The UW lacrosse team turned in a gutsy performance in the Mad City Lacrosse Tournament, beating in-state rival Marquette 11-3 Sunday to take third place. UW dominated the Golden Eagles after falling to Mankato State earlier in the day, forcing the Badgers into the consolation game.
After topping UW-Lacrosse 18-1 and beating Minnesota 9-2 Saturday, the Badgers (8-2) came out with considerable intensity against a skilled and determined Mankato team. An apparent goal by attackman Joe Barnett was wiped out just before the half because the officials could not agree on whether or not time had expired. After a conference in the goalmouth, the referees concluded that the goal did not count, and UW went into halftime tied 2-2, but convinced the lead should be theirs.
“The goal that got wiped out at the half really hurt us,” said UW coach Hal Rosenberg. “We thought we had it before the time expired, but the officials disagreed. It could have been a big boost before the half.”
After the near-goal, Wisconsin came into the second half bubbling over with intensity and determined to win the game and advance to the championship. The UW defense, led by Bryan Horn and Johannes Beeby, along with longstick midfielder stalwarts Dan Weisman and speedy Mike Levin, clamped down on Mankato in the third quarter, allowing only two goals to a very skilled attack line.
Hard-shooting midfielder Kyle Stapleton, who didn’t even get a chance to warm up but still managed to play well, scored two goals to put UW up 5-4 going into the fourth quarter, and the Badgers liked their chances entering the final stanza. After a Mankato goal, left-handed midfielder Marc Frahm scored after a long run to put UW up 6-5, but that was the last goal Wisconsin was able to muster.
Mankato managed to score three more goals in the fourth quarter, and UW couldn’t come up with equalizing tallies in the fourth. The Badgers succumbed to Mankato, who took home the 8-6 victory and advanced to the championship game, where they fell to Purdue.
“It was a tough loss. We really felt we should have won the game,” Beeby said. “Mankato was a good team, but we felt we were more skilled, but maybe not deep enough. Some injuries hurt us, and we were short a couple of guys.”
In the Mankato game, Wisconsin was without the services of midfielder Todd Vanderpas, one of the team’s most dangerous offensive players. Vanderpas injured his right ankle against Minnesota and watched the Mankato game from the sidelines.
Midfielder Dan Simon stepped up his game, winning the majority of his face-offs and directing the offense. Horn also faced off with his longstick, something not usually seen, and was extremely effective.
“It hurt to not have Todd out there,” Rosenberg said. “I really thought Simon played at a high level and Bryan also faced off well. Our longsticks really clamped down on defense, and I thought they were the heart of the team all weekend long.”
The UW defense was solid again against Marquette in the third-place game. Marquette had few decent scoring chances as UW double-teamed Marquette attackmen and midfielders and forced multiple turnovers. The Wisconsin longsticks displayed their ball-handling abilities as well, clearing the ball with ease by making crisp passes and showing off their footwork and stick skills.
Both teams seemed to be a little less-than-thrilled to be playing for third place, and the intensity seen in the Mankato contest was often missing in UW’s 11-3 victory. Behind goals from James Bickers and Barnett, UW dominated Marquette from the opening whistle. Wisconsin will face off against Marquette again next Sunday in Milwaukee, and UW expects it to be a much more heated contest.
“Against Marquette, the games are usually very close and intense,” Beeby said. “I think today we were both very tired, having played three tough games beforehand, we were beat up, and I think both teams were disappointed not to be playing for the championship. I expect next week’s game to be a good one.”
Another bright spot for Wisconsin on the weekend was the play of a goaltending duo, brothers Mike and Ricky Barnett (no relation to Joe Barnett). Mike played in Wisconsin’s first two games against UW-La Crosse and Minnesota, while Ricky handled the duties in the Mankato and Marquette games. Both played extremely well, making big saves and clearing the ball with confidence. The brothers have solidified UW’s net play since the departure of the venerable “Jay the Goalie,” who graduated after last semester.
“Mike and Ricky have been super in net,” Rosenberg said. “Both have shown they can play and play well in big games, and that’s what we expect from them.”
