The Denver Outlaws (9-0) took one-step toward achieving their season goal June 29, as they beat the Charlotte Hounds (4-5) 17-11 to clinch a spot in the 2013 Major League Lacrosse Championship Weekend.
While the 9-0 start to the season ties the MLL record for most wins to start a season, the Outlaws are focused more on the ending of the season than the start to it.
“That’s not what this team is about,” Head Coach Jim Stagnitta said about tying the 2005 Baltimore Bayhawks record 9-0 start. “Certainly, comparisons and all that stuff – at this point, how we would like to compare ourselves to them at the end is that we would like to be able to walk away with the championship.”
While four different Outlaws netted hat tricks – led by rookie attackman Eric Law’s four goal performance – goalies Jess Schwartzman took home the Player of the Game honors for his 27 save performance.
“Jesse won the game for us,” Stagnitta said. He made some phenomenal saves. He certainly shut the door in the second, third and fourth quarters.”
Charlotte started strong, scoring the first goal 23 seconds into the first quarter, before Law answered for Denver. The scoring went back and forth between the two teams in the quarter, before the Hounds took the lead off a late-quarter goal with 13 seconds left to end the first up 5-4.
Denver didn’t trail for long, as Schwartzman and the defense shut down the Charlotte offense completely in the second quarter to hold them scoreless in the quarter. Meanwhile on offense, the Outlaws terrorized Hounds goalie Adam Ghitelman and his defense with six-unanswered goals in the quarter, led by attackman Brendan Mundorf’s two goals in the quarter, to take a 10-5 lead into halftime.
Law netted his third goal 43 seconds into regulation to start the second half, however Charlotte answered shortly after. Both teams found the back of the net through a variety of sources, as the scoring went back and forth in a third-quarter shoot out. Despite their best efforts the Hounds were unable to match the Outlaws guns, as they were outscored 7-5 in the quarter to bring the score to 17-10.
The scoring slowed down to a crawl in the final quarter of the game, as a defensive battle ensued that saw Schwartzman put up a 10-save quarter to stymie any Charlotte comeback. For the first time all season the Outlaws were held without a goal in a quarter, with the lone goal of the quarter coming from the Hounds mid-way through the quarter.
While the offense never found the back of the net the rest of the game, the defense held steady to give Denver their record-tying ninth win of the season. The win also extends the Outlaws regular-season win streak to 15.
The Outlaws will host the New York Lizards in their annual Forth of July fireworks game, in their last leg of the three-game home stand. Face off is at 9 p.m. EST July 4 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
