SYLVANIA, OHIO – The University of Michigan-Dearborn (4-5, 0-2) lacrosse team had a back-and-forth affair against Lourdes (6-1, 1-1) on Wednesday (Mar. 29). The Wolverines took the lead early in the fourth quarter but succumbed to a late surge from the Gray Wolves losing 9-8 at Star International Academy.
Lourdes started the game off with two goals early in the first period. Then, down 2-0 late in the first quarter, James Blaize got the Wolverines on the scoresheet when he tickled the twine off a Joseph Atherall assist in making it 2-1.
Lourdes responded with two unanswered goals to go up 4-1 midway through the second quarter. The Wolverine offense started to heat up as the Gray Wolves found themselves down a man on a holding infraction. On the man advantage, Ryan Savage linked up with James Blaize with 8:16 left in the half to make it 4-2 Gray Wolves. 90 seconds later, Savage would net his second of the contest after Brodie Mahmud found Savage open in front of the net for the easy finish. The Gray Wolves scored two more goals before the halftime whistle to take a three-goal lead into the break.
Joseph Atherall was the catalyst behind the Wolverines' comeback as he scored or assisted on three of the five second-half goals for the Wolverines. Atherall got his first of the game with 9:56 left in the third as he buried an unassisted goal to make it 6-4. Mahmud and Parker Steindl would link up 90 seconds later to bring UM-Dearborn within one midway through the third quarter. Joseph Atherall would take it himself for the second time in the quarter as he buried his second goal to tie the game at the 5:46 mark.
Lourdes would regain the lead, but Steindl and Mason Loudermilk beat the buzzer as the Wolverines found the back of the net with 10 seconds remaining in the third.
UM-Dearborn would take their first lead of the game less than a minute into the fourth quarter as Steindl and Joseph Atherall cooked up a beautiful goal on the man advantage to give UM-Dearborn an 8-7 lead.
Lourdes would minimize the Wolverine momentum scoring the game's final two goals to tie and retake the lead, culminating in a 9-8 victory for the Gray Wolves.
