Colgate All-American Peter Baum scored three goals and two assists to lead the Raiders to a 10-7 win over Michigan Sunday at Citi Field in New York City. (Photo by Bob Cornell)
Defensive Effort Again Solid; Baum, Walsh Contribute Hat Tricks
By John Painter
(New York, NY – March 17, 2013) Peter Baum and Ryan Walsh posted hat tricks, and Colgate won its third straight game with a 10-7 decision over Michigan here Sunday.
But that was the good news for the Raiders, now 6-2. Head coach Mike Murphy knows work lies ahead for his team as the Patriot League schedule begins in earnest next week.
“Our attack did a really good job, with Peter and Ryan really controlling the game,” Murphy said. “Peter’s leadership continues to evolve, and I was very happy with the way Jimmy Ryan played in the midfield.
“But as we look to our next opponent in Navy, we’ve really got to clean up some things in that midfield on both lines. And we’ve got to get a lot more poise in the clearing game.”
Colgate’s next opponent is Navy as part of the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Super Bowl-champion Baltimore Ravens. It will be the second straight classic and second straight big-league venue for the Raiders.
Sunday’s game on St. Patrick’s Day was part of a Metropolitan Lacrosse Classic doubleheader at Citi Field. Holy Cross defeated Navy 7-5 in the opener. Despite chilly conditions, Sunday’s crowd of 15,656 was the 26th largest to see an NCAA lacrosse game.
“You play in a big-time environment like that and the guys early on had a little bit of the jitters,” Murphy said. “Any time you can go on the road and get a win, you’re happy about that. I’m just not really happy with the way we played in the middle of the field.”
Colgate committed a dozen turnovers, with nearly half of those coming on failed clearing attempts. The Raiders finished 18-of-23 on clears, well below the team’s season average of .874 coming in.
“Kevin Boyle did get us started with a transition goal, but we also gave a couple back in transition after some poor turnovers from the second-line midfield,” Murphy said. “Again, we have to get some consistency in the second line, and we’ve got to start that in practice.”
Boyle on the Board
Boyle’s goal put the Raiders on the board five minutes into the game and tied it 1-1. The junior fielded a nice toss from James Queeney near midfield and sprinted toward the Michigan net. His long-pole shot was true for his second goal of the season.
“We talk about being a transition team that likes to run, and Queeney gave me a nice pass,” Boyle said. “It was a good opportunity to get up the field.
“Teams have been slow coming off Pete because of the season he had last year. It was an opportunity to step in and get a shot – and it was nice to see it fall.”
Michigan reclaimed the lead one more time before Walsh sandwiched back-to-back goals around the first-quarter horn. Walsh’s three Sunday goals – all in the first half in front of the home folks from Wantagh on Long Island – boosted his season total to 20 and marked his 24th consecutive game scoring a goal.
It’s also his fourth hat trick in as many games.
“Ryan again showed he’s a bit of a matchup nightmare in certain situations,” Murphy said of his 6-4, 238-pound sophomore.
1-2-3 Offensive Punch
Brendon McCann, Baum and Walsh scored consecutive Colgate goals over a three-minute stretch late in the first half to break a 3-3 tie and provide the eventual winning margin. McCann’s goal was a nifty bouncer and his first since posting hat tricks last month against Vermont and Dartmouth.
Ryan scored the first of his two goals in the opening minute after halftime for a 7-3 Colgate edge, and the Raiders never led by fewer than three the rest of the way against the feisty Wolverines (0-8).
“They’re certainly better than their record indicates, and everybody who plays them knows that going in,” Baum said. “We certainly did. We were were-prepared.
“They battled and they have some great athletes; that’s for sure. They definitely put it to us at a few points of the game, but we were able to come out on top through gritting our teeth and getting the work done in the end.”
Baum added two assists to go with his third- and fourth-quarter scores. He now has 23 goals and 34 points for the season.
Lawrence Making Plays
Colgate defensively was led by Bobby Lawrence, who caused two turnovers and scooped up a team-high five ground balls. Boyle and Walsh added four ground balls apiece.
“We’ve just been helping each other out more because communication is key on defense,” said Lawrence, who leads the squad with 15 caused turnovers and leads the regulars with 30 ground balls. “If we talk more, then everybody knows what’s going on out there. That’s the way we like to play.”
Lawrence was wary of the Wolverines coming in.
“That was a talented team and their middies are very good,” he said. “If you give them the space, they can definitely score. But we knew that; we had them scouted. We knew we had to slide on the short sticks and help each other out.”
Since a 9-8 overtime loss at Hobart on March 5, the Raiders have posted wins over Holy Cross by 14-6 and Binghamton by 12-5 in addition to Sunday’s victory. That’s three straight wins and four straight games for Colgate holding the opposition to single-digit goals.
“Last year, we gave up some big numbers and that was something we definitely wanted to improve,” Boyle said. “It’s taken a little pressure off the offense for them to know we’ve been able to keep teams in check.
“Seven goals is the number we’ve been shooting for, and it’s nice to see us keeping teams off the board.”
Worth the Distractions
Michigan out-shot the Raiders 37-31, but Colgate claimed ground balls by a 33-21 count. Colgate committed 12 turnovers to Michigan’s nine, and Colgate’s combination of Robert Grabher and Alex Kinnealey won nine of the 22 face-offs. Neither team scored in extra-man situations, with Colgate 0-of-1 and Michigan 0-of-2.
Conor Murphy made 12 saves in goal to win his third start in a row.
“James Queeney, Bobby Lawrence and Matt Yeager did a good job on defense,” Murphy said. “Conor Murphy did a good job in goal. He stopped some balls that maybe took a couple off the board, but maybe gave a couple up he could have had. We need to be better there.
“You’ve got an inexperienced group with the Michigan attack, but that will not be the case next week against Navy.”
Colgate-Navy is the 2 p.m. opener of a doubleheader at M&T Bank Stadium, with Johns Hopkins meeting Virginia in the nightcap.
While the distractions of big-venue games, doubleheader formats, and even Sunday’s opponent – Michigan is playing just its second varsity season – make for unorthodox competition, Colgate’s coaches, players and fans seem to be enjoying the experience.
“I loved it. It was great,” Boyle said. “Definitely a little nerve-wracking walking into such a beautiful facility as this and we were not sure what to expect. But it was great to see our fans.
“It’s a really cool venue and it’s what you dream about growing up, playing in front of this many people. It’s going to be great playing Navy next week in Ravens stadium.”
Colgate 10, Michigan 7
Colgate (6-2): Peter Baum 3-2, Ryan Walsh 3-1, Jimmy Ryan 2-1, Brendon McCann 1-1, Kevin Boyle 1-0, Matt Clarkson 0-1. Totals: 10-6.
Michigan (0-8): Will Meter 2-2, Kyle Jackson 2-0, Mike Hernandez 1-1, Peter Kraus 1-0, David Joseph 1-0. Totals: 7-3.
Saves: Colgate 12 (Conor Murphy); Michigan 9 (Gerald Logan).
Halftime: Colgate 6-3.