In the tight Major League Lacrosse standings, Ohio and Boston separated themselves a bit, and Florida earned a big win over first-place New York. Here are three stars from this past weekend.
3) Kieran McArdle (Florida) – 4 goals, 1 assist
There were several players across the league with better stat lines than Kieran McArdle, but the St. John’s product gets the nod at #3 due to the magnitude and circumstances behind Florida’s victory. Without the Thompson brothers, McArdle stepped up in a big way to tally four goals and one assist as the Launch scored 16 goals in an impressive 16-12 win over the first-place New York Lizards. New York’s Ned Crotty scored 17 seconds into the fourth quarter to tie the score, but McArdle scored his fourth goal of the game less than two minutes later to give his squad a 12-11 lead. That sparked a 5-0 run as the Launch ran away with the victory, their second of the season. McArdle currently stands third in Major League Lacrosse with 45 points behind 33 goals and 12 assists.
2) Marcus Holman (Ohio) – 5 goals, 2 assists
Marcus Holman scored Ohio’s first two goals to set the tone for the Machine in a battle of 5-4 teams. Ohio eventually opened a 10-3 lead, but Rochester responded to pull within 13-11. However, Holman immediately scored two goals in the span of 1:18 to give Ohio a 15-11 lead and erase any doubt. Holman currently stands fifth in Major League Lacrosse with 29 goals and eight assists as the Machine stand tied for second (with Boston) with a 6-4 record.
1) Brendan Fowler (Charlotte) – 20-26 faceoffs, 11 groundballs
I’m going outside of the box for this weekend’s #1 star. Just as important as Kevin Cunningham’s seven points was faceoff specialist Brendan Fowler, who won 20-of-26 faceoffs with 11 groundballs. He won 77 percent of his draws to help the Hounds control possession. Charlotte held a dominant 59-35 edge in shots and 38-25 advantage in shots on goal, on its way to a 14-11 victory. The Hounds opened a 12-4 edge after three quarters and held off a hard-charging Outlaws’ squad in the fourth. Fowler also dished an assist. Denver sent three players to the X, but no one could solve Fowler. Cunningham gets a well-deserved honorable mention for his four goals and three assists.
