GAME #2
Cleveland State (0-1) at Michigan (0-0)
Satruday, Feb. 10 | 1:00 p.m.
Ann Arbor, Mich. | U-M Lacrosse Stadium
Live Stats
OFF AND RUNNING
The Cleveland State University lacrosse team will play its first road game in 2018 at Michigan, its second straight Big Ten foe. The game will see the Wolverines debut a new venue while serving as a team's home opener in the series for the second straight season.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Michigan will be playing its first game under the guidance of new head coach Kevin Conry, the former associate head coach at Maryland. Junior Brent Noseworthy led the Wolverines with 37 goals last year on a scorching 47% shooting mark. Along with Noseworthy, junior attack Rocco Sutherland and sophomore LSM JM Priddy were named to the Big Ten Preseason honors list. Michigan has won four straight home openers entering 2018.
DEFENSE TO OFFENSE
After primarily serving as a defender last season, Zach Whitenack is serving as a long-stick midfielder this season. Whitenack showcased his offensive abilities in last week's season opener, scoring two goals on two shots, after not having a point in 2017. Whitenack scored a fastbreak goal in transition and scored off a faceoff win.
LAST LINE OF DEFENSE
Caleb Espinoza racked up plenty of saves in his rookie season and was named All-Freshman Honorable Mention by College Crosse. He contributed 176 saves, second among DI freshmen and was third among DI rookies in save percentage. On a per-game basis, Espinoza shined even more. He posted 13.6 saves/game against DI foes, a mark that led the nation among all goalies. He contributed nine saves last weekend and had 12 vs. Michigan last year.
WHAT HAPPENS WITH WENDEL
After notching three points in the first two games of 2017, Nick Wendel suffered an injury and did not tally a point in the next four games. Wendel ended last season on an eight-game point streak, the longest by a Viking in 2017. He had 13 goals in that span, including hat tricks against Canisius and Detroit Mercy. He scored in the last week's season opener to extend his point streak to nine.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Freshman Michael Wilson made an impression in last week's season opener. He scored two unassisted goals on two shots while being one of two freshmen to start for CSU. Wilson is not the first athlete in his family as his mother played softball for Army.
LAST WE MET
Cleveland State officially opened its existence as it dropped a 13-8 contest to Michigan in each team's 2017 season opener. Tristen Copeland had two goals and an assist while Nick Wendel, who scored the first goal in program history, Sherwin Gersten and Danny Tesler all had two points. CSU outshot Michigan and did not commit a penalty in the contest.
FAMILIAR FACES
Cleveland State has five sets of high school teammates on its roster. There are two Vikings each from Everest Academy (Tristan Hanna, Michael Harris), Faith Lutheran (Matt Manfredi, Nick Wendel), Seneca Valley (Adam Galovich, Brady Moze) and St. Francis de Sales (Carter Pavain, Blake Storer). Three CSU sophomores all went to William J. Palmer High School in Colorado: Isaac Atencio, Caleb Espinoza and Carter Jensen.
QUICK STRIKE VIKES
In its 2017 season finale win over Detroit Mercy, Cleveland State showcased an ability to score quickly. On two occasions, the Vikings scored within 11 seconds of a faceoff. In their 2018 season opener last weekend, CSU scored 13 seconds after a faceoff. Faceoff specialist Danny Tesler has scored or assisted on all three goals.
COMPOSED IN CLEVELAND
Over the first 15 games it has played, Cleveland State has accrued more than 10 minutes fewer in penalty time than its opponents. The Vikings have fewer penalty minutes than their opponent in 10 of the 15 games they've played.
COACH ON CAPTAINS
Head coach Dylan Sheridan's comments about his four captains in advance of the 2018 season:
Sheridan on Espinoza:
"No person in our program wears his heart on his sleeve more openly than Caleb. Caleb's love for the game, CSU lacrosse and for his teammates make him an ideal captain."
Sheridan on Gleeson:
"Noah is starting to unlock his potential both as a player and leader on our team. I am eager to see him grow into an elite attackman."
Sheridan on Johnson:
"Gage's positive attitude and commitment to Viking lacrosse are on display at all times. He's always first in line when opportunities to better our program arise."
Sheridan on Tesler:
"From the day he arrived in Cleveland, Danny has been a bellwether in our locker room. I have no doubts that he will continue to excel in his role as team leader."
A WINNING END
Cleveland State's debut season ended in the best way possible as the program collected its first win over a Division I opponent, a wire-to-wire, 13-6 win over Detroit Mercy. CSU scored five times in the opening eight minutes in the historic win and had statistical advantages in shots, GB's, faceoff wins and saves.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
The 2017 season finale not only represented the first Division I win for the Vikings, but CSU also held the Titans to six goals and a .158 shooting percentage. Both of those marks were season bests for Cleveland State against Division I opponents.
MAN DOWN DOWN
On four occasions in the final seven games last season, Cleveland State was faced with the unenviable task of playing down two men due to concurrent penalties. However, three of the four times the Vikings were able to successfully kill off the 4-on-6 without allowing a goal.
Photo courtesy of Tony Carter
