Photo Credit: Di Miller
On July 2, the MLL held their weekly Coaches Conference Call and Denver Outlaws Head Coach B.J. O’Hara was asked about the team’s loss on the road to the Rochester Rattlers. Coach O’Hara said:
“It was a tough opponent as we expected. They came out firing; they had a lot of energy. I thought we were a little flat—I thought we were a little flat going into the game. We thought we could keep ourselves in position but we dug ourselves a pretty deep whole early in the game. To our guy’s credit, they did a nice job of fighting to get back in it. We got it back to three a couple of times with plenty of time left, but we weren’t able to get over that hump. As a result we fell a little short.”
How do you think the Outlaws are going to “rectify the situation” when they prepare to face Boston this Friday? He commented:
“I don’t know what you mean by ‘rectify the situation’ (laughs). We played a game against a tough opponent in their stadium and they beat us. They were the better team that day. We’re going to continue to do the things we do. We’re going to prepare the same way. We’re going to continue to play the same style of lacrosse that we’ve played for a number of years. That’s all we can do.”
Do you think the Outlaws will potentially lose players in Week 11’s game due to conflicts with 2014 FIL World Championships? O’Hara said, “No that’s not true… we play on Sunday after the World Championships.”
What are you looking for in the Mile High Fourth of July celebration game? He remarked:
“Well, we hope we can come out of the gate a little bit better than we did this last week. I’m sure the guys will have a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiasm given the scenario. We also know that Boston is—on paper—an awfully good team. They’ve been up-and-down, but we’ve got to expect them to bring their best and I’m sure they will. They’re playing hard for a playoff spot, as we are—we’re still in first place. We don’t have as much wiggle room as we did a week ago, but we still are the team that is being chased by everybody. I know the guys will rally. They rallied on Sunday last week. They got down—for whatever reason—but they were able to get themselves back in it and play good lacrosse for 30 minutes. It just unfortunately wasn’t enough. Hopefully we’ll avoid that kind of start.”
Tell us about the atmosphere at the Mile High Fourth of July game? Coach O’Hara said:
“I’m sure the guys will tell you it’s what they play for. It’s an exciting event, it’s a beautiful stadium. There are a lot of whistles and bells. It’s just the kind of night that you hope you can play your best. That’s where they’re at right now—preparing for a big night in a great venue.”
Give us your thoughts on the Boston Cannons. Coach O’Hara:
“Well we had a great game with them last time, an overtime win for us. It went down to the wire and I’m expecting this one will be much of the same. It’s going to come down to the tail-end of the fourth quarter to see who comes out with a victory. They’ve got awfully good talent all over the field. Chris Eck did not play against us, he will be here—I’m assuming—on Friday night. So he’s going to be a challenge for us. Obviously handling Paul Rabil and Kevin Buchanan and so forth is going to be a big test for our guys.”
What about goalie Jesse Schwartzman? O’Hara said:
“In hindsight, we maybe should have given him the day off Sunday. Jesse has played awfully well for us even before the US training camp started. A lot of the coaching staff—the US coaching staff—eyes were on him, they were checking out which goalies they’re going to go with. He played awfully well the last three weeks for us and he played really well in the MLL All-Star game. I think he was tired, mentally tired. Physically he was fine. I know Jesse will rally. Jesse was very much in the game after we replaced him, supporting Charlie and the rest of his teammates. I know he will come back this week fully rested and charged up and ready to go, ready to lead our team like we need him to.”
As the In Lacrosse We Trust Beat Writer for the Denver Outlaws, I’d like to thank them for their assistance and professionalism as a MLL franchise. As always, they are a pleasure to work with.
