The Florida Launch downed the New York Lizards for a big 13-10 road win on Saturday night. The Launch now lead the all-time series at 4-3.
In a game of firsts, Launch rookies made quite the impact, accounting for four of the 13 goals put up by Launch players and helping the Launch regain their lead late in the third quarter. The comeback was mounted with a three-goal scoring run headed by the team’s recent first round draft picks Nick Mariano (2G) and Sergio Salcido (1G).
“It’s kind of something we’ve been missing. Both [Nick] and Sergio came in, finished shots. I mean, they were shooting deep, and they were quality shots,” said coach Tom Mariano following the game, “Nick is a goal scorer. I try to tell people, we didn’t draft him because of the name on his jersey, we drafted him because he’s a legit player. I think he proved that tonight.”
On defense, former Brown defenseman and fourth round pick Alec Tulett recorded his first career ground ball. Tulett contributed major minutes in his first MLL game and proved to be a strong player in the Launch’s already imposing defensive unit.
“I thought Alec Tulett was excellent. We thought he was good, he’s better than what was advertised,” said coach Mariano, ”I’m excited to see what he’s going to look like when we have five poles. I think the draft picks have just given us energy and excitement.”
Goalie Austin Kaut, the Coca-Cola Player of the Game, stopped an impressive 21 out of 31 shots on goal for a .677 save percentage. Kaut currently leads the league in shots saved with a staggering 116.
“We’re just going to keep working hard. We’re going to get back to work tomorrow, have a couple extra days with that week, then we’re right back to Florida to play the Lizards again,” said Kaut, “We just got to get back to work. We’re just going to have to keep getting better. And, that’s all it takes right now, getting better.”
The Launch return to FAU Stadium on June 10 with the hopes of sweeping the Lizards at home. For tickets, call 561-923-9067 or visit www.floridalaunchlacrosse.com/tickets.
