Michigan
2-2
Merrimack
1-3
Wolverines Take Home Loss Against Merrimack
2/22/2020 4:35:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
» Josh Zawada led U-M with three goals, marking the second hat trick of his U-M career.
» Kevin Mack extended his point streak to 29 games as he scored a goal at the 2:12 mark of the first quarter.
» The contest featured three ties in the second half and was knotted at 11 going into the final quarter.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (U-M Lacrosse Stadium)
Score: Merrimack 14, Michigan 12
Attendance: 391
Records: U-M (2-2), MC (1-3)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Feb. 29 -- vs. St. John's (U-M Lacrosse Stadium), 3 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's lacrosse team fell to Merrimack, 14-12, on Saturday (Feb. 22) at U-M Lacrosse Stadium. The contest saw three ties in the second half, and U-M led by as many as two goals early in the third quarter, but Merrimack outscored U-M, 3-1, in the fourth quarter.
Michigan (2-2) fell behind, 4-1, midway through the opening quarter, but a marker from freshman Josh Zawada on a man-up chance cut the Merrimack lead to 6-5 at the 8:11 mark of the second quarter. The teams traded goals to make the score 7-6 in favor of Merrimack with 6:45 to play before a score from freshman Dylan Gardner on a feel from sophomore Bryce Clay tied the game at 7 less than 30 seconds later.
Zawada closed the half with his third goal of the game with 11 ticks left on the second-quarter clock to give U-M an 8-7 lead going into the intermission.
Coming out of the locker room, U-M stretched its lead to 9-7 on an outstanding effort from sophomore faceoff man Nick Rowlett, who won the faceoff, dodged past a defender on the wing, and dove across the crease for his first collegiate goal at 14:44 of the third quarter.
Merrimack tied the game at 9 on a man-up goal from Jack Richards at 12:12, and the two sides traded goals throughout the rest of the quarter. The scoreline sat at 11-11 entering the final period.
From there, the Warriors' Charlie Bertrand scored his fifth of the day at 13:55 to make it 12-11, and Sean Black increased Merrimack's lead to 13-11 at the 12:07 mark. Junior Ben Keller scored his second goal of the day with 7:50 remaming in the fourth quarter cut Michigan's deficit to one goal, 13-12, but U-M was held scoreless the rest of the way.
The victory for Merrimack, the two-time defending NCAA Division II Champion, is their first Division I win in program history. U-M was unable to overcome an 11-for-29 effort at the faceoff dot and also lost on ground balls, 31-27. Senior goalie Matt Trowbridge and sophomore John Kiracofe split the game in goal and combined to make 14 saves.
Zawada had a team-high three goals, while Keller and graduate Rocco Sutherland had two markers. Clay had six ground ball pickups.
Tweet of the Game
Quite the way to start the half.
— Michigan Men's Lacrosse (@UMichLacrosse) February 22, 2020
9-7 lead.#WearIt | #Scrum20? pic.twitter.com/snECQZPhn9
U-M will remain home for its next contest, a Saturday (Feb. 29) matchup against St. John's at 3 p.m. inside U-M Lacrosse Stadium. The matchup will follow the Michigan women's lacrosse team, which will play host to Colorado at noon.
