Maryland Whipsnakes 10, Philadelphia Waterdogs 7
Miles Jordan: Whipsnakes’ come-from-behind victory boosts their playoff odds
On Saturday night in Fairfield, the Whipsnakes found themselves in a familiar position to their 13-6 loss to the Denver Outlaws in Chicago. They went down 5-0 early, mainly due to Michael Sowers’ four goals in the first half.
“We’ve got to stop Sowers,” Whipsnakes head coach Jim Stagnitta told Dana Boyle at halftime. “[He’s] winning 4-2. … Easier said than done.”
The Whips went scoreless for the first 19:43 of the game before Aidan Carroll (1G) found the back of the cage with a left-handed rocket fired past Matt DeLuca.
Just like against Denver, Maryland was able to begin digging itself out of a five-goal deficit and score back-to-back goals thanks to Colin Heacock’s late second-quarter tally, assisted by Matt Rambo (1A), who returned to the lineup for the first time since June 21.
But the Whipsnakes still trailed 5-2 at halftime, prompting veteran defenseman Matt Dunn to deliver a pep talk to his teammate.
“It’s embarrassing when we don’t bring it, and we control that,” Dunn said.
“Honestly, I was echoing what Tim Muller said on the field,” he recalled postgame. “To feel like guys were not present and giving it all we can out there, and just knowing the potential of our team too, it’s just it was frustrating.”
Stagnitta called Dunn “an amazing leader.”
“I do leadership for a living,” the coach said, “and I’m just so proud of how he leads his team. [Muller] stepped up today, and that takes so much pressure off of me because I don’t have to say things. And they get tired of me saying the same things over and over again.”
After Maryland went down 6-2 midway through the third quarter, Brad Smith (2G, 1T) turned up the heat and notched three scoring points in 15 seconds to close the Waterdogs’ lead to just a score.
He fired a missile from two-point range off an assist from TJ Malone (1G, 4A) during the Whipsnakes power play, then took matters into his own hands, scoring an unassisted goal in the 32-second shot clock after a Joe Nardella faceoff win – something Maryland has struggled with this season.
Nardella went 12-of-19 (63.2%) from the stripe, outplaying ascending Waterdogs faceoff man Alec Stathakis, who recorded a career high 22 of 27 (81.5%) faceoff wins against the Archers the previous week.
Once Maryland got the ball rolling, it didn’t take its foot off the gas. Malone scored his first goal of the game with a diving shot past DeLuca to equalize the game at 6-6, attacking aggressively from behind the cage.
Matt Brandau (4G, 1A), the former Waterdog, gave the Whipsnakes their first lead of the game, and then scored his second goal of the game a minute-and-a-half later off an assist from Malone.
“When [Dunn and Muller] are telling you to give it all you got, you owe it to them, and you owe it to the rest of the team, and you owe it to yourself to go out there and do it,” Brandau said postgame.
Brandau went on to score four consecutive goals, with the final three all assisted by Malone, to help power Maryland’s 8-0 run.
“[Malone] threw me open, I think every time,” Brandau said. “Playing with that kid is incredible.”
Goalie Emmet Carroll finished with 12 saves and a 63.2% save percentage, including a massive save on CJ Kirst as he fired a two-bomb with less than a minute remaining in the game.
The win moved the Whipsnakes into third place in the Eastern Conference, displacing the Boston Cannons.
Up next for Maryland: Friday, July 25 vs. New York Atlas (10:30 p.m. ET)
Mike Bolger: Waterdogs offense goes cold after Whipsnakes take away pick game
Sowers came out firing, scoring the game’s first four goals on Saturday Night Lacrosse.
Two of those strikes came off picks by Zach Currier and Christian Scarpello, freeing Sowers to do what he does best — create chaos with speed and precision. Thomas McConvey added a fifth tally in the second quarter, capping a dominant 5-0 start for Philadelphia.
Anchored by a strong defensive showing and clutch stops from DeLuca, the Waterdogs blanked the Whipsnakes through nearly 20 full minutes. But the momentum shifted just before halftime, when the Whipsnakes broke through with two late goals to close the gap.
“I thought we came out on fire tonight, but actually it was Sowers who was on fire and we just got caught up,” Waterdogs head coach Bill Tierney said. “We stood around and watched each other tonight, it was not the normal offense.”
The Whipsnakes carried that spark into the second half, stifling Sowers with tighter coverage and better execution on defending the pick plays. With Sowers neutralized, the Waterdogs’ offense went cold.
“Somebody had to make a play that created energy, momentum to go our way, and we just didn’t do it,” DeLuca said.
Currier was the lone bright spot in the second half, scoring both of the Waterdogs’ goals after the break. In doing so, he became the first player in league history to record 200 career points and 400 ground balls.
“I truly think, overall skill in the full field of the game that you look at, that’s the best lacrosse player,” DeLuca said. “You don’t get Zach Currier’s every generation.”
Only three Waterdogs (Sowers, McConvey and Currier) found the back of the net, the fewest scorers in a game this season for a team known for sharing the rock.
Despite the loss, DeLuca turned in a strong personal performance in his first start since June 21, tying a season low with nine goals allowed and setting a season high with 16 saves.
Kirst made his PLL debut. The No. 1 overall draft pick logged 14 touches, seven passes and five shots in his first action.
Second-year defenseman Kenny Brower exited with a lower-body injury. His status will be monitored throughout the week.
Up next for Philadelphia: Saturday, July 26 vs. Carolina Chaos (6:30 p.m. ET)
