Michigan
4-5
Massachusetts
6-1
Wolverines Fall to No. 20 UMass in Big House Debut
3/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
» Massachusetts outshot Michigan 17-6 in the first half and took an 8-2 advantage into the intermission. The Minutewomen scored five of their eight first-half goals in the last 8:44 of the half.
» The Wolverines had a span of three straight goals in the second half, but Massachusetts scored five unanswered to end the game, as U-M went into a higher-pressure defense to attempt to regain possession.
» U-M caused 14 of UMass's 20 turnovers, which is just one shy of the program record for caused turnovers in a single game but committed 25 turnovers of its own.
» Michigan's five goals were scored by juniors Kim Coughlan (2), Anna Schueler and Natalie Carti.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Michigan Stadium)
Score: #20 Massachusetts 15, Michigan 5
Records: U-M (4-5), UMass (6-1)
Attendance: 317
Next U-M Event: Sunday, March 20 -- vs. Duquesne (Michigan Stadium), 1 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's lacrosse team dropped a 15-5 decision to No. 20 Massachusetts (6-1) on Friday (March 18) in its first game inside Michigan Stadium this season. The Minutewomen scored five goals in the last nine minutes of each half to secure the win for the visitors.
Junior Kim Coughlan led the Wolverines with two goals, and junior Kelly Schlansker scored her first of the season from a free-position shot. Juniors Natalie Carti and Anna Schueler added Michigan's other two goals. Two of the Wolverines' five scores came from the eight meter.
The Minutewoman opened the scoring less than 30 seconds into the game and then added another exactly four minutes later to make it 2-0 at the 25:34 mark. Michigan did not hesitate to respond, with Carti finding the net less than two minutes later after catching a feed from junior Jess Angerman and faking out UMass goalie Sam Walters.
Neither team found the net again until 8:44 remained in the half -- nearly a 13-minute scoring drought for both teams. The Minutewomen then scored three consecutive goals to make it 6-1 with 3:42 to play in the opening stanza. Coughlan scored at the 3:13 mark to end the 20-minute drought for the Wolverines, cutting through the defense to fire home an unassisted goal (6-2).
After taking an 8-2 advantage into the break, the visitors added two more goals early in the second half to extend their lead to 10-2. Michigan found a spark, however, scoring three straight goals to cut the deficit to 10-5 with 15:08 remaining. Schlansker picked up the first goal in that run after earning a free-position shot. Schueler added a free-position shot from the opposite hash, firing through a tight window to beat the UMass goalie Aileen Kelly, and Coughlan scored another unassisted goal after the Wolverines went a man-up.
Massachusetts scored a flurry of goals late in the game after the Maize and Blue switched to a high-pressure defense in an effort to regain possession. The Minutewomen scored five consecutive goals in a span of 5:58, making the score 15-5 with less than two minutes left in the game. Michigan had one last scoring chance as time expired, but the last-second shot went wide of the cage.
Defensively, the Wolverines caused 14 of UMass's 20 turnovers, with junior Kelly Kubach causing a team-best three turnovers, but U-M committed 25 turnovers of its own.
Tweet of the Game
Congrats to FR Ari Vespa on earning her first collegiate start after a great week of practice! #hardworkpaysoff pic.twitter.com/5CHNA1iJlj
-- Michigan Lacrosse (@umichwlax) March 18, 2016
Up next, the Wolverines will remain at home to host Duquesne on Sunday (March 20) at 1 p.m. inside Michigan Stadium. Tickets for that game are available by visiting MGoBlue.com/tickets. Select Wolverines will be available for autographs following the conclusion of Sunday's game.
