Lacrosse Falls to #2 ND, 17-8

Submitted by L'Carpetron Do… on

Hey if you're in AA and looking for something to do this afternoon head down to Oosterbahn at 1 to check out men's lacrosse vs. Notre Dame.    The Irish are #2 but this is a huge opportunity for 2-0 Michigan to really turn the corner and pick up that signature win.  It would be nice to get it against an archrival.  

This is also the first official varsity matchup with the Irish (I believe they played in the old days when the rules of varsity vs club were much looser).   

Oosterbahn can also be an extraordinarily difficult place to play for a team that has never experienced it.  A lot of good teams, even superior teams, come into the fieldhouse and have trouble adjusting.  For example, Michigan took highly ranked Cornell to overtime last year in Oosterbahn.

ND struggled against G'town last week, a program that has been down lately, and only came away with a 14-12 victory.  So, its possible they haven't hit their stride yet and may be susceptible to an early-season upset.  

Unfortunately, it won't be broadcast or streamed so you'll have to go see it for yourself.  

Since the program's inception, I've made a lot of predictions that have proved to be wildly off base.   But here's another one: Michigan pulls the upset 14-13!   GO BLUE!  BEAT THE IRISH!

L'Carpetron Do…

February 21st, 2015 at 5:39 PM ^

Yeah, pkatz is right - they schedule the season backwards from Memorial Day, which has been the date of the championship game for years.  

I don't know why they start it so early because most NCAA teams play outdoors.  I am a huge advocate for moving the championship back two or three weeks so they can have the first games in early March or at the very earliest President's Day.

Old Lax Wolve

February 23rd, 2015 at 10:21 AM ^

Teams used to play a few games on Wednesdays so that they could pack in a full year schedule without having to start so early.  Now there are fewer, if any (Michigan has one this year on spring break in Florida) for several reasons, foremost IMO that lacrosse players take a beating and need a week to recover (more like football than basketball).

In years when there is more snow the debate heats up about starting so early. Most teams are not fortunate enough to have indoor facilities, aside from gyms.  This year one argument gaining traction is that lacrosse can't compete with basketball - men's or women's - for television coverage and these early season games go largely unnoticed outside of the lacrosse world. I'd like to see the season start later, but moving the final four/championship off of Memorial Day weekend is still a non-starter with the traditional lacrosse powers-that-be.  I am not sure what will change that, but I would put more terrible games in terrible weather in the first month of the season on the list of things that will help start the conversation.

Wolverine In Iowa

February 21st, 2015 at 12:28 PM ^

When I played a couple of seasons on the club team back a million years ago, we played Notre Dame (who was varsity).  We ended up losing by probably double-digits, but the game was close at half-time.  Then ND's superior conditioning and skill took over to put us away.

CSB\ However, one of my greatest memories of my "career" was when I was riding the ND goalkeeper, whom I dispossessed of the ball rather violently near midfield.  My teammate got the GB and scored from about 40 yards out.  The ND keeper got yanked after that. /CSB

GO BLUE!  BEAT NOTRE DAME!!

Old Lax Wolve

February 23rd, 2015 at 9:49 AM ^

Agree on the overuse, and I am against cliches in general (less for sports than in business) but let's be realistic here for a moment - you can always assume that in sports when an upset "shocks the world" it is only the parts of the world that care about that sport. Most of the world couldn't care less about any sport in America.

icordonbleu

February 21st, 2015 at 1:41 PM ^

There was originally talk of moving to Glick several years ago when it opened, but someone decided along the way that the windows were a little too precarious for lacrosse.

So in a couple years when the new stadium opens, it'll probably be a pretty steady rotation between Oosterbaan, the new stadium, and probably one a year at the Big House.

L'Carpetron Do…

February 21st, 2015 at 2:04 PM ^

Yeah its a little tight for lacrosse but it works.  I don't think any other team plays indoors and outdoors the way Michigan does (which is really smart).  

Meanwhile we're having a fairly legit snowstorm in the mid-Atlantic states right now and Maryland had a home game that started at noon outdoors and Hopkins just faced off outdoors at 2 vs UNC.  

The NCAA should really push the season back if they want people to come to the games...

 

Wolverine Devotee

February 21st, 2015 at 2:24 PM ^

King feeds Meter for the goal. Michigan trails 6-13. King with 4 points and 12 points in the last two games.