Birmingham Public Schools
Birmingham, Michigan
Bulldogs Brave the Storm, Dominate East China United 13-2 in Playoff Opener
BIRMINGHAM, MI — A major pre-game thunderstorm couldn’t dampen the fire of the Birmingham United Bulldogs lacrosse team on Monday night. As the rain cleared and warm-ups began, the #2-seeded Bulldogs (7-8) defeated the #7-seed East China United (3-12) by a score of 13-2 in the opening round of the MHSAA Regional Tournament.
Birmingham United, a co-op team featuring athletes from both Groves and Seaholm High Schools, showed complete synergy from the opening whistle. Head coach Adam Kadro had his squad firing on all cylinders, particularly in a historically dominant first quarter.
First-Quarter Fireworks
The Bulldogs offense was relentless out of the gate. Senior goalie Conrad Swanson anchored a defense that completely locked down ECU, preventing them from even entering their own offensive attack zone until just 5:24 remained in the first period.
By that time, Birmingham had already built a multi-goal lead. Noah Bigelman opened the scoring at the 10:51 mark off an assist from James Liebler. Less than a minute later, Ben Swisher found the back of the net, followed shortly by a goal from Liebler at 7:28 to make it 3-0.
The highlight of the quarter came from defenseman Nick Holcomb. After clearing the ball himself, Holcomb sold a masterful fake that caught the ECU defense completely off guard, driving it home for an unassisted long-pole goal.
Ryan McArdle (assisted by Brody Feldmaier), Lincon Bell, and Feldmaier—who executed a beautiful fakeflip to Bigelman before shooting and scoring himself—rounded out the first-quarter onslaught. McArdle added another late in the period off a transition play started by Holcomb and assisted by Caleb Garrett, capping an 8-0 first-quarter shutout.
Maintaining the Momentum
The second quarter saw East China United’s senior goalie Jacob Melczarczyk make some athletic saves, including a spectacular stop at 11:03, but the Bulldogs could not be contained. Caleb Garrett scored at 10:15, and McArdle completed an unorthodox sequence by “goosing” a rolling ball into the net at 8:35 to push the lead to 10-0.
Birmingham’s defense remained elite. At the 8:50 mark, Lincoln Bell showcased his defensive instincts by picking off an ECU pass right on the crease. Liebler and Feldmaier added two more goals late in the half, sending Birmingham into the locker room with a commanding 12-0 lead.
Finishing Strong Under the Sun
With a comfortable lead, Coach Kadro rotated his lineup for the second half, inserting Dylan Brand into the goal. The Bulldogs slowed the tempo but continued to execute. Desmond Shaw scored early in the third, followed by a goal from Roen Lugar off a Deven Badhwar assist. Jack Haffner closed out the third-quarter scoring with just 39 seconds left, again assisted by Badhwar.
By the fourth quarter, the clouds had completely parted, and the sun was shining on the Bulldogs’ victory lap. ECU managed to break the shutout with goals from Carson Huddas and Justin Williamson, while Birmingham’s Theo Miesel added one final tally for the Bulldogs.
Birmingham United Player Stats
The Bulldogs showcased incredible depth, with nine different players scoring and a balanced defensive effort.
|
Player |
Goals |
Assists |
Points |
|
Brody Feldmaier |
2 |
2 |
4 |
|
James Liebler |
2 |
1 |
3 |
|
Ryan McArdle |
3 |
0 |
3 |
|
Caleb Garrett |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
Nick Holcomb |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
Noah Bigelman |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Ben Swisher |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Lincon Bell |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Desmond Shaw |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Roen Lugar |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Theo Miesel |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Jack Haffner |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Deven Badhwar |
0 |
2 |
2 |
Next Up: Regional Semi-Finals
With the first-round hurdle cleared, Birmingham United advances to the Regional Semi-Finals. They will host Anchor Bay on Thursday at 7:00 PM. The high-stakes matchup will take place on home turf at Seaholm.
Come out and support the Bulldogs as they look to keep their playoff run alive!
