The two-point goal in Major League Lacrosse can be a game-changer. It is an extremely challenging shot, but isn’t impossible as evident by the 26 two-pointers across the league so far this season. The shot keeps teams in games for longer and makes the game more exciting for fans.
This was on full display in Saturday’s Florida Launch at Boston Cannons game. A game of runs saw the Cannons take a 3-1 lead after one quarter of play. The Launch scored the first two second-quarter goals to tie the score at three, but Boston ended the half on a 3-0 run.
The momentum continued into the third quarter as a Will Manny unassisted goal and Kevin Buchanan two-point goal, made it 9-3 Cannons. With Brett Queener out of the cage trying to clear the ball after making a save, his centering pass was a tad high. Buchanan scooped the groundball and smartly shot from behind the arc into the open cage.
Florida answered with the next two goals, but two straight Boston tallies made it 11-5 with just under 10 minutes remaining. That’s when the two-point goal came into play. After Kieran McCardle’s fourth goal of the game, defenseman Bobby Lawrence finished a fast break by firing a long shot past Cannons goalie Adam Ghitelman to pull his squad within 11-8 with plenty of time remaining. Lyle Thompson’s only goal of the game made it 11-9 with just under five minutes to go, but that’s as close as the Launch would come. Florida had multiple chances to pull even closer, but couldn’t inch any closer. Boston added two goals in the game’s final minute for the 13-9 final.
In a balanced offensive effort, Buchanan finished with five points while Davey Emala had four behind three goals and an assist. Will Manny and Max Siebald each had three points.
Florida’s offense struggled, scoring just four goals through the first three quarters, but came alive in the fourth with four goals (five points). McCardle led the way with four of the team’s eight goals. Casey Powell was held to an assist while Lyle Thompson had a goal and assist; his brother Miles was held point-less. A potentially potent offensive unit played its first game together (with Lyle and Miles Thompson, McCardle and Powell) on Saturday and looks to gain chemistry. Once it begins clicking, Florida’s offense could be dangerous and hard to stop.
The win marked Boston’s third straight win to improve to 4-3 on the season. Florida dropped its third straight to fall to 1-6 on the year.
In the end, one of the biggest stories of an exciting game was the impact of Major League Lacrosse’s unique rules. In a game that looked well in hand because of Boston’s two-point goal, Florida used the two-point goal to its advantage one quarter later and had every opportunity to win.
