It wasn’t the dominating score line that the two teams played to two weeks ago, but the end result was the same.
For the second time in three games the Long Island Lizards defeated the Ohio Machine, this time 16-12. It was the fourth win in a row for Long Island (4-2). It was the third loss in a row for Ohio (1-5).
Ohio outshot the Lizards, won more face-offs and picked up more ground balls but Drew Adams stepped up and made 15 saves, including four in the fourth quarter, to keep the Machine at bay.
It was a back-and-forth game for much of the first half, with Ohio taking a 9-8 advantage 32 seconds into the start of the third quarter. Long Island took charge in the second half though. With only a minute remaining in the third quarter, the Lizards took a 14-10 lead that they would not relinquish.
Of those next five goals scored for Long Island, Tommy Palasek scored two of them. The rookie ended the night with four goals, leading all scorers in goals and tying for a game-high four points with teammates Stephen Peyser and Ryan Young.
While one rookie played a big part in the Long Island victory, Steele Stanwick, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 collegiate draft, was arguably the best player on the field for Ohio.
Making his MLL debut, Stanwick scored two goals and added an assist to tie for a team-high three points. Both of Stanwick’s goals came in the second quarter, as the team took an 8-7 lead into halftime.
One of Long Island’s strengths this season as opposed to the past has been playing strong team-offense and spreading the ball around. Eight different players scored for the Lizards, five of which had two or more goals, while midfielder and star-player Max Seibald did not have a single goal. Seibald registered only two assists, but got a lot of help from his teammates.
The Lizards will return home next weekend to take on the Denver Outlaws while the Machine take on the Charlotte Hounds in a rematch of the expansion teams.
