Michigan Beats Saint Joseph's

After a disappointing (non)result to the game versus the University of Detroit, which was called after repeated weather delays, the University of Michigan lacrosse team finally broke through and earned their first victory of the season, and their first win at Michigan Stadium by beating the Saint Joseph's Hawks (5-9, 1-4 CAA) 11-8 on April 20th.

Mike Hernandez put Michigan on the board first, followed by a wide open score off of the face-off by Brad Lott. The Wolverines did a good job of spreading the ball around and making Saturday's (April 20) win a team effort, too. Scoring was led by Thomas Paras, with three scores and two assists. Kyle Jackson followed with two scores and two assists of his own, while David McCormack, Will Meter, and Mike Francia also tallied goals in the win over the Hawks.

While Saint Joseph's may not be the cream of the crop in D-1 lacrosse this year, Saturday's win was still...well, a win. And the win actually does matter. Why? Because of the old cliche that says winning builds confidence, and winning has to start somewhere. Putting together a string of six goals in the second half without being outscored should tell Team Two that they do have what it takes to cut the throat of their opponent; they can stay with a team and not get too down, even if they are down in score. They didn't let Saint Joseph's score more than two consecutive goals at any point in the game, and the Maize and Blue were able to score four consecutive from 6:00 to go in the third quarter to 10:49 to go in the fourth.

This positive effort doesn't mean that Michigan will be able to beat Denver on April 27, but the team can surely go into the off-season knowing that they have the ability to put together something good on the field. Even with only one win in 2013, coach John Paul should be proud of this team and the effort that they've put forth.