Outlaws open season with a loss to California Redwoods.
The Outlaws struggled the entire game with a lack of offense and their defense collapsing against the aggressive style of offense from the Redwoods.
By: Remi Krupinski
The Denver Outlaws opened their 2025 season Friday against the California Redwoods. After Denver swept their two match-ups last season, the Redwoods came out and shut down the Outlaws' defense 15-12.
Denver fell off in the third quarter, getting outscored 6-3 after trailing by one after the first half. They’d gain momentum in the fourth with goals from Jake Piseno, Logan Wisnauskas and Zach Geddes, but it was too little too late.
While the Outlaws’ offense struggled for most of the game, the attackers displayed some potential for what could come later in the season. Brennan O’Neill and Pat Kavanagh both scored twice, and Wisnausks recorded a hat trick. O’Neil and Wisnauskas were the main facilitators on attack, combining for three assists.
Although some attackers shone, their offense still grappled against the Redwood’s defense. They took 45 shots, 26 of which were on goal. Denver’s midfielders were unable to support the offense, with Dalton Young, Geddes and Piseno combining for a bare four goals. California also controlled the faceoffs, only allowing the Outlaws to come out with possession 40% of the time.
The Redwoods’ 15 goals came from an aggressive attack that put Denver on its heels. The Outlaws’ defense allowed 35 shots, with 26 on goal. The unit combined for only 26 ground balls and caused four turnovers. The defensive collapse led to Outlaws’ goalie Owen McElroy having a night to forget, finishing with 11 saves on goal while giving up 15, leaving him with a 42.3% save percentage.
“I’m encouraged,” Denver head coach Tim Soudan said after the loss. “I liked a lot of things. We had a lot of good opportunities and didn’t finish.”
Friday's game pitted two brothers against each other, with California’s Chris Kavanagh going up against his brother. Pat was making his Outlaws debut after a blockbuster trade last November, and Chris was making his professional lacrosse entrance after getting selected 10th overall by the Redwoods in the 2025 Draft. Overall both brothers played exceptionally well, however, Chris stole the show with four goals, and one assist. Pat finished with two goals and two points in his Denver premiere.
The Outlaws look to get in the win column on Friday, June 6, as they take on the Carolina Chaos at 4 p.m. MT.