Brian Reese had a good feel for what type of team he had after putting the Chesapeake Bayhawks through a month-long training camp. However, the first-year head coach could not be really sure about the squad until the Bayhawks played a real game against an unfriendly foe.
Reese learned a lot about the Bayhawks last Saturday during the season opener against the Atlanta Blaze. Chesapeake rallied from a big early deficit to beat the expansion franchise, 16-13.
“Obviously, we didn’t start the game the way we wanted,” said Reese, referring to falling behind 6-0 midway through the first quarter. “Fortunately, we have some outstanding veteran leaders and they made sure the team didn’t get rattled. I think our experienced guys steadied the ship and then we had some young guys step up and play well.”
Reese and team president Dave Cottle have sought to rebuild the Bayhawks through a blend of youth and experience. That philosophy paid dividends during the opener as ninth-year attackman Matt Danowski sparked the comeback by scoring all four of his goals in the second quarter – most on tremendous individual moves. Meanwhile, close defenseman Michael Evans, the longest-tenured member of the Bayhawks (since 2009), was largely responsible for getting the defense organized.
“I thought Matt Danowski and Michael Evans were steadying influences on opposite ends of the field,” Reese said. “Matt really took charge offensively and gave us a spark while Michael calmed the defense and made sure we tightened things up.”
Youngsters also pitched in with rookie attackman Alex Love scoring four goals in his Major League Lacrosse debut. Love displayed a true weapon by unleashing a low-to-high crank shot that befuddled Atlanta goalkeeper Adam Ghitelman.
“Alex has a unique release that makes his shots very hard to read,” Reese said.
Love, the 33rd overall pick in the 2015 MLL Collegiate Draft out of Hobart, practiced with Chesapeake last season and began to show flashes toward the end. The former honorable mention All-American looked even more comfortable and confident during training camp and was “lighting it up,” according to Reese.
“Alex is a versatile attackman. He can play in the right wing or on the crease. He has a lot of potential,” Reese said.
Another youngster who stood out on Saturday night was defenseman Callum Robinson, the 25th overall pick in the 2015 Collegiate Draft out of Stevenson. Robinson, a member of the Australian national team for the 2014 World Games, got into some games toward the end of last season and flashed superb athleticism. Nicknamed the Big Koala, Stevenson can play either close defense or long stick midfield.
“Callum Robinson has really improved and shown the coaching staff he is ready for an increased role,” Reese said.
Midfielder Tyler German was another revelation in the opener, fighting through a double-team to score the goal that put the Bayhawks ahead to stay. The Virginia graduate was initially drafted by the Charlotte Hounds then traded to the Boston Cannons, for whom he played sparingly as a rookie.
Rounding out the list of Chesapeake newcomers that made an immediate impact was midfielder Nick Ossello, who dished off two assists. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder was drafted by the Denver Outlaws in 2015, but elected to take a fifth-year of eligibility and play football at Notre Dame.
Back on the veteran front, the coaching staff was encouraged by the play of attackman Brendan Mundorf, who contributed a goal and assist while working behind the cage as the offensive quarterback. Mundorf did not play at all in 2015 while recovering from microfracture surgery.
“I thought Brendan looked pretty good. He probably wasn’t quite as aggressive as he wanted to be, but that will come,” Reese said.
Chesapeake fields a fairly experienced defense anchored by starting goalie Brian Phipps, a sixth-year professional. Close defenseman Kyle Sweeney is the most seasoned member of the team, having played in Major League Lacrosse since 2004. Two other long stickers – C.J. Costabile and Jesse Bernhardt – are in their fifth and fourth seasons, respectively.
Phipps was originally drafted by the Bayhawks out of Maryland in 2011, but blossomed as an MLL keeper with the Ohio Machine. Chesapeake reacquired the veteran netminder during the offseason and he made 15 saves in the opener.
“I thought the defensive unit came together and learned on the fly (against Atlanta),” Reese said. “Phipps had a solid outing. He got better as the game went along and the defense buckled down in front of him.”
While happy with the win, Reese admitted there is plenty of room for improvement as Chesapeake welcomes the Florida Launch to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Saturday night (7:30). “I’d like to see us be a bit more stronger and aggressive defensively and we could use a little more off-ball movement offensively,” he said.
Florida dropped its season opener to the Ohio Machine, 16-14, despite an impressive performance by legendary attackman Casey Powell. The former MLL Most Valuable Player established a franchise record for points in an opener with four goals and three assists. Attackman Kieran McArdle totaled two goals and three assists while running mate Owen Blye scored four goals in the loss.
“Florida is somewhat different than Atlanta on the offensive end. I thought the Blaze were more midfield-oriented while the Launch will primarily initiate from the attack with guys like Casey Powell and Kieran McArdle,” Reese said.