Michigan 5, Johns Hopkins 14

I don’t think there was a whole lot of doubt about the eventual outcome for this game, but Michigan didn’t seem to come out to compete at the beginning of the contest. Things got better throughout though, and you can see clear signs of growth.

Tempo Free

From the official box score, a look at the tempo-free stats:

Johns Hopkins 2014
Michigan Johns Hopkins
Faceoff Wins 14 Faceoff Wins 9
Clearing 21-22 Clearing 24-29
Possessions 41 Possessions 39
Goals 5 Goals 14
Offensive Efficiency .122 Offensive Efficiency .359

This was a pretty fast game, in part because Hopkins had a pretty easy time scoring when they had the ball, and in part because Michigan seemed to be lobbing it to the keeper on all their possessions, in relatively quick fashion.

Michigan actually won the possession battle (that’s a huge, huge step for the program), but didn’t have a whole lot of success on either end of the field, with a totally moribund offensive performance and a defense that – while improved from the Penn State game – isn’t going to win a whole lot of contests.

Notes

The main positive point was Michigan’s performance on faceoffs. I’ve been advocating Brad Lott for a while, but he completely dominated a team that has been unbelievable the past couple years. Drew Kennedy approached .600 last year and had been at .750 before the Michigan game. He got pulled after going 6/14 against Lott. Hopkins, despite much better wing play than Michigan (the benefits of being able to recruit the best sticks in the country every year) got smoked by Lott.

The other aspect of the possession game, the clear/ride phases, also went Michigan’s way. Again, that’s something of a surprise. Hopkins hasn’t ridden pretty much anyone this year despite being a ride-heavy team the last couple seasons, but Michigan’s more than able to mess things up for itself without a heavy ride. One failed clear all game is outstanding. So too is riding the best sticks in the country to 83% on their clears. Michigan can do some things.

In this one, those things did not include “put the lacrosse ball in the back of the net.” Hopkins was up 6-0 before Michigan scored, and 12-1 before the Wolverines did it again. The offense – despite its upgrades in talent and experience – struggled against a good Hopkins defense. It wasn’t because they couldn’t get shots off – 41 in the game – or even on the cage, they just couldn’t beat the keeper. Part of that is simply going against Eric Schneider (19 saves, four goals against), and part is not yet having the athletes or savvy to go against one of the best defenses in the country.

Those who did score obviously did it infrequently, with David McCormack, Kyle Jackson, David Joseph, Doug Bryant, and Riley Kennedy each getting a score, with Peter Kraus notching the lone assist of the day. That’s hardly the usual suspects (Kennedy’s goal was the first of his career, Kraus got his second-ever assist), but it’s not really because of the same issues we saw last year. There wasn’t much volume-shooting out of Jackson (four, with three on cage) and Mike Hernandez (two with one on goal), but rather the shots were distributed among a number of players. That speaks to team play, but also to not freeing up the guys Michigan wants to get shots for (three, with one on goal, for Ian King).

Another thing Michigan did relatively well offensively was hold onto the ball. Turning it over 14 times in 41 possessions isn’t bad, especially for a team like Michigan that has been liable to giving it away in the past.

On the other side of the ball, Hopkins (which, it must be noted, is Hopkins) turned it over 19 times on 39 possessions (nearly half their possessions! Hopkins!). Michigan caused 11 of those, so a slightly aggressive scheme against a team with really high skill level is a sign of confidence, at the very least.

Unfortunately, when Hopkins wasn’t turning the ball over, they were scoring it. the Blue Jays spread the wealth, much like Michigan did, but was able to produce much more. Wells Stanwick with a single goal and three assists was the leading point-getter. Hopkins shot a less fewer times than Michigan though, and Robbie Zonino had difficulty slowing them down. That’s going to happen against these guys, because they’re good. If Gerald Logan was healthier, Michigan’s defense would have looked a bit better, but there’s a wide gap to close there.

Freshman defenseman Andrew Hatton got his first career start, and responded with two caused turnovers. Another sign of the youth movement for Michigan, but probably a partial explanation of Hopkins seeming to get whatever shot they wanted.

As expected, this was a really cleanly played game, with a slash against Ian King and a push against Hopkins’ Bronson Kelly the only penalties. Both teams cashed in on the man-up.

We saw this last year, but Hopkins clearly let off the gas, or the game could have been uglier. Dave Pietramala (who earned his 150th win as JHU coach) and John Paul are friends, sure. There’s an element of respect there too, since teams know Michigan is going to be better soon. No need to rub it in that they’re not there yet.

Elsewhere

Michigan recap. Johns Hopkins recap. Hopkins highlights. Inside Lacrosse recap.

Up Next

Michigan faces another stiff test when Cornell comes to town this weekend. The Big Red don’t have Rob Pannell anymore, but I suspect they’ll still be pretty good. The game’s Oosterbaan location gives Michigan a bit of a boost, but this will be a tough one.

That should drop Michigan below .500 (most likely), then there’s an opportunity to return above it on a road swing to High Point and Furman. ECAC play begins after that, with Bellarmine the first test.

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