That probably wasn’t the way first-year head coach Jake Richard envisioned his first game as head coach of Marquette men’s lacrosse going.
The Golden Eagles (0-1) were only able to muster one score in their 14-1 loss to No. 5 Michigan (1-0) at U-M Lacrosse Stadium Saturday afternoon. Senior attackman Conor McCabe scored the opening goal of the match for MU with 11:49 to play in the first quarter. The Wolverines would hold the Golden Eagles scoreless for the rest of the day, limiting them to just 11 shots on goal.
Michigan got its scoring started at the 5:49 mark of the first frame when senior attackmen Ryan Cohen evened the game up at one. Senior midfielder Brandon Plemmons then broke the tie with an unassisted goal with 13:49 to play in the second quarter, and the Wolverines were off to the races from there.
“You have to give a lot of credit to Michigan,” Richard said. “They’ve proven to have a championship culture and have great athletes up and down the field. They put a lot of pressure on us, and we didn’t convert enough in early moments to slow them down.”
Michigan scored five goals in the second period, two in the third, and six in the fourth, while also outshooting Marquette 49-26. Offensively, the Wolverines were led by Cohen and sophomore attackmen Jack Jenkins, who each recorded four points with two goals and two assists.
“Ultimately, you can’t win a game losing the ground ball battle and clearing the way we did,” Richard. “This isn’t who we will be, but this is where we’re at today.”
The Golden Eagles return to Milwaukee for their home opener against Detroit Mercy on Feb. 8. The opening faceoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CST at Valley Fields.
This story was written by Matthew Baltz. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter/X @MatthewBaltzMU.
