Chaos 14 Redwoods 12
Lacrosse is a game of runs. That was certainly true of the Chaos-Redwoods match up on Sunday. In the end, Chaos (4-3) reigned as they chopped down the Redwoods (3-4) with a 14-12 victory that was pretty much decided on 2-point goals.
Those blistering 2-point goals came from in the third and fourth quarters. They were, arguably, the difference makers in the game. Ian MacKay snuck on the field in the third quarter and blasted one with the Redwoods seemingly unprepared. The stealthy goal put Chaos up 11-10. The Redwoods came back; but C.J. Costabile knocked the Redwoods down again shooting another 2-pointer into the back of the net.
Chaos head coach Andy Towers focused on the value of the 2 point shot.
“Ultimately, the 2-pointers seemed to be, certainly, a big momentum changer,” Towers said. “Certainly with MacKay’s and then, obviously with C.J.’s to go up by a goal.”
And MacKay focused on his play as well as that of his teammates.
“We stuck to the process and trusted in one another, stuck to out game plan, we really didn’t stray away from it,” MacKay said.
As for the 2 pointer, he thinks it “sparked it a bit” and drove his team to a solid victory.
On the other hand, Redwoods head coach Nat St. Laurent didn’t think those 2-point shots made the difference in the game. He cited several instances where his players could have scored or played better. He said those plays or lack thereof would have been the difference in the game. He wanted to focus on his team, instead of the other team.
“If we would have scored on our other chances, we win the game,” St. Laurent said. “So we’re not going to get too concerned if we don’t have any 2 pointers at this point.”
(he Redwoods are the only PLL team without a 2 point goal this season.
Perhaps this will change as the PLL goes to Colorado for their next matchups.
Cannons 12 Waterdogs 8
It seemed less like a dog fight and more like a blast as the Cannons continued their winning ways with a 12-8 win over the Waterdogs.
The teams were in a closely contested battle through the first half, with the Cannons leading 4-3. The Waterdogs were hungry out of the halftime break, outscoring the Cannons 4-2, but they could not hold on to their lead. As this season has shown for the Cannons, they found a way to fire back in quarter 4 to secure the victory.
Kieran McArdle seemed to be paddling the team to victory with a six-point dazzling of the Baltimore crowd. He ended the night with three goals and three assists. However, Asher Nolting (two goals and two assists) and the Cannons ultimately secured the victory.
“Gutsy, proud, very determined,” said coach Brian Holman. “Hats off to the Waterdogs. They are really, really good. They have some big time play makers all over the field. I thought their goalie played really, really well today. That was a dog fight, right there.”
Holman’s team also earned the first playoff spot of the 2023 season.
One consistent theme in all of the press conferences is how well these teams work together and how hard they play. This will be evident in Colorado next week as players acclimate their lungs and playing style to the different altitude.
