The No. 6 Arizona men's club lacrosse team seeks revenge at home on No. 5 Michigan today at 5 p.m. at the Rincon Vista fields.
After the Laxcats suffered their first loss of the season to Sonoma State, the Wolverines moved up to No. 5, ahead of Arizona, making this week's match up one of the most awaited games of the season.
This disappointment added to the Laxcats frustration following the one goal loss to the Wolverines last season.
Arizona is aware of their competition for today after Michigan thumped Missouri 18-1 in a non-conference game two weeks ago.
"This game will be about who is the more disciplined team," said Arizona head coach Ken Broschart.
Earlier this week, the Laxcats persisted in their efforts to maintain their pride in being the best-conditioned team on the field. Several sprints and timed long distance runs were part of the regimen to prepare the team for the Wolverines.
Michigan is known for their well-rounded team, who badger players whenever given the opportunity. From a defensive perspective, the Wolverines find success in pressuring behind the cage and preventing the crease from becoming a threatened danger zone.
The Michigan offense will be directed by the senior attack man Ryan Clark, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in last year's one-goal victory.
Clark will look to feed sophomore attacker Evan Fox , who has been lethal when creating his own scoring chances.
"This game will be a chess match between coaches," Broschart said.
To counter the aggressive defense of the Wolverines, the Laxcats will try to increase the availability of midfielders on the run in transition running up the field. They will also work to clear the zone quicker by increasing the pace of ball movement while shaking off the contesting Michigan midfielders.
Conditioning should be an advantage for the Laxcats later this evening as Michigan is enduring a three game road-trip consisting of one game played against ASU Monday. A third game will be played against No. 3 BYU Saturday.
The warm weather and harder playing field in Arizona should also make the trip tough for the Wolverines.
The Laxcats continue their season in a date with the UCLA Bruins Sunday at 1 p.m.