Mar. 28th, 2004 - Lombardi Keys Wolverine Victory
Saturday, March 27, 2004
Event: Men's Lacrosse
Site: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Charles L. Cost Center)
Score: #5 Michigan 13, #25 Pittsburgh 8
Records: UM (7-1, 3-0 CCLA), Pittsburgh (6-2, 3-1 CCLA)
Next U-M Game: Friday-Sunday, April 2-4 -- vs. #1 Colorado State, #2 UC-Santa Barbara, #12 Minnesota-Duluth (Ann Arbor, Michigan – Oosterbaan Fieldhouse)
Lombardi Keys Wolverine Victory
Pittsburgh, Penn. – The #5 ranked University of Michigan men's lacrosse team defeated CCLA rival Pittsburgh 13-8, in front of 156 fans at the Charles L. Cost Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania today. Senior attackman Ray Lombardi (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) notched a career high eight total points finishing with three goals and five assists (3-5-8), and junior Bobby Groenke (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) set a career high with three goals to help the Wolverines emerge from a 4-3 half-time deficit and win their fifth game in a row and their 53rd straight CCLA conference game.
After a scoreless first period that saw Michigan register eight shots while holding Pittsburgh to only four, both teams began finding the back of the net in the second period with Pittsburgh holding a 4-3 lead entering halftime. While the Michigan offense was sputtering, solid play from the Michigan defense led by juniors Kirk Kozel (Barrington, Ill./Taft), Brian Anderson (Lansing, Mich./Waverly) and Mike Roth (South Orange N.J./Montclair Kimberly) kept the Wolverines in the game while they figured out the questions downfield. U-M held 2003 All-CCLA second teamer Kyle Balliet to only one assist in the game. Lombardi notched the first two Michigan goals in his attempt to keep the Wolverines close early on.
The Wolverines solved their offensive puzzle at half-time and came out on fire in the third quarter registering 20 shots to the Panthers 4 and scoring seven goals while holding Pittsburgh to a lone goal, and entered the final period of play with a lead of 10-5.
A key point occurred just moments into the fourth quarter when senior captain Justin Gal (Amherst, Mass./Milton Academy) was called for a three-minute unreleasable illegal stick penalty, giving the Panthers a guaranteed three minutes of man-up play. 42 seconds after the penalty started, Michigan was assessed another penalty giving Pittsburgh a two-man advantage for 30 seconds. Michigan killed off the two-man advantage, and the subsequent 1:38 remaining in the original penalty. Michigan would come out of the penalty and tally three more goals to bring the score to 13-5 with just over three minutes remaining. Michigan's reserves played the final three minutes of the game, allowing three inconsequential goals.
Michigan goaltender Dan Webber (Weston, Mass./Weston) stopped 17 Panther shots, while Pittsburgh goaltender Rich Grant recorded 22 saves of his own. The Wolverines recorded 49 groundballs to Pittsburgh's 35, as the Wolverines also won the face-off battle winning 13 of 22 face-offs. Michigan was 5-10 on man-up, while Pittsburgh was successful on 3 of 10 chances.
The Wolverines play again Friday, Saturday and Sunday (April 2-4) of next weekend in the Michigan Invitational featuring #1 Colorado State, #2 California-Santa Barbara, and #12 Minnesota-Duluth. Check MGoBlue.com for detailed times.
NOTES
? Michigan once again won the second half, notching 10 goals to Pitt's four. Michigan has tallied 67 goals compared to their opponents' 25 in the second half this season.
? Anthony Ragnone (Flint, Mich./Flint Powers) tied a career high with two points in Saturday's game registering a goal and an assist (1-1-2). Mike O'Leary (St. Louis, Mo./Clayton) also registered a career tying two goals, set most recently vs. BYU (Feb. 28).
? Ray Lombardi's eight point performance marked a career high. Lombardi's previous high is seven points, scored on March 23 of last season vs. Oakland.
? With the victory, the Wolverines keep alive their now 53-game CCLA winning streak. Michigan will defend the streak next vs. CCLA rival Indiana on Saturday, April 10 in Oxford, Ohio.
? Dan Webber recorded a season-high 17 saves on Saturday. His career high is 18 vs. Whittier last season on February 24.
QUOTES
UM Head Coach John Paul
On the game itself: "I was very impressed by Pitt. They are a much improved team that really gave us a run for our money. We came out a little sluggish, and knew we just had to execute a little better on offense to get things going. We came out strong in the second half and things started clicking. I was also very happy the way the defense played. They kept us in the game early and allowed the offense to find their way."
On who stood out for the Wolverines offensively: "Obviously Lombardi was huge, he was all over the place, making plays everywhere and really distributing the ball well. He really stepped up for us. Jim Constantine (Troy, Mich./Seaholm) also played really well. He didn't end up on the scoreboard much but he did a great job initiating our offense. He played very confidently. He's just going to keep getting better now that he's healthy."
On the defense holding the Wolverines in early: "Defensively we did the job we had to do early on until the offense started clicking. We held their big guys in check, and did a good job of never letting them build a lot of momentum. We had a little trouble clearing the ball early on but we got that settled."
On the play of Webber: "Webber did the job he had to. He made the long-distance saves and played solidly early on, keeping us close. He's playing with a lot more focus this year."
On heading into next weekend against three national powers: "Obviously next week is huge. We're all looking forward to the games very much and can't wait to play teams as good as these three. It gives us a good bearing. We definitely have to play complete games. We won't get away with the lack of execution we had in the first half today. We need to play with discipline and composure. These are the games you really look forward to - it's a great opportunity."
Contact: Joe Hennessy (734) 276-8493, jjhennes@umich.edu