Throughout all of its success this season, the Michigan men’s lacrosse team rode on the backs of its calm and calculated offense. Yet, in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals, that production was nowhere to be found. 

In their 15-8 loss to the Blue Devils on Saturday, the Wolverines’ offense put forth what many would call an uncharacteristic performance. For the majority of the season, Michigan had been able to put up double-digit points against almost all of its opponents.

Against Duke, however, that was not the case. 

Instead, the formerly third-ranked team in the nation for shooting floundered in the face of the Blue Devils’ aggressive defense. 

“They did a good job scouting; they did a good job of changing up what they were doing, at least defensively,” senior midfielder Jacob Jackson said. “So, they were pretty well prepared, and we could see that.”  

However, what the Wolverines didn’t see coming was junior attacker Michael Boehm’s performance — or rather, lack thereof. 

Having shattered records, been awarded Most Valuable Player of the Big Ten Tournament and recently named an honorable All-American, Boehm successfully created a name for himself in the lacrosse world — a name that the Blue Devils knew. 

And so, each time Boehm gained possession of the ball, Duke defenders swarmed him. 

Yet, despite the mass of defenders that Boehm battled each time, he managed to still rocket six shots at the cage. Unfortunately for Boehm, none of those would hit the back of the net, leaving him unable to score a single goal against the Blue Devils. 

With one of their star players neutralized, the Wolverines would have to fight even harder to come out on top. 

Michigan increased its effort, totaling 38 shots from a multitude of players throughout the game. However, rarely any of them resulted in a goal. 

With just under two minutes left in the match, senior midfielder Michael Cosgrove dodged through Duke’s defense to create an open lane to score. Pivoting and hurling the ball, the Wolverines’ sideline watched anxiously, looking defeated as the ball sailed wide and missed the net. 

It was shots like these that left Michigan’s hope of a comeback in shambles. 

“We were getting contested shots early, which our aim wasn’t right, or we didn’t get all our mustard on it,” Michigan coach Kevin Conry said. “I think you have to give a lot of credit to Duke’s defense for putting us in those situations. And their goaltender, he played really, really well. We just weren’t as crisp as we could have been, and a lot of that had to do with Duke’s pressure.”

Indeed, it was evident that the Wolverines allowed pressure from the Blue Devils to get to them. 

Out of their 22 shots on goal, 14 were saved by Duke’s goalkeeper. Yet, many of the remainder of Michigan’s shots were taken prematurely — an unexpected move by its typically steady and purposeful offense — culminating in many high and wide shots. 

And so, weighed down by the pressure of Duke’s powerful and aggressive defense — and missing the vital contributions of key players — the Wolverines’ offense ultimately crumbled. And with an already tired defense, they were unable to make a comeback, ending their season. 

Michigan’s mighty offense helped the team’s reputation soar, propelling the Wolverines through the best season the program has ever seen. 

But in Michigan’s case, the Wolverines could only fly so far before they fell — and when their offense fell, it brought the whole team with it.

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The clock struck midnight on the Michigan men’s lacrosse team’s season in Albany on Saturday. 

During an uphill battle in the pouring rain, the Wolverines (10-7 overall) fought to sustain their season but ultimately came up short, losing 15-8 to the No. 1 overall seed Duke (15-2).

The Blue Devils, a team with three First-Team All Americans to Michigan’s none, seemed to be an insurmountable opponent, but the Wolverines had been upsetting top teams since March. Comfortable within its role as an underdog, Michigan fought valiantly, knotting the score up at two each as the first quarter ended. 

Although Duke’s First-Team All American and Tewaaraton Award favorite attacker Brennan O’Neill hit two quick goals to put Duke ahead early, the Wolverines responded, netting two goals of their own from junior midfielder Isaac Aronson and graduate attacker Bryce Clay, including one on penalty time.

“When you have a Tewaaraton finalist just playing at a high level, it doesn’t matter what you do Xs and Os,” Conry said. 

Going into the second quarter, Michigan was right where it wanted to be — on par with the No. 1 team in the country — but a three goal run by the Blue Devils in the first four minutes seemed to take some air out of the Wolverines. Duke would go on to score another two goals towards the end of the half, with O’Neill contributing an additional two goals.

“Sometimes you’ve got guys on the other team that are just that talented, just that good,” senior midfielder Jacob Jackson said. “(O’Neill) got the better of us.” 

On the other end of the field, the Blue Devils’ defense was aggressive and suffocating. While it would go on to earn Duke a whopping five minutes of penalty time, the Wolverines certainly felt the pressure, committing a number of turnovers. Senior attacker Josh Zawada capitalized off of one of the man-up opportunities, however, and Jackson contributed a goal as well to bring the score to 7-4 going into halftime. 

“We were getting our shots, but they were contested,” Michigan coach Kevin Conry said. “And (their) goaltender played great. … We thought we had great looks, and he ended up swallowing up on us.” 

The third quarter found the Wolverines digging themselves deeper into the hole. Although graduate defenseman Andrew Darby and the Michigan defense better contained O’Neill, the rest of the Blue Devils took advantage of the opportunities presented to them, slamming home another four goals. On the Wolverines’ offensive end, however, Michigan’s star attacker, junior Michael Boehm, didn’t attempt a single shot, leaving the Wolverines in dire straits. 

Early in the fourth quarter, though, Zawada was once again able to connect, bringing Duke’s lead back to four points. But the Blue Devils and O’Neill were not going away easily. O’Neill flipped a shot over his shoulder, while facing away from the goal, to send Duke on a four goal run that Michigan could not come up with an answer for. With no goals from two key pieces of the three-headed attack that the Wolverines had built their fantasy season on, Michigan surrendered to the Blue Devils.

“(Duke was) built to win a national championship right now,” Conry said. “And we aren’t yet. But we have established a really great framework.”

This NCAA Tournament run came off the backs of a team that shocked the country, beating Ohio State twice in one week, Maryland twice in the season, and emerging Big Ten Champions after going 0-5 in conference play just one year before. The first round knockout of No. 8 Cornell only reinforced what the Wolverines had been saying all season – “Why not us?”

“If you would have told me last year that this year we were going to lose in the quarterfinals to Duke, I would have been ecstatic,” Jackson said. “Especially after the year we had. But I don’t think there’s any going back from this season.”

“When you look at the season that we had, we almost became America’s team, the Cinderella story,” Conry agreed. “The problem with that in the future is that everybody knows who you are. We don’t sneak up on anybody.

“We’re not going to be Cinderella anymore. The ball is over.”  

Although the curfew on the Wolverines’ season may have come sooner than they would have liked, this season sets an unforeseen precedent in the history of Michigan lacrosse. Although they won’t be Cinderella anymore, Michigan has the opportunity to become something even better — a great program, not just a historic team.

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It’s your classic underdog tale. 

The tortoise beats the hare, David takes down Goliath, and the No. 15 Michigan men’s lacrosse team upsets No. 6 Cornell. 

On Sunday, the Wolverines (10-6 overall) took on the Big Red (11-4) on their home field in Ithaca, NY, in what was Michigan’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. 

And, after a grueling back-and-forth game, the Wolverines emerged victorious in a 15-14 overtime win — a win no one expected. Lower-ranked, on an unfamiliar field and battling without one of their key players, sophomore attacker Ryan Cohen, the odds were stacked against Michigan. 

Yet, as it turns out, the Wolverines didn’t need anyone to believe in them so long as they believed in themselves. 

“The guys just have so much belief this year,” fifth-year midfielder Peter Thompson said. “… Michigan lacrosse has been down for so long that people count us out every time we step on the field. So, we felt like, ‘Why not us?’ The only guys that believe are in this room anyways.” 

And so, with unwavering self-confidence, the Wolverines played their brand of lacrosse. 

It was junior attacker Michael Boehm who struck first for Michigan, but the early lead was short-lived as the Big Red quickly fired back to tie the game. 

This back-and-forth characterized the remainder of the first quarter play as both teams battled for a lead. And, as the first fifteen minutes came to a close, the game was tied at four. 

As the teams continued to clash in the second period, the Wolverines started to struggle. With Cohen absent, their offense felt the pressure, struggling to score. Moreover, miscommunication on their defensive end created open lanes for Cornell to find scoring opportunities. With the minutes ticking down, Michigan was starting to fall behind — down 6-5 midway through the quarter. 

Luckily for the Wolverines, junior midfielder Isaac Aronson and senior midfielder Jake Bonomi rose to the occasion, filling the hole that Cohen had left. 

It was Aronson’s diving goal that erased the Big Red’s lead and Bonomi’s behind-the-back shot that put Michigan up, 7-6, heading into halftime. 

Despite being energized by the small lead, the Wolverines knew that they still had a long way to go.

“It’s easy to let the moment get ahead of you and lose sight of the fact that it’s a long game,” Thompson said. “We have a saying that we say all the time, ‘It’s a 60-minute game, 60 one-minute possessions’ … so, we try to be present. And we don’t get rattled easily.” 

As the third frame of the game began, Cornell put up an early goal to knot the game back up at seven. The following seven minutes of the period would be scoreless as both offenses struggled to evade the opposing team’s defense and goalkeeper. 

Familiar with high-stakes play, freshman goalie Hunter Taylor played a large role in combating the experienced and aggressive Big Red offense. His ability to remain calm and reset in the cage were key in the 16 goals that he stopped during the course of the game. 

“Hunter has the unique ability to live into big moments,” Michigan coach Kevin Conry said. “So he really thrived today, and you’d never realize that he was a freshman starting his first-ever playoff game.” 

Back on offense, it was the same duo — Bonomi and Aronson who stepped up to end the scoring drought for the Wolverines. Their two goals late in the third quarter gave Michigan a 9-7 advantage — the biggest lead of that game — heading into the final quarter. 

Even though the Wolverines had the lead, Cornell wasn’t ready to give up yet. The fight was far from over. 

And, as the final 15 minutes of the game began, the energy had shifted. Like fireworks, both teams were explosive, tearing through each other’s defense and netting goal after goal. The Big Red had come back with seven goals to Michigan’s five, tying the game at 14 with less than a minute left on the clock. 

The Wolverines’ sideline held their breath as Cornell gained possession of the ball with six seconds left in the fourth quarter. Just as the Big Red was closing in, Michigan defenders buckled down and prevented a goal — catapulting the game into overtime. 

Now, with sudden death at play, the pressure was on.

A quick shot by Cornell just six seconds into overtime, followed by a swift save by Taylor, had the Wolverines squirming. Gaining possession of the ball, though, Michigan called a timeout and drew up a plan. 

And so, just over a minute into sudden death, Thompson — waiting by the cage — caught a pass from graduate attacker Bryce Clay, pivoting and unleashing the ball into the net. With the goal, Thompson sent the Big Red home and the Wolverines to the quarterfinals. 

A forgotten team — now boasting its first-ever NCAA Tournament win — Michigan has beaten the odds and proven itself a successful underdog, all thanks to the Wolverines’ unfaltering belief in themselves.

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Graduate midfielder Peter Thompson did some gardening Sunday — cutting through the best of the Ivy League to bring the Michigan men’s lacrosse team to victory.

The Wolverines had been trading goals with No. 8 Cornell all game, neither team ever able to amass a lead greater than two. Pushed into sudden death overtime, Michigan knew it was now or never as the Wolverines fought to keep their dream-like season alive — and yet they weren’t worried. 

“We tend to feel comfortable being uncomfortable,” Thompson said.

Down an elite attacker and one of its best facilitators, sophomore Ryan Cohen, and with senior attacker Josh Zawada effectively neutralized by the Big Red’s All-American defenseman Gavin Adler, Michigan needed someone to step up and score. Junior attacker and All-Big Ten First Team awardee Michael Boehm seemed the logical pick, especially coming off the hat trick that solidified him as the program’s single-season goal record holder. 

Luckily for Michigan, Cornell thought so too.

Just over a minute into overtime, Boehm skirted the endline, looking for an opening and taking short jabs towards the crease. Graduate attacker Bryce Clay set a screen for Boehm behind the Big Red’s goal, rolling out to the left wing as his defender attempted to double-team the star scorer. As the defenders converged on Boehm, he whipped the ball over to Clay, who rocketed it into the pocket of Thompson. On a beautiful cut in from the wing, Thompson’s momentum propelled the ball into the net, and the Wolverines erupted from the sideline. 

“It’s been a plethora of guys all season,” Thompson said. “(Michigan offensive coordinator Scott) Bieda … does a great job of going with the hot hand sometimes, and … I guess that was me today.”

Thompson stepped up at multiple moments during Sunday’s NCAA Tournament matchup, beginning in the very first quarter. With just over a minute left in the first period, he took a long shot from the wing, knotting the score up at four before the quarter break. 

“(Thompson)’s the Energizer Bunny,” Michigan coach Kevin Conry said. “Not only has he contributed significantly with points and playing time, but his energy on a day in and day out basis has really boosted our roster. It’s been great.”

Three quarters later, both teams seemed to be running out of gas — except for Thompson. Notching two goals, only 36 seconds apart, to lock in a hat trick and give Michigan the lead with less than five minutes to go, he provided the jolt of energy the Wolverines had been lacking. Unfortunately for Michigan, though, Cornell found its second wind as well. 

Ground balls turned into football-style runs, with bodies and sticks flying. Another Boehm goal led to him getting kneed in the head in front of the crease. The first and only penalty of the game, a holding by Michigan, was called. But neither team could seal the deal. The whistle blew for overtime just as the Wolverines managed to get the ball away from the Big Red. 

“They were dog tired,” Conry said. 

Thompson, living up to his “Energizer Bunny” persona, shocked Michigan back into rhythm with his fourth and final goal in overtime. The Wolverines stormed the field to the sound of The Victors echoing over Schoellkopf Field — their mythical season (and chance at a national championship) still alive. 

“I think the guys have so much belief this year that … the fruits of our labors are going to come to fruition,” Thompson said.

Any garden takes time to flourish, as long as one is willing to put in the work required. Last year, Michigan did a lot of the weeding. Sunday, it was Thompson’s turn to break through the ivy and bloom. And as the Wolverines use the victory to climb higher and higher up the trellis of the NCAA Tournament, facing No. 1 Duke next Sunday, they can only hope that the season they’ve been cultivating comes up roses.

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Fifteen games between Michigan’s women lacrosse team and Northwestern — and zero wins for the Wolverines. 

The third meeting this season, the second game in under two weeks and last year’s NCAA Tournament loss all have one thing in common: Michigan’s inability to beat Northwestern.

On a last minute defeat, the No. 15 Wolverines (12-8 overall) fell to No. 1 Wildcats (18-1), 8-7. A game that never fell too far out of Michigan’s reach, ended up slipping through its fingers in the final minutes of the game. 

“We’re really proud of our girls,” Wolverines coach Hannah Nielsen said. “From being beaten pretty handedly by that team like 10 days ago, we had them for 55 minutes of the game.”

For 55 minutes of the 60 minute game, it looked as if Michigan had finally found the secret to beating Northwestern.

The first quarter started with a quick goal in the first minute for the Wildcats. In past games, scoring the first goal sent them on a run anywhere from three to five goals, and usually put the Wolverines in a place to simply need to fight back into the game. Except on Sunday, Michigan flipped the script. 

The Wolverines kept the game to a one goal lead, 5-4, after the first half and, similar to their game against Central Michigan, the offense went into the second half with vengeance and determination.

Michigan’s success came down to honing in on its biggest issue this season — converting on penalties with a woman up advantage. In the first game between these two teams, yellow cards plagued the Wolverines, often having two players out at the same time on a yellow card. However, Northwestern changed its role and took the majority of the fouls giving Michigan the rare time to strike with a weak defense. 

The first two goals of the game came from graduate attacker Kaley Thompson and graduate midfielder Erin Garvey with both goals netted in a woman up advantage for the Wolverines. Those two goals, and the Wildcats as their own enemy with penalties, kept Michigan from being on the end of a large deficit. 

With conversion working in the Wolverines favor, they had the opportunity to slow their possession down and keep the game tight all the way to the end.

“Definitely part of the plan was to slow down the offense and to go later in the shot clock just so they didn’t have the ball in their stick,” Nielsen said. 

That plan succeeded for the majority of the game and allowed Michigan to have a one goal lead, 6-5, going into the fourth quarter. However, the final quarter became its worst enemy while Northwestern came alive.

In the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, the Wildcats put up three goals in quick succession to take a two goal lead, 8-6 — the largest gap of the day for the Wolverines. While in the beginning Michigan focused on simply retaining possession, the plan completely fell apart. With eight turnovers in just the fourth quarter, the Wolverines were consistently giving the ball in return for a Northwestern goal. 

With five minutes remaining, sophomore midfielder Julia Schwabe cut through the center with an assist from sophomore attacker Jill Smith to push the game to a one goal game. Except, at that point, the Wildcats were too hot and Michigan was ice cold, ultimately ending the game, 8-7. 

What would have become a monumental win for the Wolverines, turned into another loss in the column. 

“I think what I said in the locker room was I’m sick of saying we were so close and sick of saying next year,” Nielsen said. “I’m sick of saying we almost had them and I think the players returning share that sentiment.”

Being sick is a battle, and Northwestern is the virus. But finding treatment could be key to Michigan ending their next season with a win instead of facing another detrimental loss in the future.

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Central Michigan scored the first goal. And then Michigan scored the next 12. 

The No. 15 Wolverines faced the Chippewas for the second time this season on Friday — and unlike last time, the Michigan women’s lacrosse team came to conquer, starting in its high-scoring first quarter. The Wolverines (12-7 overall) shut down Central Michigan (10-9), 13-6. 

“The girls really took ownership of the offense,” Michigan coach Hannah Nielsen said. “We were shooting well and last time we played Central, we didn’t.” 

The Wolverines controlled the first quarter completely, with seven goals from five different scorers in the first 15 minutes. In the second half of the quarter, goals were scored on an average of every two minutes for Michigan. Sophomore attacker Jill Smith netted her own hat trick before the second quarter even started. The Wolverines showed up ready from the opening whistle, and the first quarter was just the start of their dominance. 

Michigan’s offensive streak started with draw controls and more specifically, the success from junior attacker Lily Montemarano. Draw controls were a detrimental factor in the Wolverines’ loss to Northwestern in the Big Ten semifinals, but that can’t be said for their performance against the Chippewas. 

Montemarano won five of the draw controls, pushing the team to 14 wins in the circle. With this reign on draw controls — plus the addition of picking up six ground balls in the first quarter — the Wolverines couldn’t be stopped. 

“I think the draw takers have been doing a great job in putting in the work and making it a point of emphasis for them,” Nielsen said. “It really helped us in that first half performance to have the ball and be able to keep getting it back.”

With the offense leading the first half, the defense had a smaller workload. But when Central Michigan made its way down the field toward Michigan’s net, the line of defense was quick to bring its momentum to a halt. Junior goalkeeper Maya Santa-Maria had five saves in the first half and with the lockdown defense, the Chippewas didn’t see possession much.

And halftime didn’t slow down the Wolverines, but only propelled them further.

Coming into the third quarter with a nine-goal lead, Smith and graduate midfielder Erin Garvey decided to run with their momentum for another two goals in two minutes.  

That momentum was terminated, however, when the Wolverines fell apart towards the end of the game. In the end of the third quarter, Central Michigan found its second goal of the game and established a rhythm shortly thereafter. 

Michigan found itself in penalty and yellow card trouble — struggles that the Wolverines are all too familiar with. With the amount of miscues, Michigan hit the unreleasable yellow cards that allowed the Chippewas to score four goals in the final quarter. That first quarter dominance is what kept the Wolverines safe from facing a fourth quarter disaster.

“I think we’re happy anytime you get a win at this point in the season,” Nielsen said. “I think there were some things we did excellently and some things that we lost our focus on in the second half.”

Leaving this game, Michigan faces Northwestern in the second round — which will be the second matchup in the last two weeks between these teams.

The Wolverines are playing their peak lacrosse in the postseason, and it will be up to them whether or not they continue their run in the NCAA Tournament.

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BALTIMORE — Step aside King Charles III, the Wolverines have taken the crown. 

The No. 15 Michigan men’s lacrosse team (9-6 overall, 2-3 Big Ten) dethroned the defending conference and national champions on Saturday, beating No. 7 Maryland (10-5 overall, 3-2 Big Ten) 14-5 to secure its first Big Ten Championship in program history.

“It’s pretty unbelievable,” Michigan coach Kevin Conry said postgame. “I have a lot of respect for our seniors and graduate students … they believed, they stayed, they battled, and now we’re Big Ten champs. We have a saying back at home: ‘Those who stay will be champions.’ These guys are the epitome of that.” 

This historic win against Maryland demonstrates as much. From the moment the game began, the Wolverines looked hungry for the win. Just a few minutes into the first quarter, junior attacker Michael Boehm confidently cradled the ball down the right side of the field and fired it to the left corner of the cage, putting Michigan on the board first.

While the Terrapins would tie the game shortly thereafter, the Wolverines never looked panicked. With the game knotted at one, and a Maryland attacker coming down the wing, junior defender Jack Whitney delivered a clean stick check that poked the ball free and forced a Terrapins turnover. 

Michigan’s composure on defense was reflected by these forced turnovers in addition to the stellar play of freshman goalie Hunter Taylor. With 14 saves on the afternoon, Taylor delivered several key stops early in the contest that allowed Michigan to build a lead in the game. 

“This year’s purpose for our whole group was to build relationships, and create more avenues for these guys to be leaders,” Conry said. “… we handed the keys over around mid-year, and guys like (graduate attacker Bryce Clay), and (senior defender Andrew Darby) and our captains have carried the load. So it’s a real big credit to them and how they have embraced it.”

Saturday’s box score certainly echoed these sentiments. After scoring two goals in the first quarter, Clay completed the hat trick moments into the second quarter as he capitalized off of an extra man opportunity. 

Steamrolling his way to the net, Clay fell to the ground and snuck the ball past the Maryland goalkeeper to give the Wolverines a 6-3 advantage. Clay would go on to score another goal later on, giving him four goals in the game and 100 total points in his career. 

“I don’t think there was anyone outside of our group that thought we were going to win that game today,” Clay said. “But that’s fine. That’s how we get it done … there is a lot of belief in our guys and it’s a team effort out there, so that’s how we were successful today.” 

This belief, manifested in Clay’s tenacity and hunger to score, was seemingly infectious as other players followed suit. 

In fact, after the Terrapins scored in the second quarter to trim the lead to 6-4, Boehm scored two goals in four seconds and forced a Maryland timeout. Maize and blue-winged helmets bounced up and down in celebration as the game’s momentum shifted further in Michigan’s favor.

And Boehm didn’t stop there — he went on to score five total goals and later received the award for the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. 

Even as Maryland scored to start the second half of the game, the Wolverines kept to their game plan and remained eager to extend their lead.

This time it was senior attacker Josh Zawada leading the way, scoring off a quick cut to the inside. Zawada scored another goal with the extra man advantage to finish the third quarter, giving Michigan an 11-5 lead heading into the final 15 minutes. 

Although the Wolverines have had a hard time closing out games in the past, this matchup was different – much like this season as a whole. Michigan remained steadfast on defense throughout the fourth quarter, keeping the Terrapins off the scoresheet and adding two insurance tallies to achieve the dominant win. 

With the victory, the Wolverines have secured an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament — another first for the program. 

“The guys in our locker room, the guys in our support staff, we all bought in and we said ‘why not us?’ ” Clay said. “It’s win or go home. Why not come out here, put on a show and beat the Terps?”

It’s that belief that propelled Michigan to the historic Big Ten Championship win, earning the Wolverines a spot in the NCAA Tournament and a chance to make history once again.

If Michigan is able to sustain this belief and perform like it did Saturday, Big Ten royalty might just be the start.

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Searching for a way to score, junior attacker Michael Boehm zeroed in on a narrow but open path to the goal. Quickly seizing the opportunity, Boehm sprinted past No. 7 Maryland’s defenders to send the ball sailing into the back of the net. 

With this goal, Boehm was the first to strike in Saturday’s Big Ten Championship game — giving the No. 15 Michigan men’s lacrosse team an early lead that he only built upon as the matchup progressed. 

“It definitely felt good to kick a Big Ten Championship off with an opening goal,” Boehm said. “It got everybody to take a deep breath, but it could have been anyone. I think with the way that our offense was flowing, it ended up being me, but with the way our offense was flowing, somebody else would’ve also finished that.”

Throughout the tournament, Boehm has been a star player for the Wolverines, and Saturday was no different. The five goals he scored against Maryland brought his total to 10 goals and four assists over the course of the tournament — a performance that landed him the title of Big Ten Tournament Most Valuable Player.

Building off the momentum from that early goal, Boehm really found his groove in the second period, communicating effectively with his teammates to create scoring opportunities.

“Our number one purpose this year is continuing good relationships,” Boehm said. “I think those relationships have grown a ton, and I think that’s what has propelled us forward.” 

Those strong relationships shone through on Saturday, proving beneficial as the Michigan players were able to connect in crucial moments. 

One such instance occurred with 9:54 left in the second quarter. As senior attacker Josh Zawada sprinted around the net, his efforts at a goal were thwarted by the swarm of Terrapins defenders coming his way. 

Aware of the situation, Boehm had already outmaneuvered the defenders around him so that Zawada had a way to move the ball and create an opportunity. And, as soon as Zawada’s pass landed in his stick, Boehm pivoted and fired into the net, putting Michigan up 7-4. 

But Boehm wasn’t done yet. 

Just four seconds later, off a pass from junior face off taker Justin Wietfeldt, Boehm whipped another ball into the back of the net — earning a hat trick and tying the record for fastest consecutive goals in Big Ten Tournament history. 

Building off of this performance, Boehm went on to have an exceptional rest of the period, netting three of the Wolverines’ five total goals during the second quarter.

With the whole team working together seamlessly, Boehm shared some insight into what the mindset behind his and the team’s performance Saturday was: 

“We’ve had a win-or-go-home mentality the past few weeks here,” Boehm said. “But we are still in a win-or-go-home spot, so we will see who we are playing next and keep playing our best.”

And so, as the fourth quarter of the game approached, a confident Boehm made sure that Michigan would not be going home yet. 

In a striking display of agility — dodging opponents and making quick passes — the Wolverines’ defenders and midfielders were able to get the ball to the attack with 10 minutes left in the contest. 

Having already noticed Maryland’s positioning on defense, Boehm was poised and ready by the net, prepared to receive a pass and shoot before the Terrapins could reset by the goal. 

That pass came from graduate student Bryce Clay who, seeing Boehm wide open, caught the Maryland goalkeeper off guard by passing the ball to Boehm across the cage. Once he caught the pass, Boehm hurled it into the back of the net, scoring the final goal of the game and putting Michigan up 14-5. 

Boehm both started and ended the game that led the Wolverines to their first-ever Big Ten Championship win. Propelled by his standout performance, Michigan made history on Saturday — and awaits the opportunity to make history again in the NCAA Tournament.

And, as his newfound title suggests, Boehm has proved all season that he is — and will continue to be — one of Michigan’s most valuable players. 

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With 12 seconds left in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal matchup, sophomore attacker Jill Smith cut through the center to score the game’s final goal. But even as Smith and the No. 16 Michigan women’s lacrosse team pushed to the very end, it wasn’t enough. The Wolverines continue to have a dark cloud hanging over their head: No. 1 Northwestern.

On Thursday, Michigan faced the Wildcats for the second time this season — and in similar fashion, the Wolverines (11-7 overall, 3-3 Big Ten) were overpowered as they fell to the relentless Northwestern (16-1, 6-0), 18-11. Despite the continuous shots taken by Michigan, every goal scored was answered by two or more from the Wildcats. 

“We knew we’d have to put up a really solid effort to beat them,” Wolverines coach Hannah Nielsen said. “I thought we fought hard to the end when things were going our way and weren’t going our way.”

The first quarter set the tone for Michigan, immediately starting from behind and playing catch up to Northwestern. The Wildcats opened on a three-goal streak before graduate attacker Kaley Thompson ripped a ball to score and end the Wolverines’ early scoring drought. 

Just 30 seconds later, though, Northwestern scored again. Heading into the second quarter, Michigan faced a four-goal deficit as the Wolverines struggled to even gain possession. 

Possession starts at the draw controls, where the Wolverines failed to find consistent success. Overall, they took 13 of 32 draw controls and only three in the first quarter alongside three ground balls.

“I think the best form of defense against Northwestern is to have the ball in your stick,” Nielsen said. “The possession ended up being a massive part of the game. I think it told the story.”

That story may have ended bitterly for Michigan, but the Wolverines did find their peak later on in the game. 

The second quarter saw more life from Michigan. Smith was able to break through and score at the start of the period, sparking life in the Wolverines’ offense. Sophomore attacker Kaylee Dyer converted for a free position goal shortly after. Without time for Northwestern to respond, halftime gave Michigan a chance to turn the game around.

And in the third quarter, the Wolverines came on the field as a different team.

Converting with woman-up chances has been a consistent struggle throughout the season for Michigan, costing them games as those missed opportunities added up. However, yellow cards on the Wildcats lit the match for the Wolverines on offense. Smith and junior attacker Caroline Davis both provided goals through these chances, trimming Northwestern’s lead to 11-8.

Only down two goals to the top-ranked team in the country, the Wolverines had a chance to change their history. 

“When we had (the ball), we were confident with what we could do with it,” Nielsen said. 

However, the story quickly turned sour for Michigan in the fourth quarter. 

Smith and Thompson both earned their third goals of the game to start the quarter down 13-10 after the Wildcats also tacked on two more. However, as it had done throughout the entire game, Northwestern continued to counter Michigan’s efforts with goals of its own. 

The Wolverines became unrecognizable compared to their second and third-quarter play. With dropped passes and the issue of yellow cards, it looked like Michigan became its own enemy —- similar to its first matchup against the Wildcats. 

And when Smith scored the final goal of the game, the Wolverines’ chances were missed once again to Northwestern, and the program will continue to fight for its first win against the Wildcats. 

“One of the assistant coaches said it best in the locker room afterwards,” Nielsen said. “The best preparation you could possibly have going into the first round of the (NCAA) Tournament is playing the number one team in the country and playing them well.”

Northwestern took out Michigan in this year’s Big Ten Tournament, and the Wildcats overpowered the Wolverines in the second round of last year’s NCAA Tournament. Repeating history once again, Michigan was placed in Northwestern’s region for this year’s upcoming NCAA Tournament. With Central Michigan as the first matchup, the Wolverines are one game away from facing the Wildcats for the third time this year.

Playing the best team in the country could help Michigan prepare, but beating them continues to be a feat the Wolverines have yet to conquer. 

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On Thursday, the Michigan men’s lacrosse team entered the Big Ten semifinals against Penn State with a chance to redeem themselves after a crushing fourth-quarter loss to the Nittany Lions during the regular season. The question was whether or not the Wolverines had improved enough after the first-round victory to pull off another win — this time against the top-seeded team.

Fortunately for Michigan, the answer was yes. 

On Thursday, the fifteenth-ranked Wolverines (8-6 overall, 2-3 Big Ten) upset No. 4 Penn State (9-4, 4-2), 17-15, in the semifinals of the Big Ten Championship. With this win, Michigan has advanced to the Big Ten Championship game for the first time in program history. 

“For this program, we’ve been systematically building this thing for 12 years off of the foundation that Coach Paul put out there,” Michigan coach Kevin Conry said. “I’m really proud of the way that these guys have taken ownership of this team. And now, we have an argument here. We’re still alive, and we’re competing for a Big Ten Championship, and we’re in the conversation for that large count.”

Indeed, the Wolverines have lived to play another lacrosse game. But, at the start of the match, their future was uncertain. 

In the first quarter, the evenly-matched teams battled as each goal scored by the Nittany Lions was quickly answered by Michigan. While the Wolverines consistently trailed by a lone point for the majority of the period, a quick goal by sophomore midfielder Emmett Houlihan in the final seconds of the quarter would tie the teams at five.

In spite of being tied, junior goalie Shane Carr’s lackluster performance — with only one save — foreshadowed the trouble that would soon ensue. 

Penn State immediately brought the heat, scoring a goal less than two minutes into the start of the second quarter. While the Michigan offense did manage to net three goals that period amidst the wall of Nittany Lions defenders, its defense struggled to fend off Penn State’s aggressive offense.

Using their speed and clever footwork, the Nittany Lions’ offense poked holes in the Wolverines’ defense that allowed them opportunities to score. As they sprinted towards the goal and unleashed ball after ball, Carr was struggling to block the shots. While he made four saves, he was unable to block the other five, putting Penn State up 10-8 at the half. 

As they emerged from the locker room, Michigan made noticeable changes. While they had a newfound sense of energy, they also had a new goalie — freshman Hunter Taylor. 

“It was extremely difficult,” Conry said. “We pulled Shane out, and just kind of talked to him, and we made a decision together. It showed how mature and selfless he is to say, ‘I could battle back, but I think Hunter would give us the best chance at winning.’” 

So, with Taylor in the goal, the Wolverines once again aimed for victory. 

Looking to score immediately, senior attacker Kevin Pimental sprinted towards the goal as senior attacker Josh Zawada simultaneously lured the defense away, creating an opening. Zawada quickly passed the ball to Pimental, who, as soon as the ball was secure in his stick, pivoted and hurled the ball into the back of the net. 

This goal was big for Michigan not only because it kickstarted the Wolverines’ momentum for the quarter, but also in the sense that — with his assist — Zawada became the first player in program history to total 200 points in their career. 

Building off this, the Wolverines went on a 5-0 run, erasing the Nittany Lions’ lead. While Penn State’s offense fought hard to answer these goals, the Wolverines’ defense had buckled down, successfully fending off the attackers. What shots that the Nittany Lions were able to take were blocked by Taylor, who totaled four saves during the period. 

And, as the final 15 minutes of the game approached, Michigan had the lead, 14-11. 

“I think it was just kind of taking a deep breath at half-time and recommitting to doing all of the things that we talk about and take pride in,” junior attacker Michael Boehm said. “So, I don’t think anything about our game plan changed, but just our mindset.” 

The Wolverines’ dedication to playing their brand of lacrosse paid off as the game neared its end. 

Despite Penn State’s 3-0 run in the final minutes of the game, Michigan remained in the lead as the buzzer sounded. 

But even with this historic win, the Wolverines have made one thing clear; the job is not done. They want the championship, and their performance during this game has finally put it within arms reach. 

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