Cardinal lacrosse stumbles after big win

By Peter Melkus
INDEX Sports Writer

DAVISON — After a big 7-1 victory over Swartz Creek last Thursday, Davison lacrosse stumbled, dropping a 14-1 match at Forest Hills Eastern, followed by a close 6-5 overtime loss against Rochester Adams.
Neither team led by more than one goal in the back-and-fourth scoring battle between the Cardinals and Rochester Adams Monday. The game remained deadlocked until Rochester Adams scored the winning goal with 2:41 left in the first overtime to seal the loss for Davison.
“At the start of overtime we were feeling energetic,” said Davison coach Bobby Hatten. “However, we were unable to have possession of the ball on our side of the field at any point of overtime, so we couldn’t set up any possibility to score the game winner.”
Craig Schaepkens scored three goals to lead the Cardinals in the loss. Mike Dudash added two goals and an assist for Davison, along with one goal and three assists from Jay Lenz.
“I felt that we clearly played well enough to win today but unfortunately we didn’t capitalize on the opportunities that we created for ourselves,” Hatten said. “We missed several open shots within three or four yards of the goal, which would be guaranteed goals on most days.”
“I am impressed with our continued effort and positive attitude that we kept throughout the entire game,” Hatten added. “This was a great building experience for our team and we’re going to take this loss and use it to improve for the playoffs.”
Saturday’s match proved to be a daunting task at Forest Hills Eastern, as the Cardinals wound up heading home with a 14-1 loss. Davison was unable to regroup after trailing 7-1 at halftime. Schaepkens scored the Cards’ lone goal of the match with an assist from Dudash.
Davison’s big win of the week came at Swartz Creek, where the Cardinals flew ahead to a quick 6-0 lead in the second quarter and never looked back en route to the 7-1 victory.
Schaepkens, Dudash and Ryan Herriman shared the scoring lead for Davison with two goals apiece. Josh Denkins added a goal to Davison’s tally and goaltender Ryan Renbarger made 16 saves in the Cardinal win, holding Swartz Creek scoreless until the third quarter.
Davison is now 8-5 overall on the season and will be playing its regular season finale at home versus Grand Blanc May 14. The Cardinals will begin their playoff run Friday against Grosse Pointe North.