The MLL has hit its first of three breaks after four games of the season. At the break, only a handful of rookies have appeared in the MLL as their senior seasons have concluded and the NCAA Tournament field has started to dwindle down.
Before this week, Tom Schreiber, Kieran McArdle and John LoCascio all made their MLL debuts. This week a couple more players made thier debuts with many more to come in the coming weeks after the NCAA Tournament has concluded and graduations have occurred.
How did the newcomers fare in their first taste of MLL action? Here is a quick recap.
Kieran McArdle, A, Florida Launch:
McArdle followed up his two point performance against the Ohio Machine with a very strong six-point effort against the Chesapeake Bayhawks. McArdle scored five goals and handed out an assist in the 15-11 victory for the Launch as they improved to 3-1 on the season.
McArdle seems to pairing well with Casey Powell and Garrett Thul and complements both players well. McArdle can create his own shot and isn’t afraid to finish in the middle of the field and take the hit. Thul brings the heat from the outside while Powell quarterbacks the offense.
John LoCascio, D, Rochester Rattlers:
LoCascio comes off a stellar senior year in which he did everything for the Villanova Wildcats. He did not play this weekend but did have two ground balls last weekend for the Rattlers.
Chris LaPierre, M, Florida Launch:
LaPierre made his debut this weekend for the Launch and had one goal and three ground balls to help the Launch to their third victory of the season. LaPierre will help this midfield defensively as a short stick midfielder and has enough offensive firepower to be a threat in transition.
Tom Schreiber, M, Ohio Machine:
Schreiber followed up his MLL debut last weekend by scoring three goals in the Machine’s 11-9 loss to the New York Lizards. He has five points on the season and he should continue to get his fair share of opportunities as he teams up with Kyle Harrison and Peter Baum on the team’s first midfield unit.
Joe Fletcher, D/LSM, New York Lizards:
Fletcher, like LaPierre, made his MLL debut for the Lizards in helping them to an 11-9 win over the Ohio Machine to even their record at 2-2. Fletcher had two ground balls in the victory and should help shore up the back end of the defense that has allowed 47 goals on the season so far.
