Outlaws earn first win of the season against Waterdogs
A hat trick from Pat Kavanagh and big saves from rookie goalie Logan McNaney gave Denver a 9-7 win over Philadelphia
The Denver Outlaws secured their first victory of the season Saturday against the Philadelphia Waterdogs with a 9-7 win. The Outlaws won through improvements on offense and their defense, holding off the Waterdogs’ offense.
The Waterdogs got off to a hot start with three straight goals, looking like they would carry the momentum throughout the game. However, the Outlaws would answer back, with midfielder Dalton Young scoring Denver’s first goal.
Young’s goal helped the Outlaws mount a comeback in the first, with attacker Pat Kavanagh and midfielder Jared Bernhardt evening up the game with goals apiece. Bernhardt’s goal was his first in the Professional Lacrosse League.
Philadelphia scored another goal late in the first quarter, giving the Outlaws a 4-3 deficit. But Kavanagh scored two goals in the second quarter, knotting the game up once again.
The Outlaws finally took the lead late in the second quarter with goals from Ryan Terefenko and Jake Piseno. But the Waterdogs answered with a goal, giving the Outlaws a one-goal lead, 7-6.
In the second half, the Outlaws continued their momentum, scoring two more goals from attackers Brennan O’Neill and Logan Wisnauskas. The defense then held the Waterdogs to one goal in the second half.
The Outlaws’ offense was on fire, with Kavanagh recording a hat trick in the first half. The “Tewaaraton Four,” – the nickname given to the Tewaaraton Award winners Bernhardt, Wisnauskas, O’Neill and Kavanagh, all scored at least one goal during the game. The Outlaws’ offense had 42 shots, with 24 shots on goal.
“At times offensively, we moved the ball pretty well, and we were due,” Outlaws head coach Tim Soudan said after the game.
The defense also played a crucial role in shutting down the Waterdogs offense in the second half. The defense was led by Bernhardt, Mike Manley, and Jake Piseno who created four caused turnovers and seven ground balls. In total, the Outlaws’ defense had 29 ground balls and nine caused turnovers.
But it was the goalie play that won them the game. The Outlaws have been plagued with bad goalie play throughout the start of the season, so they turned to rookie goalie Logan McNaney. McNaney locked down with 14 saves while only allowing seven goals. McNaney’s save percentage was 66.7% the highest among Outlaws’ goalies this season.
“You know, I think definitely we played really, really well. They had a couple balls that got knocked out of people's sticks right into somebody’s else stick,” Soudan said. “ Rebound to a feed to a goal. But I think we played pretty good lockdown defense.”
Denver looks to keep the momentum going as they face the defending PLL champion Utah Archers on Sunday, June 22, at 10 a.m.
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