down Taylor and defender Van Wees has over committed, not close enough to get a stick on him to disrupt the shot. 6-1 UVA.

After a hit from behind that might make one consider switching to a more gentle sport like football, Michigan gets their second man advantage. Right away, a little head fake and/or miscommunication gets both defenders out of position. Boehm gets an easy one. Not who you want to leave open. 6-2.

An unintentional collision gives Boyden some room after he came screaming onto the field from the substitution box. He threads the needle to Cormier. Defender Welcsh is there in time and long stick Whitney is heading over to double, but Cormier turns and shoots, with a (you guessed it) size advantage, has no trouble placing it. 7-2 UVA.

Michigan gets caught with a slow substitution and give UVA a free man up for a few seconds. A little pump fake to Schellenberger (see goal #1) leaves Whitney in no-mans-land and long pole Ben Wayer gets a rare goal. 8-2 UVA and trending bad. Michigan has yet to score on an even situation.

Out of a time-out, Cormier sets a down screen and Schellenberger makes the first pass to get the offense started. Pederson gets badly caught ball-watching and Colsey slips backdoor for an easy goal. 9-2 UVA.

Michigans first even-strength goal comes from a Cohen assist. Defender Schutz doubles Cohen as he drives top side. M runs a little action and sends midfielders across the crease. When Schutz turns around, he misreads it and recovers towards Tiernan instead of Aronson who scores. 9-3 UVA.

Any hope of Michigan taking momentum into halftime dies immediately. UVA wins the faceoff cleanly, plays it back to the goalie who makes a 65 yard outlet pass to Millon. One on one with no set defense and nobody in position to slide, Millon runs through a check, switches hands, dives and shoots for a goal. The purest form of lacrosse gets a second screen grab. It’s a thing of beauty. 10-3 UVA at halftime.

Coming out of halftime, textbook. Aronson sets a screen for Tiernan. Boehm hits him in stride. Shot from high to low. 10-4.

UVA’s transition was giving Michigan problems all day. They outran M and created opportunities like this one by being quicker down the field and not letting the defense get set. Give Cormier this much space, even at this angle and you already know what happens. 11-4.

Boehm finally gets a favorable matchup off a screen and is being guarded by a short stick, maybe for the first time all game. Hits him with a jab step, cuts inside and finishes at the crease. Down but not out. 11-5.

I couldn’t get a clear picture of this one off YouTube, but Boyden makes a backhand shot around the defender into the top right corner of the net. This was a goal that made you realize, maybe UVA’s players are just better. 12-5.

Immediately following that goal, UVA wins a textbook faceoff, outruns M in transition again. I mentioned the faceoff matchup being important, and this is why. Help defender correctly comes off Shellenberger, but he is that dude and now he’s open. 13-5.

A little skip pass down to Lockwood. When you’re losing a game like this, I guess you start shooting these. It goes clean between the legs of Nunes, leaving him staring at the ground. 13-6.

Long shot from Cohen up top and Nunes reads it all the way, but loses the rebound. Tiernan picks it up and tosses it around the goalie for an easy one. 13-7. Life?

Michigan gets caught again in transition. Millon quick restarted the ball when the refs gave them a close call on a shot out of bounds. I thought M was closer. Another manufactured man advantage and UVA makes it 14-7.

Boyden makes a move up top and looks like he has a step on midfielder McCurry. Whitney gets ready to slide but he makes a pass to Cormier. 15-7.

The wheels are off now. Schulz makes a move and just powers through his defender. Help defense hedges a little, but thinks Schulz is going past the net. Tough angle shot gets above Taylor. I regret doing this but I’m going to finish. 16-7.

Shellenbergers shot is off, but the rebound goes to Cormier behind the net. Defense isn’t set as he dodges up. Smaller McCurry can’t stop him. 17-7.

Michigan stops the bleeding when Boehm beats his defender badly up top. Makes the predictable pass across the help defender and Aronson scores. 17-8. End of 3rd.

Brown looked to be the only Michigan player that could run with UVA. Makes a nice dodge and UVA falling asleep on help defense leads to a score. 17-9.

I’m done using the pen tool. Mulholland sets a little slip screen for Boehm. Both defenders follow. He makes a nice question mark dodge to stay away from the help defender sliding and puts it in on a tight angle. More than one photo would help to see this play develop, but it should become a pretty common set for Michigan. You’ll see it again eventually. 17-10.

With a double team coming, Boyden throws a no look behind the back shot that catches Taylor off guard. Boyden just does those things. It’s going to happen once every week. 18-10.

When things aren’t going right, they aren’t going right. A broken stick leaves Millon wide open. [In college lacrosse, if you’re stick breaks, you have to sub out immediately. No stick-less defense allowed] That concludes the college lacrosse’s highest scoring offense’s scoring on the day. 19-10.

Cohen puts one in from the three-point line on the back-up goalie. Unfortunately, it’s still only worth one. 19-11, final score.