Michigan Set to Host No. 10 Penn
3/8/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
March 8, 2017
» With a new program standard of six wins, U-M is one of only three teams in the NCAA with six wins (Boston University, Ohio State).
» At the midway point of the season, U-M will now play six ranked teams in its final seven games in No. 2 Maryland, No. 3 Penn State, No. 7 Johns Hopkins, No. 8 Rutgers, No. 10 Penn and No. 16 Ohio State. Those six teams sport a combined record of 26-3.
» Senior Ian King was recently named to the Tewaaraton Award watch list, and is the first Wolverine to be named to the watch list in school history.
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THIS WEEK
Saturday, March 11 -- vs. No. 10 Penn (Michigan Stadium), 1 p.m.
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The Wolverines will host the No. 10 Penn Quakers inside Michigan Stadium on Saturday (March 11) at 1 p.m. The matchup is the Wolverines' first contest inside the Big House this season.
WOLVERINE BITES
• Sophomore Brent Noseworthy and senior Ian King lead the team in points with 25 and 24, respectively, ranking the pair No. 7 in the Big Ten in points per game at 3.43. King's 1.86 assists per contest ranks him No. 5 in the Big Ten, while Noseworthy's 3.14 goals per game ranks No. 2 in the Big Ten and No. 13 nationally.
Both are on pace to shatter the U-M record for points in a season (36, Kyle Jackson in 2016), while King is ten points off his own season high of 34, which he set it 2015. Additionally, King is four helpers away from equaling his own program record of 17 which was set a season ago.
• Michigan has outscored teams 81-56 this season, having scored exactly 23 goals in the first, second and third quarters of action. The Wolverines own a 23-8 scoring margin in the third quarter this season.
• Junior/sophomore goalie Tommy Heidt has been the top goaltender in the Big Ten this season, leading the conference in goals-against average (7.30), save percentage (63 percent) and saves per game (12.14). All three of the numbers rank in the top-16 in the NCAA, highlighted by the save percentage as the No. 5 mark in the NCAA. Heidt has eclipsed the double-digit save plateau in six of seven games this season.
• Junior Michael McDonnell has been the primary face-off option for the Wolverines, and has been instrumental to the Wolverine success thus far. The FOGO is winning 60 percent of his draws (82-of-136), which is good for third in the Big Ten and 17th nationally. He is also second on the team in ground ball pickups with 23.
• As a team, U-M ranks as the No. 3 defensive unit in the Big Ten, and No. 14 nationally allowing eight goals per contest. Along with Heidt excelling in goal, longstick Nick DeCaprio leads the team in ground balls with 26, ranking him No. 6 in the Big Ten with 3.71 per game.
OPPONENT PREVIEW
Penn
The Quakers, coming off an 11-9 win over Navy on Tuesday (March 7), enter the weekend matchup with a 3-1 overall record. Three of its four games have been determined by two goals or less, as Penn defeated No. 6 Virginia 11-10 on Feb. 25, fell to No. 5 Penn State 14-13.
Penn's defense is allowing 9.50 goals per game, which ranks No. 26 in the country, while the offense is No. 27 in the NCAA with 11.25 goals per game. Most notably, the Quakers take care of the ball, turning the ball over only ten times per contest, which ranks No. 4 in the NCAA. On the opposite spectrum, Penn has struggled as a team at the dot, winning only 32 percent of draws this season, which is No. 68 in the country. Individually, Tyler Dunn leads the team in goals (10), while Simon Mathias leads in points with 13 (7g., 6a.). Longpole Kevin Gayhardt is second in the Ivy League in caused turnovers with 1.75 a game, while goalie Reed Junkin ranks third in the league in goals-against average (9.50) and save percentage (52 percent).
Penn owns a 1-0 advantage in the all-time series, as the Quakers knocked off the Wolverines 12-10 on March 20 last season.
Tweet of the Week 
Check out your 6-1 Wolverines Saturday inside the Big House vs. No. 10 @PennMensLax!#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/x5AxgPIHkG
-- Michigan Lacrosse (@UMichLacrosse) March 6, 2017
Keep Up With the Wolverines -- Stay current with everything going on with the Wolverines by following Michigan men's lacrosse on Twitter & Instagram (@umichlacrosse), on Snapchat (@umichathletics) and "liking" the Wolverines on Facebook! Inside access can also be seen via the U-M Lacrosse managers Twitter handle (@UofMLaxManagers), and the team's YouTube page by searching 'MGoBlueLacrosse'.
NEXT WEEK
Saturday, March 25 -- vs. UMBC (Michigan Stadium), 1 p.m.
Communications Contact: Scott Kemps
