WOMEN’S college REPORT
14
Michigan’s women’s college teams are in mid-season form
6, april • michiganlacrosseonline.com
The No. 4-ranked Michigan withstood a Rocky Mountain snowstorm before deluging opponents at the Colorado State Tournament on March 27-29. The 14-3 Wolverines posted wins over Denver (19-6), Wyoming (18-2), No. 10 Brigham Young (8-5) and No. 18 Minnesota (14-3) while dropping a 9-7 contest to host No. 7 Colorado State. “(The conditions) were pretty rough,” Wolverines coach Jen Dunbar said. “The first couple of games were OK but when we took the field against BYU, we played in pretty dense fog and we didn’t have much visibility. The game got put on hold for a few minutes until the fog cleared.” Junior attacker Amy Johnson continued her laser-like accuracy around the net, netting 23 goals on 30 shots in 10 games. The Washington D.C. native’s deadly sniper eye was one highlight in the Wolverines’ scorching 10-2 start this season as the team outscored opponents, 145-52. Also carrying the offense load were Britt Boehn (21 goals, 9 assists), Rachel Lary (16 goals, 3 assists), Alexis Pavle (13 goals and 6 assists). A pair of freshmen, Mynda Krato of Grosse Pointe and Emmy Scheidt of Birmingham, have shouldered the goaltending load. Scheidt posted a 3.8 goals-against average with a 53.1 savepercentage in 10 games while Krato had a 1.3 goals against and 63.6 save percentage while playing in six contests. “The positive is that we are improving,” Dunbar said. “We’re getting better and seeing in games what we had been working on the last couple of weeks in practice. “We have really been working on our transition out of the defensive end and we did a much job of swinging the ball and not always pushing off for a fast break.”
Michigan State
The No. 14-ranked Spartans’ scoring-by-committee approach paid dividends in the early going. Senior attacker Allison Atchoo settled in as chairwoman with a team-leading 38 points in eight games. The Troy High product’s offensive output was aptly complemented by sophomore midfielder Rachel Rideout (22 goals in eight games), attacker Chelsea Bean (14 goals), midfielder Maggie Silvasi (13 goals) and attacker Katie Carr (11 goals). “It’s been a good year on offense for us,” Coach Sara Tisdale said. “It’s a very balanced and a very trusting offense, which is really nice to see. “It’s hard to defend against an offense like that because you can’t just shut down one of our players because someone else steps up.” A switch to a zone defense has added another wrinkle in the Spartans’ arsenal this season. The tactic employs team speed while compensating for a lack of size on the backline. “We are very strong and we’re very smart. We’re returning eight
academic All-Americans,” the coach said. “As far as the concept of the game, they really get it.” The team’s fortunes largely rested with a West Coast swing April 3-5 where the Spartans will play five Top-25 teams, including Santa Clara, University of California-San Bernadino, Texas and University of California-Davis.
“They have all come together and learned how to win,” added Sung, whose freshman-dominated team had only two sophomores on the field at any given time. Freshman attacker Rachel Johnston, who has averaged 6.1 points a game, was a catalyst in the Bulldogs’ surge past Colorado College with six goals and an assist. Freshmen Amanda Lambert, Lindsey Day and Jovelle Ward (Ann Arbor Huron) had three goals each. “The thing is we have the right pieces and that’s the key,” Sung said. “We have kids who might not be able to play every where, but the positions that they are at they are great at.”
Detroit Mercy
The first-year program appeared to get over some early-season blahs with a two-game winning streak to close out March. The Titans rolled over visiting Presbyterian College, 21-15, March 28, which came after a 17-3 lopsided victory over Fresno State the previous day. Freshman Anna Eidem led Detroit Mercy’s two-game feat with 13 goals and five assists. Team-leading scorer, freshman midfielder Emily Boissonneault, finished the weekend with 12 goals to bring her season total 38 goals in nine games. Freshman midfielder Cornia Mahorn (17 goals and two assists for 19 points) and freshman attacker Rachel Iturralde (four goals and seven assists for 11 points) have also contributed to the Titan offensive coffers. Freshman Brett Yenger started every game in goal, compiling a 4-5 win-loss record with a 11.90 goals-against and .462 savepercentage.
Oakland
The 6-3 Lady Grizzlies maintained a steady course despite seeing their player numbers drop from 21 to 14 in recent weeks. A number of players, who were nursing majors, left the program when it conflicted with lab work, Oakland coach Towbey Kassa said. The winning record was an achievement for another reason. “It’s pretty much the hardest schedule we’ve had in the school’s Michigan junior attacker Amy Johnson (right) has scored 23 goals history,” said Kassa, noting his team has played Division A schools on 30 shots in 10 games this season. like Michigan and Lindenwood. To compete, OU opted for a control game, which frustrated opponents like Saginaw State, which lost 14-6 to the Grizzlies March Adrian College 28. The win enabled Oakland to capture their third-straight Western In a short two years, the Bulldogs have carved a foothold in Conference Lacrosse League divisional title. women’s collegiate lacrosse circles. Sophomore midfielder Haley Noonan (Notre Dame Prep) and The 8-3 team upended Pacific (Ore.) College, 17-5, and Colorado Springs, 15-9, on the road March 27-28 to extend its unbeaten run freshman attacker Ashley Krisfalusi (Troy High) carried the offensive load while freshman midfielder Jax Joyce (Waterford Mott) and to four games. The Bulldogs, who finished 6-7 last season in what Coach John Sung described as a “dress rehearsal,” are on pace to sophomore attacker Caroline Brandon (Bloomfield Lahser High) provided the creative playmaking. The team has also been buoyed double their number of victories. The team had four games left, including two at home against by the standout play of freshman midfielder Stephanie Barr (Eisenhower High). Washington & Jefferson April 4 and Wooster April 18. After the University of Toledo Play Day April 4, the Grizzlies close If they complete the sweep, the Bulldogs would likely pin down the season against Central Michigan at Ultimate Soccer April 10. a No. 1 or 2 ranking in the NCAA Division 3 West Region rankings, “which is unheard of for a second-program,” Sung said.
Photo courtesy UM women’s lacrosse
2009
By Larry O’Connor