With the FIL Men’s World Championship about to commence in Israel, and the World Series of Youth Lacrosse imminent, many tend to forget that there is incredible lacrosse occurring in the MLL regular season. The MLL All-Stars defeated Team USA in overtime as many players made statements with their performances. The action continued after the All-Star Game as Ohio continued to struggle and Charlotte has been sliding the wrong way in recent weeks. Boston appears destined for another losing season as they lost to Chesapeake. Dallas continues sitting alone at number one while closely followed by Chesapeake. Denver sits in third and always proves they are capable of winning a championship. Charlotte sits in fourth, but appears headed in the wrong direction as New York, Atlanta and Florida sit in striking distance of fourth place. For yet another season, there are seven teams with the chance of making the playoffs.
Ohio 14 @ New York 15
Ohio came out swinging after the All-Star game and jumped out to an early 7-2 lead against New York as they looked to get back on track. The Lizards had other ideas and staged a second-quarter run that cut the Machine’s lead to 8-7 at the half. Ohio extended the lead in the third 12-9, as they looked prime to upset New York. It took a Paul Rabil two-point goal and a last-minute goal by Will Manny in the fourth to secure the win for the Lizards.
Drew Adams made 14 saves as he got the win while Kyle Bernlohr made 17 as he did his best to help Ohio. Paul Rabil led New York in scoring with seven points (3G/2ptG/2A). Rookie Justin Guterding led Ohio with six points (4G/2A). Tom Kelly and Kenny Massa dueled to a draw at the X as they both went 16-32 on faceoffs.
Up Next: New York travels to Chesapeake while Ohio treks down to Florida.
Atlanta 16 @ Charlotte 10
Atlanta defeated Charlotte yet continued to remain on the fringe of the playoffs with Florida while putting distance between Ohio and Boston. The Blaze took a slim 4-3 lead at the end of the first quarter. Atlanta extended their lead in the second quarter as they pulled away from Charlotte 9-6. Charlotte tried to mount a run, but failed to cut Atlanta’s lead as the Blaze pulled away 14-8. Atlanta rode their lead in the fourth and earned a win.
Adam Ghitelman made 12 saves in the win while Charlie Cipriano suffered the loss despite making 15 saves. Kevin Rice (4G) and Christian Cuccinello (3G/A)) led Atlanta with four points each. Mike Chanenchuk led Charlotte with five points (3G/2ptG/1A)). Joe Nardella ruled the X as he dominated faceoffs by going 21-29.
Up Next: Atlanta gets the week off while Charlotte travels to Dallas and takes on the first place Rattlers.
Boston 8 @ Chesapeake 15
Chesapeake continued to hold onto their spot in the top four as they pummeled Boston, taking a 6-2 lead at the end of the first. The Bayhawks continued to hold the lead as they led 8-4 at the half. Matters got no better for Boston in the third as Chesapeake extended their lead 12-6 at the end of the third. The Bayhawks kept Boston in the rearview as Chesapeake cruised to a win.
Niko Amato made 11 saves on the way to another win, as Tyler Fiorito looked good making 14 saves. Matt Danowski led the Bayhawks with seven points (3G/4A). Shack Stanwick led Boston with four points (2G/2A). Trevor Baptiste gained the edge in faceoffs for Boston as he went 13-24.
Up Next: Chesapeake hosts New York while Boston goes to Denver for the Fourth of July game.
