Featured Image Photo Credit: Lawrence Beam
Di Miller, MLL Correspondent
Lacrosse is Awesome
The Florida Launch (6-5) hosted the Chesapeake Bayhawks (4-6) at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida. It was a very special night for Launch fans as they would see the infamous Casey Powell #22 jersey retired. Although this was a special night and the Launch are still very much in the hunt for a playoff spot, only 1,200 fans were in attendance. Those diehard fans got a real treat and a spectacular game of high scoring non-stop lacrosse with 39 goals scored between the two teams. However, even though the Bayhawks have the talent, they weren’t able to overcome the Launch. Final Score: Florida 20—Chesapeake 19.
The first quarter was all Launch. They were set and ready for take-off heading into this game. It took 6:54 to tick off the clock before Dylan Molloy unassisted (3G) would get Florida on the board. Bayhawks midfielder Domenic Sebastiani would hit right back with an unassisted shot of his own 33 seconds later to tie it up. But that would be the last time in the first that Chesapeake would find twine. For the remaining seven minutes, it was all Florida. Connor Buczek (1G, 1A) at 8:29; Steven Brooks at 8:52; Kieran McArdle (4G, 3A) at 11:27; and Tim Edwards (1G) to close it out at 13:21. Every goal scored in the first was unassisted. The Bayhawks would be hit with one penalty, a 30 second “offside’s” by Lyle Thompson at 1:49 but the Launch couldn’t capitalize. Score at the end of one: Launch 5—Bayhawks 1.
McArdle would get it started for the Launch with another unassisted shot only 45 seconds in to extend their lead. But Matt Danowski (4G, one 2ptG, 1A) would fire back with an unassisted bullet of his own only 31 seconds later. Now, the stat sheets show that McArdle would also score at the exact moment on the clock as Danowski, 1:16. How that is possible, inquiring fans who didn’t see the game would like to know. But with this second goal at 1:16, it would give McArdle the hat-trick (assist Chazz Woodson) starting a five-goal run by Florida. Woodson (3G, 1A) would fire back with one of his own at the 5:51 mark (assist Nick Mariano). Brooks would get his second on the day; then Ryan Drenner at 10:43 (assist McArdle); and Mariano (3G, 2A) would close out the scoring for the Launch in the second at 12:40. J. Byrne a newcomer to the Bayhawks would have a stellar night with six goals and one assist. He would close out the first half with only five seconds on the clock. The Launch would only allow two goals by Chesapeake and would increase their total from five in the first to six in the second. There again would be only one penalty in the second, a 30 seconds off-side’s by Steven Brooks at 3:42 which the Bayhawks also couldn’t capitalize on. They had outscored the Bayhawks 6-2 in the second. Score at the end of two: Launch 11—Bayhawks 3.
What a difference the half-time break made. Chesapeake would make a change in net, pulling veteran Brian Phipps in exchange for Niko Amato. There would be a total of 13 goals scored and Chesapeake would come out on top of this frame outscoring the Launch nine to four. Chesapeake would go on an amazing six-goal run after having only scored three goals in the first 30 minutes of play. It was like a new team had come out of the locker room and they weren’t giving up yet. Danowski would score off the face-off to start the second; Myles Jones (1G, 1A) would hit again at 56 seconds; Colin Heacock (2G) at 1:25; Lyle Thompson (2G) at 2:11; and Byrne at 2:54. All five of the first goals in the frame were unassisted. Heacock would end the run at 3:29 (assist Danowski) and bring the Bayhawks to within three. The Launch’s McArdle would stop the barrage with an unassisted shot at 4:51, only to be answered right back by Byrne (hat-trick) unassisted at 5:31. Mariano shot back unassisted at 7:54 to put Florida back up by three 13-10 in favor of the Launch. But not so fast…Danowski and Thompson would score within a little over a minute apart to bring Chesapeake to within one. Florida pulled out all the stops and Brooks and Mariano would close out the third with unassisted shots at 12:49 and 14:47. With all that action, you’d think there would have been some penalties. But the scoring was so fast there was no time for pushing, shoving, off-sides or illegal cross-checks. Both teams had one thing on their mind, Florida wanted to retain the lead; and Chesapeake wanted to gain the lead. Score at the end of three: Launch 15—Bayhawks 12.
Chesapeake would get to within two at the 2:01 mark in the fourth. Byrne would get his fourth on the night another unassisted shot at 1:50; followed by CJ Costabile 11 seconds later with an unassisted shot of his own. But Florida had another one of their amazing scoring runs with four unanswered goals, back-to-back by Woodson (2:41 and 3:21); Molloy at 3:53; and Drenner unassisted at 5:36. The Bayhawks had absolutely no intention of giving up on what they had worked so hard for and that was to get back into the game being down nine goals heading into the half. The Bayhawks would go on a four-goal run of their own when Byrne would hit yet another unassisted shot at 6:10; followed by a beautiful 2pt shot from Danowski at 8:35; Jake Froccaro unassisted at 9:09; and Byrne would notch the sock-trick at 10:03 (assist Jones) tying the game at 19 apiece. Molloy would hit the heartbreaker for the Bayhawks blasting one past Niko Amato at the 13:24 mark and ending the hopes of the Bayhawks coming away with the “W”. The fourth would see three penalties all called on Florida with Tucker Durkin for a one-minutes slashing at 6:52; and Michael Unterstein with two, the first a 30 second holding call at 7:22, and the second a one-minute unnecessary roughness at 8:46. Final Score: Florida 20—Chesapeake 19.
Florida is still in the play-off hunt, but Chesapeake has a tough road ahead of them. They will host Florida on Thursday July 20 at Navy Marine Corps Stadium; then they head to Atlanta to face the Blaze; and will close out their season with away and home games against the flaming Denver Outlaws on Thursday July 27 and Thursday August 3.
Di Miller, MLL Correspondent
Lacrosse is Awesome