The Chesapeake Bayhawks took home their second win of the season in defeating the Boston Cannons at Navy-Marine Corp Stadium in Annapolis. With the win, the defending champs end their four game losing streak. Both wins for the Bayhawks have been by one goal this season.
A wild first half by both teams had a total of eighteen goals scored. In the second half both defenses tightened up but Brendan Mundorf was able to get by his defender to score the game winner for the Bayhawks to win 16-15. Mundorf and midfielder Ben Hunt, who had career high six goals and eight points on the evening, led the Bayhawks.
The back and forth first half was in favor of the Bayhawks when they had their largest lead of the game at 7-4. Nicky Polanco was assessed by non-releasable penalty and Boston went to work immediately. Before halftime, the Cannons would deliver on a 7-0 run to leave the Bayhawks down four going into the break.
In the ensuing run to tie the game at eleven, Hunt would have two goals and assisted on another by attackman Drew Westervelt. Joe Walters had the other tally to even the game in the first five minutes of the second half. Brodie Merrill would give the Cannons the lead again at 12-11, but a Stephen Berger non-releasable penalty would allow the Bayhawks to retake the lead. The home team would score two goals on the extra man.
The final quarter would begin with the teams deadlocked at thirteen when Boston would tie the game in the waning seconds of the third. Boston would again take the lead, but Mundorf would answer to tie the game at fourteen. The Cannons final tally of the night would come thanks to Paul Rabil to give the Cannons their final lead at 15-14.
Matt Abbott would tie the game at fifteen before Brendan Mundorf’s heroics with just fewer than three minutes left in the game. Neither team would be able to capitalize from there, but the pace remained furious as the Cannons looked to even the score.
In the final seconds of the game, Stephen Berger looked to have tied the game yet again. Chesapeake coach Dave Cottle felt otherwise and challenged the ruling on the field. Cottle was correct and the ruling went in the Bayhawks favor.
With the loss, the Cannons fall below .500 with all four losses coming by a lone goal. The Bayhawks needed this win to be able to get out of the cellar of the league rankings. The offense produced their most effective scoring output to date with sixteen. Kip Turner got the win and had fifteen saves in the contest.
Next on the schedule for the defending champions is the Denver Outlaws, who lost their first game in two years leading into this contest. The Cannons will face the Ohio Machine at home. Ohio comes into the contest after winning convincingly against the Rochester Rattlers.
