2016 Season Preview: Men's Lacrosse
1/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Jan. 27, 2016
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2016 OUTLOOK
In Michigan's fifth season of varsity lacrosse under head coach John Paul, U-M boasts its first full recruiting cycle and returns its top three point-getters from a year ago in junior Ian King, senior Kyle Jackson and junior Mikie Schlosser, as well as starting goalie in senior/junior Gerald Logan, who was a 2015 All-Big Ten honorable mention.
The attack unit figures to be at its strongest in team history as King and Jackson will team up alongside senior Peter Kraus, sophomore Patrick Tracy and freshman Rocco Sutherland. King enters the 2016 season with a 21-game point-scoring streak, while Jackson fills the role of the lefty attack position after playing three seasons as a midfielder.
The midfield position for the Maize and Blue boasts numerous dynamic downhill dodgers in junior Mikie Schlosser, a Face-Off Yearbook Preseason All-Big Ten selection and senior Mike Hernandez, who had eight goals last year, along with redshirt senior David Joseph (8g., 4a.), another four-year contributor, and incoming consensus top-50 recruit Decker Curran, who enters the fold as a polished freshman.
Defensively, U-M will welcome back close defenders in juniors Andrew Hatton and Stefan Bergman, senior Chris Walker and longstick midfielder senior Chase Brown, who will represent the team as one of four captains. Additionally, senior Charlie Keady will see time in a close defender role, while longstick midfielder Aaron Madaisky, the team's best takeaway defender, could also see an increased role. Two freshman figures who will have a prominent role are MJ Melillo, already known as one of the hardest workers on the squad, as well as LSM Nick DeCaprio, who boasts stellar stickwork and will challenge for time immediately.
The face-off spot will see senior Brad Lott (50 percent) and sophomore Michael McDonnell (36 percent) contribute at the dot and the newest addition of incoming freshman Brent Noseworthy. Brown will provide a longstick option at the dot, a role that he has filled for parts of the past three seasons.
Logan will be the man in the cage once again after missing the 2014 season due to injury. He was featured as one of the top goalies in the Big Ten a season ago and will be backed up by the more than capable junior Robbie Zonino, U-M's 2013 starter.
U-M will also play a top-15 schedule that includes seven home games, six NCAA Tournament teams from a season ago and two Final Four teams at Michigan Stadium in Maryland and Johns Hopkins.
The Wolverines are ranked No. 5 in the preseason Big Ten Poll and are No. 35 in the Inside Lacrosse Face-off Yearbook.
STUDENT-ATHLETES TO WATCH
Kyle Jackson - A - Senior
Jackson, a three-year starter at midfield, will feature at the lefty attack spot as a senior in offensive coordinator Conor Ford's offense. The Sarnia, Ontario, native enters his final campaign as U-M's all-time leading scorer with 58 career goals and 18 assists (76 points). Throughout his career at Michigan, he has been named as Team Offensive MVP, All-ECAC First Team, ECAC All-Rookie Team and ECAC Rookie of the Week. Last year, Jackson started all 13 games at midfield, was second on the team in goals (18), points (22) and shots (56), and had five multi-goal games on the year.
Ian King - A - Junior
King, a 2015 All-Big Ten Honorable mention, earned the honor after leading the team in goals with 23 and tallying 11 assists and 34 points even after missing nearly all of March and four games due to injury. Additionally, he ranked No. 2 in the conference in goals per game (2.56), fourth in points per game (3.78) and second in shots per game (8.56). He was one of two players in the conference to register at least eight points in a game alongside Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Ryan Brown of Johns Hopkins as he registered eight points in a 15-6 win over Detroit (Feb. 14). King marked four hat-tricks on the season, and will enter the 2016 season with a 21-game point scoring streak, which began on March 1, 2014. King has marked off 46 goals, 11 assists and 57 points over the span.
Gerald Logan - G - Senior/Junior
Logan owns the Michigan career goalkeeping record in nearly every category heading into his redshirt junior season. Last year, he started every game in between the pipes for the Wolverines, stopping 54 percent of shots faced and totaling an 11.60 goals-against-average. Logan also ranked in the NCAA top 10 in saves per game (12.84) and is a two-time team MVP (2013, 2015), an All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2015 and 2013 ECAC All-Freshman Team selection.
From left: Kyle Jackson, Gerald Logan, Ian King
KEY COMPETITION
Saturday, April 23 -- vs. Johns Hopkins (Michigan Stadium), 7 p.m.
U-M will close out its regular season with a matchup against the preseason No. 5 Johns Hopkins Blue Jays under the lights at Michigan Stadium. Hopkins treks to U-M for the first time, and Big Ten Tournament positing will be on the line in the penultimate Big Ten regular-season content for both teams. U-M has previously taken on the Blue Jays on three occasions, with all the games being contested in Baltimore.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach John Paul
On moving Kyle Jackson, the program's all-time leading scorer, to attack ... "We were reluctant to move him to attack the last three years partly because we needed him on our first-line midfield. We had some tougher personnel decisions to make these last few seasons, but with Will Meter graduating last year, we had an obvious void at our lefty attack spot, and we wanted to give it a try. We then realized in the first week of fall practice that it would be a great move for our team and for Kyle in general. We are all excited to see how it plays out this season with a great attack unit."
2015 RECAP
Michigan wrapped up its fourth season of varsity lacrosse with a 10-9 loss to Penn State on April 28. U-M equaled its program record of five wins from a year ago and set team records in caused turnovers per game (8.92) and goals-against-average (11.32). Michigan compiled a 5-8 record on the season and 1-4 Big Ten Conference mark in the first season of Big Ten lacrosse. The team also set the new program standard for winning percentage in a season. Additionally, U-M went 4-5 in home games, doubling the previous high of two wins, and started the season with a 2-0 record and was 3-1 after four games. The win in the matchup against Penn State would have given U-M a berth in the Big Ten Tournament, as U-M earned a tiebreaker from a win over Rutgers (team's first B1G win) with a 10-8 victory on April 5. The U-M defense set a program record for goals allowed in a season with 150, eclipsing the previous mark of 165 that was set during the 2013 season.
Kyle Jackson set the school record for goals in a career. Jackson's three goals against the Scarlet Knights (April 5) broke Thomas Paras' (2012-14) career points record of 72. His 58 career goals are also No. 1 in program annals and are trailed by Ian King with 53. Additionally, King and Gerald Logan were tabbed All-B1G Honorable Mention for the 2015 season.
