TUCSON, Arizona — Chris Lobdell (Fr., Portola Valley, Calif.) connected for four goals to capture Player of the Game laurels as No. 11-ranked/Big Ten Division Champion the University of Michigan outscored the No. 9/Florida Division Champion the University of Florida 8-2 during the second and third quarters to capture a 12-6 victory in the opening round of the 2018 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship hosted by the University of Arizona.
Tied 1-1 at the end of the first quarter and leading 4-1 by the conclusion of the first half, the Maize & Blue blew the game open with a 5-2 outburst in the third quarter to carry a 9-3 lead into the fourth quarter. The Gators were unable to rally back as Michigan kept pace with Florida in the fourth quarter as both teams buried three goals.
Michigan, which punches its ticket to a quarterfinal clash versus No. 1/Pacific Coast Division Champion California Polytechnic State University at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 10, received a trio of tallies by Ilya Kovalenko (Gr., Martinez, Georgia) along with a pair by Scott Fordham (So., Altadena, Calif.). Nolan Vaughn (So., Naperville, Ill.), Tom McLeod (Sr., Birmingham, Mich.) and Alex Kaipainen (Fr., Ann Arbor, Mich.) accounted for solo strikes as five different players put away shots for the Wolverines.
In cage, Sid Murthy (Fr., Okemos, Mich.) made 10 saves to earn the win for the Maize & Blue, while Corby Bertolett (So., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) accounted for eight saves in suffering the loss for the Gators.
Six different players found the back of the cage for Florida as Thomas MacDonald (Sr., Orlando, Fla.), Ali Shahin (Sr., Cairo, Egypt), Murphey Morgan (Gr., Lyman, Fla.), Lucas Weaver (Fr., Oviedo, Fla.), Clancy Short (Gr., Goshen, Ind.) and Parker Strickman (So., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) each accounted for single scores.
The loss drops Florida into the consolation side of the championship bracket as the Gators will return to the pool at 7:30 p.m. this evening against Southeast Division Champion the University of Alabama. The Crimson Tide dropped their first round game by a 22-5 count to Cal Poly earlier in the day.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| University of Florida | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | – | 6 |
| University of Michigan | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | – | 12 |
| Michigan Goals: | Chris Lobdell (4); Ilya Kovalenko (3); Scott Fordham (2); Nolan Vaughn; Alex Kaipainen; Tom Mcleod | |||||
| Florida Goals: | Thomas MacDonald; Ali Shahin; Murphey Morgan; Lucas Weaver; Clancy Short; Parker Strickman | |||||
| Saves: | Michigan – Sid Murthy (10) ; Florida – Corby Bertolett (8) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Michigan – 7 ; Florida – 4 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Michigan – 2-for-4 ; Florida – 5-for-7 | |||||
| Sprints: | Michigan – 0-for-4 ; Florida – 4-for-4 | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Don Lewis, Bruce Morehouse | |||||
University of Michigan’s Chris Lobdell (#13) shoots around the University of Florida’s Parker Strickman (#19)
University of Michigan’s Nolan Vaughn (#6) lobs a pass over the University of Florida’s Parker Strickman (#19)
University of Michigan’s Scott Fordham (#4) battles the University of Florida’s Clancy Short (#18)
University of Michigan’s Chris Lobdell (#13) rises to shoot against the University of Florida
