Michigan Men’s Lacrosse 2020 Season Preview

It’s early February so that means Michigan lacrosse is ready to kick off its 2020 season. Coach Kevin Conry is coming off a disappointing 4-9 campaign in his second season after going 8-4 and missing out on the Big Ten tournament in his first year. The team returns a fair amount of talent but will again face a brutal Big Ten schedule as well as out-of-conference clashes with Yale and Notre Dame. 

Michigan has yet to settle into a groove under Coach Conry and has experienced two very different seasons under his tenure so far. But, he has shown that he can beat Michigan’s biggest rivals, notching wins over Notre Dame and Penn State in 2018 and Ohio State last year. His squad just needs to put it all together and turn the proverbial corner. While it may look difficult, several good wins and Big Ten and NCAA tournament berths are not totally out of the question. 

Here’s a quick roster breakdown and brief game previews:

Offense: Michigan returns some offensive firepower in quick-footed attackmen Kevin Mack and Alex Buckanavage who combined for a total of 44 goals and 41 assists between them last year. The attack unit unfortunately loses its crease threat and all-time leading scorer Brent Noseworthy who will be difficult to replace.

The offensive midfield will feature reliable senior Avery Myers and super sophomore Bryce Clay. Myers (24G, 10A) has shown a knack for scoring and Clay displayed offensive flare and was a pleasant surprise last year (22G, 6A). Overall, Michigan’s offensive unit scored 11.68 goals per game and their .322 shot percentage was good enough for 9th in the country last year. But that was on incredibly low usage - they only got off 460 shots; only a handful of D-1 teams took fewer shots. 

Defense: Finn Goonan is the team’s best defensive player and will play long-stick middie. A collection of freshman and sophomores will make up the close D. Pete Hollen is back at defensive midfield (now a grad student) and he will be joined by Andrew Russell who spent the fall as a defensive back on the football team.

Michigan was 16th in caused turnovers last year which is pretty good, but they were very poor in scoring defense - yielding more than 13 goals a game, 63rd in the country. They were a weak clearing team as well which is a major issue for a team that can’t win faceoffs and does not get off a lot of shots. These are fixable issues however and hopefully should see improvement this year. Coach Conry is a defensive guru and his teams at Maryland sported excellent defenses.

Special Teams: Man-up and man-down were both OK in 2019, ranking from good to middle of the pack nationally. But more than anything Michigan needs drastic improvement on face-offs. The FO unit was a nightmare last year ranking 69th (out of 73) and Michigan spent much of the season trying Goonan at the X (if a long stick is taking faceoffs, it’s usually not a good sign). Goalie is also a major question mark coming into this season and it looks like senior Matt Trowbridge will start the year in the cage. 

 

SEASON PREVIEW

Feb. 8, Cleveland State, 1 PM                                                                                                            Head on down to the State Street facility tomorrow to see Michigan kick off its season against the Vikings (?) of Cleveland State. Cleveland State was fairly meh last year but finished 8-7, with Michigan besting them 10-8 in the 2019 opener. These guys already have a game under their belt this year though. They took Marquette to OT last week but lost. This one is a bit more nerve-wracking for a season opener than we thought it would be. At least it’s at home.                                                            Prediction: Michigan should win but it might be a little too close for comfort. 

 

Feb. 15 @ Hofstra, 11 AM                                                                                                                      The HOFSTRA FLYING DUTCHMEN are traditionally a proud program and for a long time existed right outside of Blue Blood territory but were seemingly snakebit in the tournament every year. They haven’t been able to find their footing since John Danowski left for Duke however and they’ve been fairly middling ever since. After going 11-3 and barely missing the NCAAs in 2017, Hofstra has suffered back-to-back losing seasons. But, this is a great matchup - Hofstra usually gets good crowds (especially in nice weather) and Michigan should try to play here every other year if possible. I grew up going to games there so I have a soft spot in my heart for Hofstra. If you’re in the NY area go check it out and hit up Chrebet’s afterwards (is it still there?). A bunch of NY alums will likely be in attendance at this one.    Prediction: Tossup because of the unpredictability of Hofstra; slight edge to Michigan.

 

Feb. 18, Canisius, 4 PM                                                                                                                              I don’t know anything about Canisius so I won't say a lot about this game. John Beilein coached there once.                                                                                                                                              Prediction: Michigan better win.

 

Feb. 22, Merrimack, 1 PM                                                                                                                            I don’t really know shit about Merrimack either (Massachusetts?) but I know this is their first season in Division 1 and they were D-2 national champs last year. Also, I’m fairly certain Coach Conry’s brother played for them in the late 90s/early 2000s. Feel free to hold onto that totally useful fact.                  Prediction: Merrimack will probably be somewhat tough but Michigan should win.

 

Feb. 29, St. John’s, 3 PM                                                                                                                            I like how Coach Conry has two NYC-area teams on the schedule so Michigan is making at least one trip there every year. It is very much still a hotbed for recruiting. Michigan handled St. John’s last year in Queens 16-11.                                                                                                                                Prediction: SJU finished 4-10 in 2019; Michigan should win again. 

 

Mar. 7, Yale (in Costa Mesa, Calif.), 7 PM                                                                                    Michigan resumes it’s neutral site series with the Yale Elis (Bulldogs, Whiffenpoofs, whatever) this year in Costa Mesa, CA. They beat Michigan 17-11 in Atlanta last year on their way to a 15-3 season and an appearance in the national championship game where they lost to a fast and physical Virginia team. Yale won the title in 2018 and Michigan actually gave them a run for their money that year, taking a lead late into the 3rd before Yale pulled away. Yale is an established powerhouse now and they start out the season ranked #3 in the country.                                                                                                  Prediction: Bad news for Michigan: Yale returns TD Ierlan one of the greatest faceoff men of all-time. It could be a loooong day. Yale will win. 

 

Mar. 11, Marquette, 4 PM                                                                                                              Marquette has been a tough out for the last several years under Coach Joe Amplo. They joined Division 1 shortly after Michigan did but found success much more quickly. They wontheir conference and qualified for the NCAAs in both 2016 and 2017. They’ve tailed off a bit in 2019 but they’ve knocked off some impressive teams in recent years including Ohio State, Georgetown and Denver. The Golden Eagles beat Michigan 16-13 last year. They are no slouch.                                                            Prediction: Tossup; edge to Marquette. It would be a good non-conference W for Michigan if they can pull it off. 

 

Mar 15, @ Notre Dame, 4 PM (on ESPNU)                                                                                                 Hooray! First, let’s celebrate the fact that this game is no longer played at 3 o’clock in the afternoon on a Tuesday (although 4 PM Sunday sounds like it will be during the height of NCAA March Madness). Second, we can also celebrate that ND’s superb assistant Gerry Byrne, has departed for the head coach position at Harvard. Michigan snuck up on ND two years ago, giving Conry his first marquee victory and the program’s first ever win over their hated rival. ND got revenge last year though, downing Michigan 12-9 in Ann Arbor.                                                                                                          Prediction: ND is ranked #7 to start the year and still have plenty of talent but it will be interesting to see how Byrne’s absence affects them. ND should win but another upset is certainly possible. 

 

Mar. 21 @ Delaware, 12 PM                                                                                                                Don’t have much to say about this game but it could be a struggle for Michigan. The Blue Hens won 10 wins last year, including a 16-13 victory over Michigan.                                                                      Prediction: Delaware seems to be ahead of schedule under hotshot young coach Ben DeLuca. I give them the edge. Would be nice to see Michigan steal one from a good team on the road, though. 

 

Mar. 28 @ Johns Hopkins, 12 PM (on ESPNU)                                                                                        Michigan continues a pretty brutal road stretch by heading to Baltimore to take on Hopkins in the conference opener. Michigan lost a fairly uninspired game to the Blue Jays last year at home in which they ran out to a 5-3 lead in the first quarter but didn’t score again until the 4th, giving up 10 unanswered goals along the way and losing 14-6. Coach Conry is a protege of Head Coach Dave Petramala and would like to get a big win over his mentor. Hopkins starts out #13 in the country.          Prediction: Hopkins hasn’t looked great the last few years and but they always seem to beat Michigan. I think they do it again in 2020.

 

Apr. 5, Maryland, 12 PM (on ESPNU)                                                                                                        This is another mentor-mentee matchup for Coach Conry; he served as an assistant to Coach John Tillman for several years including their national championship season in 2017. Maryland is the most consistent program in the country and is locked and loaded again in 2020. The Terps are ranked #4 to start the year and crushed High Point last week 23-12. They should compete for a national championship once again.                                                                                                            Prediction: Michigan has never beaten Maryland and won’t this year either. This is one of the solid L’s I see on the schedule. 

 

Apr. 10, Rutgers, 7 PM (on ESPNU) 
A Saturday night game at home should be fun for Michigan and fans of the Maize and Blue. BUT, Rutgers returns some deadly scorers and more importantly has had Michigan’s number the last several years. The Scarlet Knights snuck past Michigan 11-9 last year but beat the ever-living shit out of them in 2018 and 2017. This is a game Michigan must have if it wants to keep pace in the B1G. Two wins should get Michigan into the conference tournament; this has to be one of them.                                      Prediction: Michigan? I’m basing this on nothing. Luck’s gotta change sometime, I guess?

 

Apr. 19 @ Penn State, 12 PM (on ESPNU)                                                                                                Preseason #1 Penn State comes off its best-season ever which featured a run to the Final 4. Jeff Tambroni has finally transformed the Nittany Lions into the offensive fllamethrower everyone thought they would become when he first arrived from Cornell. Penn State will be on the hunt for its first-ever NCAA championship in 2020. They return senior superstar attackmen Grant Ament and Mac O’Keefe who combined for an absurd 222 points last year. Since Michigan knocked off the Nittany Lions to close the 2018 season they have been on an absolute tear.                                                                  Prediction: Michigan. Nah, I’m kidding - Penn State. 

 

Apr. 25 @ Ohio State, Time TBD                                                                                                    Michigan pulled a big upset last year, dropping the Buckeyes 13-10 in the last game of the year, spoiling Ohio State’s chance at a bid in the B1G tournament.This is what you are supposed to do to your rival. BEAT THEM AGAIN!!!!!!                                                                                                                Prediction: MICHIGAN.

 

Michigan has a lot of work to do at the faceoff X and they need to tighten up on defense and generate more opportunities at attack. And with one of the toughest schedules in the country, they certainly have their work cut out for them. But, the early portion of the schedule is pretty soft, so it’s certainly possible that Michigan could get out to a 5-0 start before spring break (and Yale) comes around. And while the conference is brutal, if they can claw their way to two wins, they’ll likely get into the conference tournament for the first time, a big milestone for this program. Here’s to a successful 2020! GO GET ‘EM BOYS AND GO BLUE!!!!