DENVER — The Denver Outlaws fell 24-22 in a back-and-forth, high-scoring game to the Chesapeake Bayhawks on Sunday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
Despite scoring a season-high 22 goals and rallying from a five-score fourth-quarter deficit, Denver was never able to overcome a Chesapeake 13-point third quarter and four two-goal tallies.
Midfielder Drew Snider led all scorers with a career-high six goals—representing only the 20th six-goal game in Outlaws history. Attackman Kylor Bellistri, acquired on Wednesday in a trade with the Boston Cannons, tallied four goals in his Outlaws debut.
Attackman Matt Kavanagh totaled seven points on five goals and two assists, while attackman Shawn Evans contributed four points (1 goal, 3 assists). Following today’s games, Kavanagh ranks first and second in Major League Lacrosse in goals (19) and points (26), respectively.
Snider recorded a hat trick in the opening quarter, guiding Denver to a 5-4 lead after the first stanza. Snider’s fourth of the game gave Denver an 8-7 lead with 4:41 left in the first half, but a Chesapeake goal in the final minute sent the teams into the break with an 8-8 tie.
Denver opened the second half with a 7-4 run to take a 15-12 lead, however Chesapeake answered with a 9-1 run of their own to take a 21-16 lead into the final quarter. The Bayhawks’ explosive third quarter included three of their four two-point goals.
The Outlaws rallied late in the fourth quarter behind three of Kavanagh’s tallies and outscored the Bayhawks 6-3 in the final frame. However, Chesapeake was able to run the final two minutes off the clock and add an insurance goal to provide the final margin.
Denver (1-4) returns to action at home on Saturday night to take on the currently unbeaten Charlotte Hounds (4-0) at 7 p.m. MDT.
