After losing to the Ohio Machine 14-16 on Friday, the Chesapeake Bayhawks fell to 3-7 on the season, taking sole possession of last place in the MLL standings. For the first time in franchise history the Bayhawks are out of the playoff picture at the half-way point of the season. Even with multiple trade accusations and moves during the season, the Bayhawks cannot figure out how to win.
3-7 and the mid-way point ruins all chances of making it to the playoffs and repeating as MLL champions. With the Bayhawks playing the remainder of the season with no shot at playoff contention, their head coach emphasized the importance of finishing strong.
“You play for pride and you play for each other. No matter what our record is, we have to come out and play well for our fans,” said head coach Dave Cottle.
Although the Bayhawks season has not gone as planned, there are still some bright sides to their team. Last week US Lacrosse announced the final roster that will compete at the 2014 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championships in Denver, Colorado from July 10-19. Of the 23 MLL players chosen to the 2014 U.S. National Team, five were selected from the Chesapeake Bayhawks roster.
Representing the Bayhawks on Team USA are attackman Brendan Mundorf, midfielders Matt Abbott and Dan Burns, and defensemen Michael Evans and Jesse Bernhardt. Aside from Mundorf, this is the first time making the final roster for each player.
Yesterday Chesapeake traded for midfielder Kevin Crowley, trading away Jon Hayes, Steven Brooks and the recently acquired David Earl. Crowley will create an improvement with the struggling and injuried offense.
The Bayhawks are led by these players this season as well. Mundorf (a two-time World Champion) leads Chesapeake in goals with 17 and tallies a total of 23 points with six assists. Abbott leads the team in groundballs (27) and has seven points on five goals and two assists.
From the defensive end, Burns has created 17 ground balls over eight games, while Bernhardt has scored two goals, created an assist and forced 25 groundballs.
The Bayhawks play on July 17 at 7 pm at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium against the Rochester Rattlers (7-3).
