We’re breaking down each and every NCAA D1 team one by one to get prepped for the rapidly approaching season. Welcome back to the Alphabetical 2013 NCAA D1 Previews! We move another spot down the list and the Michigan Wolverines, located in Ann Arbor, MI, are up for Preview!
Michigan entered the D1 ranks last year with a lot of fanfare, as they were an MCLA juggernaut, and a new program at a big time sports school. They ended their inaugural campaign with a 1-13 record, but for a brand new D1 program, they were competitive in most of their games. A big win over Mercer was the first D1 victory in program history, and in 2013 Michigan will look to add on to that total.
2013 sees Michigan scrimmage Marquette and D3 Denison on Feb 2nd. They open the season with Penn State one week later. Games with Bellarmine, Hopkins, Army, High Point, Hobart, Fairfield, Colgate, Loyola, Air Force, Delaware, Ohio State, Detroit, St. Joseph’s, and Denver follow the big PSU kick off. This is a TOUGH schedule, with very few “easy” games. Realistically, Michigan can only be considered a favorite, or even bet, in two of those games.
If the Wolverines want to make me look foolish, and win more than two games, they’ll need their offense to increase production. Michigan only went into double digit goals once last year, when they beat Mercer 14-4. Every other game was under 10 goals, with an average of around 7.5 goals scored per game.
David McCormack, David Joseph, Willie Steenland, and Tom Paras should continue to lead the way on offense, while freshman Kyle Jackson could add some Canadian scoring flair to the midfield mix. Mike Francis, a Villanova transfer, could see time right away as well. One key need for Michigan is in the face off department, but they have two sophomores and a freshman dedicated to the position.
In goal, it looks like Michigan will start a freshman in either Gerald Logan or Mike D’Alessio. Logan started a number of fall ball games and looks like an early favorite to get the nod, but the job is by no means his for the season.
Defensively, the Wolverines are incredibly young. They have size and some mean guys down low, but my guess is that this group will take some time to come together. Freshman goalies combined with a young defense means good things in the future, but 2013 could be a bit rough. However, If Austin Swaney, and a couple of other older players, like Dmid Sean Sutton, can provide leadership, Michigan could be ok here.
Click HERE to see Alphabetical 2013 NCAA D1 Preview posts for Air Force, Albany, Army, Bellarmine, Binghamton, Brown, Bryant, Bucknell, Canisius, Colgate, Cornell, Dartmouth, Denver, Detroit, Drexel, Duke, Fairfield, Hartford, Harvard, High Point, Hobart, Hofstra, Holy Cross, Jacksonville, Johns Hopkins, Lafayette, Lehigh, Loyola, Manhattan, Marist, Marquette, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Mercer!