U-M Readies for Trip to No. 11 Ohio State for Regular-Season Finale

Sunday, April 24

Columbus, Ohio

7:00 PM

Michigan

Ohio State

(Michigan Photography)

U-M Readies for Trip to No. 11 Ohio State for Regular-Season Finale

4/19/2022 1:36:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

By: Scott Kemps

» Michigan has a trio of players from the state of Ohio in Jack Welcsh, Grant McCurry and Michael Boehm.
» The contest is the final regular-season matchup of the season, with the conference tournament quarterfinals being contested on Saturday (April 30).
» Michigan's attack unit is the lone team to have all-three members rank in the top-10 in the conference in points-per-game.

THIS WEEK
Sunday, April 24 -- at No. 11 Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 7 p.m.
TV: BTN | Live Video | Live Stats

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The University of Michigan men's lacrosse team will wrap up the 2022 regular season with a rivalry matchup against the No. 11-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday (April 24) at 7 p.m. The contest, held at Ohio Stadium, will be broadcast nationally on BTN, with Dean Linke and Greg Bice on the call.

Wolverine Bites

• U-M has three players from the state of Ohio in sophomores Jack Welcsh (Cleveland/St. Ignatius), Grant McCurry (Solon/Solon HS) and Michael Boehm (Rocky River/St. Ignatius).

• As a team, U-M ranks fifth in the country in points-per-game (23.77) and No. 12 in scoring offense (14.54 goals/game). The defensive unit ranks No. 20 and allows 10.54 goals/game. Additionally, U-M's ride ranks as the No. 1 unit in the conference, holding opponents to a clearing percentage of 79 percent.

• The Wolverines have excelled at the faceoff dot with a 60 percent mark as a team to rank seventh in the country and second in the Big Ten. In addition, the duo of sophomore Justin Wietfeldt and junior Nick Rowlett has developed as one of the best tandems in the country. Wietfeldt ranks fourth in the nation, winning 104-of-165 (63 percent), with 56 ground balls. Rowlett ranks 16th and sits at 57 percent (112-of-195) with 67 pickups. Wietfeldt has won 31-of-45 of his draws (68 percent) with 14 ground balls in the Big Ten play, while Rowlett is at 39-of-71 (52 percent).

• Junior attackman Josh Zawada ranks second in U-M history for points in a career (138, 77g, 61a) and is six points away from matching Ian King's (2014-17) program record of 144. His average of 5.23 points/game ranks No. 10 in the country and third in the Big Ten. His goals-per-game (2.92) rank second and assists (2.31) are third in the conference, respectively.

• Freshman Ryan Cohen ranks No. 63 nationally in points-per-game (3.62), ranking third in the country for points amongst freshmen. His 47 points are a new U-M freshman record for points in a season. He ranks fourth on the team in goals (24), third in assists (23) and third in points.

• Fellow attackman sophomore Michael Boehm enters the week with 58 points, the second most in a season in program history. He trails the current number of 68 held by Zawada and has already broken the previous single season record of 48. In his brief U-M career, he has 94 points (52g, 42a), putting him six away from becoming the seventh Wolverine in history to reach 100 points in a career. In addition, he ranks fourth in the conference in points-per-game (4.46), sixth in goals (2.58) and fourth in assists (2.08).

• Sophomore goalie Shane Carr is No. 14 in the NCAA in goals-against-average (10.25/game) and No. 11 in save percentage (56 percent). Overall, he boasts nine double-digit save contests -- with his 18 stops against Rutgers (April 16) being two off his season high of 20 vs. Delaware on March 5.

• Michigan is all but assured the sixth seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament. The top two teams receive byes to the semifinals (May 6), while the third- and fourth-seeded teams play host to the fifth- and sixth-seeded teams in the quarterfinals on Saturday (April 30). Even with a Michigan win over the Buckeyes, Penn State holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over U-M due with its 9-8 overtime win in State College on April 8.

• The Wolverines are 0-2 in one-goal Big Ten matchups, falling to Penn State (9-8 in OT) and Rutgers (13-12). In Kevin Conry's tenure, U-M has played seven one-goal games against Big Ten opponents and sport a 2-5 record in such contests.

• A win over OSU would tie the program record for U-M victories in a season (8).

Scouting Ohio State

Michigan sports two wins in ten contests against Ohio State, including a 15-11 upset victory in the most recent matchup last season in the Big Ten Tournament. In that game, the Wolverines were led by Boehm with three goals and one assist. Jacob Jackson and Jake Bonomi contributed two goals, while a program-record ten different players scored goals. Faceoff man Nick Rowlett went 13-of-28 at the dot, and goalie John Kiracofe made 13 saves. The win was also Michigan's first Big Ten Tournament victory.

No. 11 Ohio State is 8-4 on the season and owns a 2-2 conference record. It has secured wins over No. 4 North Carolina and No. 10 Notre Dame while dropping contests to No. 9 Cornell, No. 6 Rutgers and No. 1 Maryland.

The Buckeyes fell in their most recent game to Maryland, 19-12. The two teams traded goals throughout the first half, with the score tied at seven at the halfway mark. However, the Terps offense exploded for 12 second-half points to give them the victory. The Buckeyes' attack was led by seniors Jack Meyers with six points (two goals, four assists) and Colby Smith with three goals. Graduate student Drew Blanchard and senior Justin Inacio went a combined 15-of-35 at the dot, and senior goalie Skylar Wahlund had 19 saves.

Attackman Jack Meyers ranks eighth in the nation with 63 points and fourth with 35 assists on the season. As a unit, OSU's attack ranks thirteenth in goals scored (170). Michigan's attack ranks fifth with 189 goals.

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