New York Atlas 14, Denver Outlaws 13
Paul Lamonaca: “48 Full” leads Atlas to first PLL championship
The Atlas etched their names in PLL history Sunday, defeating the Outlaws in an instant classic to win their first league title.
After playing catch-up in the first quarter of the U.S. Bank Championship, New York finally broke through in the second with a Jeff Teat goal that put the Atlas up 8-7.
Then, heartbreak.
Atlas attackman Xander Dickson was on the ride against Denver goalie Logan McNaney when he collapsed to the ground with a left leg injury. Dickson was taken off the field on a stretcher, leaving a void in New York’s attack unit.
Rookie midfielder Matt Tryanor was inserted into the New York attack line and excelled. Right after his position change, Traynor found the back of the net late in the first half, then scored again 12 seconds into the third quarter to give the Atlas a 10-7 lead.
Denver quickly responded, scoring three goals in less than a minute to tie the game. The Outlaws continued to control the third quarter, notching two more goals and holding a 12-11 lead with 12 minutes to play.
After Traynor opened the scoring in the fourth quarter, the Atlas got back-to-back goals from veteran midfielder Bryan Costabile, including what proved to be the game-winner with 5:14 remaining.
Jared Bernhardt cut it to 14-13 after a failed Atlas challenge, and the game came down to a final possession.
New York held its ground on defense and cleared it into its offensive end to run the clock out. As the time hit zero, bedlam ensued. The Atlas had avenged their regular-season loss to Denver and earned themselves the title of kings of the lacrosse world.
Teat finished with six points (3G, 3A) to earn Championship MVP honors. Trevor Baptiste, the lone remaining member of the original Atlas team in 2019, went 22-for-30 at the faceoff stripe.
Topher Adams: Outlaws fall short in season’s final game
The Outlaws are a team of superstars who always seem to make the big play in the big moment. In Sunday’s title game, with a chance for this Denver squad to cement its pro lacrosse legacy, that magic finally ran out.
Denver made its plays in the first half. Brennan O’Neill continued his excellent playoff run with three emphatic goals, while Pat Kavanagh bounced around the field and forced his way to the net even against a stout New York defense.
However, the Atlas were a step ahead in the first half and took a 9-7 lead into halftime. But the grit the Outlaws had built all season showed up in the third. All four of the Tewaaraton Award winners — O’Neill, Kavanagh, Jared Bernhardt and Logan Wisnauskas — found the scoresheet while goalie Logan McNaney came alive between the pipes.
Denver took a one-goal lead into the final period, looking to find a little more magic to close things out. But the plays never came.
The fourth quarter was a one-way street heading toward New York glory. Brilliant all day, Costabile scored to tie the game. After a successful challenge took an Atlas goal off the board, Costabile slipped another one past McNaney with no angle to give New York a two-goal lead.
In all that time, Denver had no answer. The defense scrambled to make a play, but there was no play on the other end. The Outlaws recorded just two shots in the first 10 minutes of the fourth quarter. Denver swapped Kavanagh and Bernhardt on the field to find a new answer, but the success never came.
Or so it seemed.
Costabile seemingly buried the Outlaws with another low-angle twister, but the shot rang just off the crossbar and out — even after a New York challenge. On the other end, Bernhardt finally broke the Denver drought and made it a one-goal game.
Through all of the cold streaks, all of the inconsistent play and everything New York was doing right, the Outlaws had a chance to win the game.
After a stop on defense, Tim Soudan called timeout with 1:02 left to play. The Outlaws put the ball in the stick of their superstar: O’Neill.
He drove hard past his defender and roared to the crease. He made his dive to the crease, but the ball sailed high and he landed in the crease. This was Denver’s last gasp, ball in the stick of its superstar with the game on the line.
It wasn’t a clean look, but it was a look the Outlaws could live with. But the shot didn’t fall. And after a season of broken records and memorable moments, Denver was just a few plays short.
