The once undefeated, untouchable, invincible New York Lizards are now heading into a spiral free fall. The Lizards dropped yet another game to a bottom-of-the-standings team. Last week, it was the Charlotte Hounds who beat the Lizards, and this time it was Florida Launch claiming victory 16-12.
Once again, injuries played a huge role in the game as the several key players were missing from both teams. The Lizards were missing Paul Rabil, Brian Spallina, and Luke Duprey. They are expected to return next week. On the other side, the Thompson brothers, Miles and Lyle, were also on the sideline as they sat out, but their absence didn’t seem to affect Florida’s march towards victory.
Several players on the Lizards offense stepped up in the absence of Rabil. JoJo Marasco managed to net four goals against the Launch, his first goal coming just a minute into the first quarter. Rookie Ryan Walsh had a three-goal night. Rob Pannell contributed two goals on the night, and Ned Crotty, Mike Stone, and Mike Skudin contributed one goal a piece.
In the end, however, penalties and Kieran McArdle were the downfall of the Lizards. Lately, it seems opponents have taken advantage of the Lizards’ lackluster powerplay offense, and the Launch continued that trend. Connor Buczek scored twice for the Launch off of penalties by John Austin and Steven Holmes, allowing the Launch to go 2-for-5 on man-up opportunities. The Lizards, on the other hand, went on three powerplays but couldn’t capitalize on any of those chances, going 0-for-3 for the match. Kieran McArdle was a pain in Drew Adams’ side. He finished with a five points, four of which came off of goals. His performances was rewarded with the Coca-Cola Player of the Game.
With this loss, the Lizards drop to 8-2 on the season. They currently still sit atop the standings, two-and-a-half games ahead of five teams tied for second: Ohio, Denver, Chesapeake, Boston, and Rochester, but if they want to stay there for the remainder of the season, they will need to get back to winning. Next Thursday, July 2nd, the Lizards will visit longtime-rival Chesapeake Bayhawks. Meanwhile, the Florida Launch improve to 2-8 on the season. The Launch still sit at the bottom of the standings and will play host to the Charlotte Hounds on July 3rd.
