The Florida Launch seek their first win of the 2016 Major League Lacrosse season against the undefeated Charlotte Hounds on Saturday, May 14 in Charlotte for a 7:30pm ET faceoff. The last time the two sides met, the Launch won at Charlotte in thrilling fashion with Lyle Thompson netting an overtime winner to put the Hounds down. Florida has been without Thompson to this point in the season as the star attackman has just concluded a stint with the indoor lacrosse league. Florida will feature more season debuts in addition to Thompson with brother Miles and David Earl eligible to return.
The Launch dropped a tough 20-14 battle to the defending Steinfeld Cup winners, the New York Lizards last Saturday at FAU Stadium. In the loss, the Launch were without both goalies Brett Queener and Austin Kaut as newcomer Matt Poillon filled in between the pipes. John Ortolani took over the starting job at faceoff as Chris Mattes was unavailable for the contest. Kaut and Mattes are set to return to normal roles as Queener’s injury status remains in question.
Despite the losses, Florida has shown flashes of the offensive juggernaut it can be led by Kieran McArdle and Casey Powell. McArdle has often been a subject of opposing defense’s double teams but has still managed to post 4 goals and 5 assists. Powell is continuing to show he is an ageless wonder with 6 goals, 8 assists, and 7 ground balls. The Hounds’ Joey Sankey is the only player in the MLL who is tied with Powell for 14 points.
More on the Hounds’ side of things, Sankey is the key to the offense with notable performances coming from John Haus (6 points) and Mike Sawyer (5 points). However, the home team for this match will be without Sawyer as he announced his immediate retirement from the MLL. This is untimely news for the Hounds as the Launch have outperformed them in overall matchups to a tune of 60-47.
Following this upcoming weekends away game, the Launch return home to take on the Atlanta Blaze on May 21 at 7:00pm at FAU Stadium. To purchase tickets please visit www.floridalaunchlacrosse.com or call at 561-923-9067.
About Florida Launch
The Florida Launch began play in 2014 at FAU Stadium as a Major League Lacrosse expansion team. The team is dedicated to growing the game of lacrosse in Florida, as well as showcasing the sport at its highest level to the fans and community.