Photo Credit: Di Miller
On Saturday May 17, in front of 8,640 fans, the Denver Outlaws (4-0) won their 24th consecutive regular season game against the Rochester Rattlers (2-2) by the score 14-8. They now hold the record for the Longest Winning Streak in MLL history; Jesse Schwartzman was honored as the winningest goalie in MLL history; and Lee Zink #29 Defense, played his 100th career game as an Outlaw (the most in team history). Although Rochester has a strong team, the Outlaws just seem to keep finding ways to win. When a team thinks they have figured out how to beat Denver, the Outlaws come back with a vengeance.
Denver would have seven different players score the first seven goals. This definitely shows that the Outlaws work as a team, and the players are unselfish, which makes it hard for the opposing defense to know who will score next. The Outlaws would have their woes in the third quarter, only scoring twice. But as always Denver would come alive again in the fourth, the defense stepped it up, and Schwartzman was amazing in goal as usual.
The Outlaws leading scorers for the game were: Drew Snider #23, Midfield who would get a hat-trick (3 G); there would be four other players to each score two goals: Eric Law #15 Attack; Justin Pennington #14 Midfield; Cameron Flint #18 Midfield; and Jeremy Sieverts #20 Midfield (one a two-point goal) who still leads league in two-point goals. They would also get goals from Terry Kimener #16, Midfield; and John Grant Jr. #24, Attack who had a stellar night with 1 goal, and 5 assists.
Rochester would be held to only two goals in the first half. Dave Lawson #2, Midfield; and Jordan MacIntosh #29, Midfield. They would come alive in the third, and go on a four-goal shooting spree, with goals by Midfielders Kyle Denhoff #25; Justin Turri #12; Sam Bradman #21; and Attack Steven Boyle #10. Rochester would get their final two goals of the game at 5:30, and 7:06 into the fourth when Bradman, and Boyle would each get their second goals of the game. The Outlaws then went on a three-goal run, and with a little over a minute remaining in the game, would control the ball and go on to win.
Goaltender stats:
Outlaws Jesse Schwartzman—14 saves, 22 SA, 8 GA, .636 save percentage
Rattlers John Galloway—13 saves, 26 SA, 14 GA (one two-point goal), .500 save percentage
Face-off stats:
Outlaws Anthony Kelly 10-22 FOW
Outlaws Justin Pennington 2-3 FOW
Rattlers John Ortolani 13-25 FOW
The Denver Outlaws will play host to the Charlotte Hounds (1-3) on Friday May 30, at Sports Authority Field at Mile-High. Will the Hounds figure out how to break the Outlaws streak? Denver has been playing extremely well, coming together as a team when it’s needed most, and with the intensity of Jesse Schwartzman, I don’t see the Hounds coming away with a victory. The Outlaws could get win number 25.
