2018 College Lacrosse Fall Ball Calendar

Lacrosse fans fawning over the potential of an offensive explosion next spring in light of the shot clock might find it odd to hear Michigan coach Kevin Conry get excited about how it will help his defense.

Conry, who as an assistant at Maryland developed a reputation as one of the sport’s brightest defensive minds, can’t wait to strategize within the confines of an 80-second possession.

“Shorter possessions work in our favor,” said Conry, who led the Wolverines to an 8-6 record in his first season in Ann Arbor, including wins over Notre Dame and Penn State.

Michigan’s defense ranked slightly better than middle of the pack last spring, allowing 9.71 goals per game (27th nationally). It was a vast improvement, considering the Wolverines’ previous average of 11.29 (50th) in 2017 and had never finished in single figures.

Still, opponents found ways to wear down Michigan with lengthy, sustained possessions. In grading out the defense, Conry discovered lapses in the 90-second to two-minute range. The new rules will benefit the more buttoned-up defenses, he said.

“The shot clock has been a welcomed change for us here,” he said. “We certainly like the pace.”

Forgive Conry for sounding excited. The Wolverines are coming off a season in which they jumped out to a 7-2 mark — the best start in program history — stumbled badly against Maryland, Rutgers and Ohio State, and then narrowly lost to Johns Hopkins before playing spoiler with a 10-9 overtime triumph at Penn State in the season finale.

The midseason swoon could be attributed at least partially to the untimely departure of offensive coordinator Conor Ford, who resigned in mid-April in part because of an altercation with midfielder Decker Curran during the Rutgers game.

“Like everything in life, there’s going to be some adversity and external pressure,” Conry said. “Our kids handled it nicely.”

Beating the Nittany Lions in the season finale provided a measure of vindication — Curran scored the game-winner — and momentum that has carried over into this fall. Justin Turri has come on board as the offensive coordinator after serving in the same role at Harvard last season.

“There’s a good, positive vibe with realizing that we should have taken an even bigger step last year. We felt like we let a few of those games get away from us,” Conry said. “We learned a lot of lessons. The most important one we learned was belief.”

Curran, of Greenwich, Conn., and Canadian Brent Noseworthy (school-record 48 points), of Burlington, Ontario, provide the Wolverines with an enviable one-two senior punch in the midfield. All told, Michigan returns nearly 90 percent of its scoring and all but one starter (midfielder Chase Young). Goalie Tommy Heidt is back for a fifth year as a redshirt senior and graduate student.

Conry praised the previous coaching staff for keeping the cupboard stocked with such talent. He also expressed excitement about the current crop of freshmen — namely Michigan native Bryce Clay, the state’s all-time leading scorer in high school, and defenseman Andrew Darby, who has exhibited the “winning mentality” ingrained in him while playing for national power Darien (Conn.).

“This is probably the most talent Michigan has put on the field in our eight years of existence here,” Conry said.

The Wolverines reported for fall ball a bit later than most teams, moving in after Labor Day and doing nothing but strength and conditioning for the first two weeks. They’ve only had three days of actual practice, most of which has been spent acclimating to the new rules. Michigan will host Denver in its lone fall exhibition Oct. 14.

“Our world has changed,” Conry said. “We are now in the shot clock era.”

A previous version of this article stated that former offensive coordinator Conor Ford was fired. A Michigan spokesperson clarified that Ford resigned on his own terms. US Lacrosse Magazine regrets the error.

FALL BALL FOCUS
Big Ten

Teams listed in order of last year’s regular-season standings

Maryland
4-1 Big Ten, 14-3 Overall

The Terps are nearing dynasty mode with four straight trips to the final four, though they have only the 2017 NCAA championship to show for it. Whether you call him a midfielder or an attackman, Connor Kelly was the epicenter of Maryland’s offense, and the Tewaaraton finalist will be missed dearly. But Jared Bernhardt (40 goals, 16 assists), Bubba Fairman (26 goals) and Logan Wisnauskas (35 goals, 15 assists) must be respected at all corners of the offensive box. Will Snider also emerged toward the end of the season, notably scoring the tying and winning goals in an overtime triumph of Johns Hopkins. Much like their longtime rival (see below), the Terps are looking for a new goalie. Unlike the Blue Jays, however, Maryland has consistently produced excellence out of that position. Danny Dolan and Cameron Brosh played sparingly last season, while Andrew Morris (no relation) was the No. 2-rated goalie in last year’s freshman class.

Johns Hopkins
3-2 Big Ten, 12-5 Overall

The Blue Jays appeared dead in the water after back-to-back February losses to Loyola and North Carolina, only to win 11 of their next 13 games as their defense rounded into form. That unit will be the backbone, led by third-team All-American Patrick Foley and dynamic long pole Robert Kuhn. Attackmen Kyle Marr (41 goals, 17 assists) and Cole Williams (35 goals, 14 assists) pose significant matchup problems for opponents, but who’s drawing slides from the midfield and stretching the defense after the graduation of Joel Tinney and Patrick Fraser, respectively — lest anyone underestimate the absence of a steady hand like Shack Stanwick? The reigning Big Ten tournament champs also will turn to an unproven goalie in either sophomore Ryan Darby or freshman Alex Gainey.

Ohio State
3-2 Big Ten, 8-7 Overall

The Buckeyes are like a pendulum. They hit it big in 2013, 2015 and 2017, reaching at least the NCAA quarterfinals in those years and making the final four two seasons ago. They fell short of a postseason bid, however, in each of their subsequent campaigns — including last year, when they were the most dangerous team not to qualify for the NCAA tournament. Junior Tre Leclaire (26 goals, 11 assists) is already a two-time All-American and a force with which to be reckoned whether he’s at midfield or attack. Faceoff man Justin Inacio (61.3 percent) and short-stick defensive midfielder Ryan Terefenko are among the best in the conference at their respective positions.

Rutgers
2-3 Big Ten, 9-6 Overall

Something’s gotta give, right? The snakebitten Scarlet Knights again fell short of an NCAA tournament appearance despite a worthy resume, ending up 1-3 in one-goal games and again losing attackman Adam Charalambides, the former Big Ten Freshman of the Year, for an entire season due to injury.  Rutgers’ six losses came by a combined 11 goals. One might be tempted to say the window has closed with Jules Heningburg and Christian Mazzone graduating on offense and Michael Rexrode leaving a gaping hole in the defense. But the Scarlet Knights got a big lift in June with the announcement that goalie Max Edelmann was granted a sixth year of eligibility. Short-stick defensive midfielder Zackary Franckowiak, a Big Ten All-Tournament honoree in 2016, also returns to the fold after spending two years in Russia on a Mormon mission.

Penn State
2-3 Big Ten, 8-6 Overall

Grant Ament’s season-ending foot injury loomed large over the Nittany Lions’ disappointing finish in 2018. He had 30 goals and 30 assists as an All-American the previous year. Even without Ament, Penn State flashed with a win over Johns Hopkins and blowout of Ohio State. Mac O’Keefe will certainly benefit from the additional attention Ament will draw on attack, Gerard Arceri is the top returning faceoff specialist in the country not named TD Ierlan and Colby Kneese has settled in as a reliable goalie. It’s hard to find any holes in this Nittany Lions roster.

Michigan
1-4 Big Ten, 8-6 Overall

The Wolverines rose to as high as No. 15 in national rankings and boasted wins over Notre Dame and Penn State. They ranked No. 14 nationally in shooting efficiency, per AnalyticsLacrosse.com. While midfield is their strength, both Kevin Mack and Alex Buckanavage posted well as freshmen. The defense returns intact, with Nick DeCaprio still trolling the midfield as a long pole after leading the Big Ten with a school-record 23 caused turnovers. There’s a lot to be excited about in Ann Arbor. Still, Michigan is just 2-18 in four seasons of Big Ten play.