The final game of the 2012 regular season for both teams will be played in at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium. Denver and Chesapeake have both clinched playoff berths. Whoever wins this game will take the number one seed going into the post-season.
The attack units for the Outlaws and Bayhawks have all the talent in the world and by the world I mean Canada and the United States. Chesapeake with Grant Jr., Glading, Westervelt and Rubeor (if the salaray cap hits again), and Denver with Mundorf, Matthews, Chris Bocklet, and McBride. These are names you hear every game because they are that good and work well with one another.
Denver’s attack will be going up against a very physical Bayhawk close defense made up of Spallina, Polanco and Evans. One thing that the Chesapeake defense has over the Denver attack is age. Normally, the younger teams would have the advantage with speed and agility. However, because the defense is full of Veterans and knows the MLL game, they have the advantage. In the Long Island game, people thought the younger attackmen would smoke by the older Chesapeake defense, but, they got stopped in their tracks. The only attackman with age for the Outlaws is Mundorf. Matthews and Chris Bocklet are the rookies and McBride is in his second year. Something that Matthews possesses is skill and knowledge of the game. Even though he’s a rookie, he’s playing like a veteran.
Chesapeake’s attack has veterans and skill. They became an even greater threat once they acquired Grant Jr and Westervelt. With Glading or Rubeor put into the mix, they welcome any competition. Well, that competition just happens to be Lee Zink, Steve Holmes and Dillon Roy. Three tough defenders, who play great team defense. Zink is probably the best defender on the Outlaws and will most likely go up against Westervelt. Roy will draw Grant Jr. and Holmes on Rubeor or Glading.
The Bayhawks and Outlaws have two of the best midfield units in the MLL today. Offensively, Chesapeake’s first line of Kimmel, Dixon and Brooks is deadly. All three can go to the net and score. Brooks has a cannon, Kimmel is as hard a worker as they come and Dixon has a rocket launcher. Guarding the two point arc will be key for the Denver midfield defense. If he’s left alone, he will score, along with Brooks. Their second line, made up of Matt Mackrides, Ben Rubeor (when not on attack) and Ben Hunt, can do damage as well. Mackrides speed can get him by any defender, especially in the open field.
Denver’s offensive midfield is just as deadly. Peet Poillon, rookie Drew Snider, Jeremy Sieverts, and Terry Kimener all have the ability to run by their defender. That’ll be hard though going up against Matt Abbott, Jeff Reynolds and Barney Ehrmann. Abbott has become a guru of transition play. He’s quick and shifty, and can score if he has the opportunity.
Goalies Jesse Schwartzman and Kip Turner will be battling it out and fighting off shots. They will be busy making saves against offenses that will take a lot of runs at the cage.
Chesapeake won the first match up of the season by two, 18-16. The difference, as I said before, is age. We saw last weekend how Chesapeake took advantage of Long Islands team because of the Lizards being young. The Outlaws Bocklet, Matthews and Snider are all rookies and have been playing well, but that will be thrown out the window when they play the Bayhawks. Age doesn’t mean anything with Chesapeake, and they’ve proven that time and again this season.
This will be a game to watch, as it will determine who takes the number one seed going into Boston. Expect a high scoring game. Game time is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday August 8 in Annapolis, MD.
