New York Atlas 12, Philadelphia Waterdogs 11

Lauren Merola: Atlas defense secures playoff berth for New York

There were 47.5 minutes of lacrosse played before the Waterdogs hit a two-point bomb – their only goal of the second half – to climb within one point of the Atlas. None of them mattered. Not when the game was decided with seconds to spare, and the Atlas defense made sure to control the team’s script.

There was an eerie feeling in the air, even if only momentarily, stemming from an Atlas-Waterdogs meeting last season in which New York blew a seven-point lead to lose 19-18 after Philadelphia hit a two-pointer to even the game before stealing the dub. 

“We have to stop the two-pointers. That was our Achilles’ heel last week,” Atlas coach and general manager Mike Pressler said at halftime of Sunday's game. New York allowed three two-pointers against the Boston Cannons in Fairfield.

But then, as the clock started ticking down, the defense played physical, aggressive and was smart on its switches, especially when it came to taking a lane away from Zach Currier. A caused turnover sealed the win – and a playoff spot come September.

After being held scoreless in the second quarter, the Atlas’ midfield finally got involved and started putting up points. Bryan Costabile opened up scoring in the second half, and goals from Jake Stevens and Logan McGovern followed. 

Jeff Teat posted a hat trick, fortifying his PLL single-season points record. He currently has 51 points on the season. Liam Entenmann also posted 17 saves.  

Up next for New York: Bye week

Wyatt Miller: Waterdogs offense falls flat in second half, wasting Matt DeLuca’s career day

The Atlas haven’t scored fewer than 12 points all season, so it was no secret that the Waterdogs’ offense needed to bust out of its slump to win this game. And with nine points in the first half, it seemed that they had. They looked like the Waterdogs of old, capitalizing in transition and firing two-pointers into twine with triple-digit speed. 

Then, everything changed.

The Waterdogs only scored one goal in the second half, a two-pointer with 31 seconds remaining, as the Atlas went on a 6-0 run prior to that in a must-win game for Philly. They turned the ball over 15 times in the final 24 minutes and shot 1-for-20 during that span. Twenty-one total turnovers, 10 of which were unforced, plagued the Dogs throughout the game, while the Atlas capitalized in transition as a result. 

It was an ugly half of lacrosse and the Dogs, once again, didn’t show up when it mattered most. The lone bright spot was Matt DeLuca, who replaced Dillon Ward between the pipes after Ward went 0-for-5 on save opportunities in the first quarter. However, DeLuca’s career day (17 saves, 70.8%) was all for naught, as the Dogs lost their fourth one-score game of the season. They also had four powerplay opportunities and didn’t capitalize on any of them. 

"We shut ourselves out in that third quarter,” head coach and general manager Bill Tierney said. “We had three man-ups in the second half and uncharacteristically didn't share the ball and didn't look at what the good look was, and we didn't get anything out of them."

In fitting fashion, the game ended on an unforced error. Philly had one final chance to tie it with 25 seconds remaining, and they didn’t get a shot off. At 1-6, the path to the playoffs looks extremely narrow – they will likely have to win out to make it happen.

Up next for Philadelphia: vs. Maryland Whipsnakes (Saturday, Aug. 3, 1 p.m. ET)

Maryland Whipsnakes 18, California Redwoods 13

Adam Lamberti: Welcome to the Tucker Dordevic show

Two weeks ago, I wrote that the Whipsnakes offense would reach new heights with Tucker Dordevic returning to the lineup.

That happened Sunday. 

Propelled by Dordevic’s seven points (4G, 3T), the Whipsnakes scored their highest total this season with 18, using nine different goal-scorers, including rookie defenseman Ajax Zappitello’s first career goal in transition.

Dordevic, the league leader in two-pointers last season with five, had three in this game alone. He’s shooting close to 50% on two-pointers in his career, a ridiculous stat.

While Dordevic’s performance was certainly the headliner, Joe Nardella’s was equally as important.

Fully recovered from major knee surgery, Nardella had two goals and a hockey assist off the faceoff. He’s been the Whipsnakes MVP this season.

With a healthy Dordevic, Nardella playing at an elite level, contributions from Zed Williams (3G, 1A) and TJ Malone (1G, 3A) offensively and Brendan Krebs steady in net, this Whipsnakes team can make some noise late in the season.

Up next for Maryland: vs. Philadelphia Waterdogs (Saturday, Aug. 3, 1 p.m. ET)

Jerome Taylor: Redwoods' fourth-quarter run comes up short

After Dordevic's third two-pointer of the afternoon, the Redwoods went on a furious fourth-quarter 3-0 run, but it wasn’t enough, and the Woods fell to 2-5. 

Throughout the game, the Woods had spurts offensively, but the lackluster moments led to California leaving Homecoming with a split. 

There was a second-quarter donut, 21 turnovers and multiple missed opportunities. 

One of those opportunities came after Roman Puglise picked up a two-minute, non-releasable penalty in the fourth quarter. However, the Woods went scoreless after a Chris Gray goal was wiped out following a replay review.

“We were patient on the [first possession], a half-second too patient, I guess,” Ryder Garnsey said about the powerplay opportunity. "That one drops, and the game changes. The other team gives you an opportunity to get back in the game with a two-minute unreleasable. You’ve got to can some shots, and we didn’t today.”

Because the Woods won on Saturday, there’s still hope they can make the playoffs. They’ll need other things around the league to start shaking their way, though.  

That said, there were positives from Sunday’s loss. 

Jack Kelly was once again impressive throughout most of the game, saving 53% of the shots that came his way. With the Whips peppering him with 53 shots (34 on goal), it was a valiant effort. 

The defensive midfielders also had their moments; both Brian Tevlin and Chris Merle were menaces throughout the game, causing two turnovers apiece and sparking transitions. With the exception of Dordevic, there’s a case to be made that Tevlin was the best player on the field. 

“[Tevlin] is going to be a premier player in this league. I think he already is," Redwoods head coach Nat St. Laurent said after the game. "... Everyone wants to be a dog, and Chris [Merle] really is. He’s tenacious in everything he does." 

On the other end, Rob Pannell (1G, 3A) became just the third player in professional lacrosse history to get to 600 career points on a stellar day for him. Also, Cole Kirst (3G) provided a spark to the midfield unit that has been looking for one all year. 

Heading into Maryland, the Woods have things to build on, but they will again have their backs against the walls in a rematch against the Denver Outlaws, who’ll also be desperate for a win.  

Up next for California: vs. Denver Outlaws (Saturday, Aug. 3, 3:30 p.m. ET)