What Matt Moore’s resurgence means for Archers offense
By Zach Carey | Jul 18, 2024
Utah Archers head coach Chris Bates had one message for Matt Moore heading into the club’s matchup with the Maryland Whipsnakes in Boston.
“We believe in you,” he said. “We’re not changing your position. We’re not benching you. The thing I’m most looking forward to is the smile on your face after you score that first goal.”
Moore started the season 0-for-13 shooting with one assist through four games.
So, when he scored off one of his patented strong, upfield dodges late in the first quarter versus Maryland, the Archers sideline exploded.
“When he did, you could see, he’s such a good teammate, a good player, a good person, that guys were really, really excited for Matt because you could feel his struggle,” Bates said.
After the ball hit the back of the net, Grant Ament even ran onto the field to join in on the swarm of hugs between Moore and his teammates.
“Him being able to do that I think for himself, first and foremost, was really big,” Ament said. “Obviously not the start of the season he wanted. But we just tried to keep pumping his tires. … We were jacked up for him. We were just happy he got the monkey off the back.”
After Moore took advantage of a mismatch with Colin Heacock for his first goal, he went at No. 3 overall pick Ajax Zappitello for his second. Like he did so often in 2023, he scored through contact early in the shot clock.
“Matt just gives us a push from below goal line extended with a strong body and ability to put it in the back of the net,” Bates said. “We think we’re best when he’s there. It just gives us the ability to be interchangeable and multiple and come at you in different ways.”
Moore’s presence at attack allows Utah to bring Ament out of the box. Moore being a threat to dodge and score at attack creates dilemmas for opposing defenses.
“Those are two transitional goals,” Ament said. “Both of them were in 4-on-4 or 5-on-5 situations, so it’s a little bit in that gray area. If we can play in those areas and get five goals in transition or the gray area, that takes a lot of the onus off the offense to score 15 goals in six-on-six.”
Particularly with the 32-second shot clock, Moore attacking matchups head-on puts immediate pressure on defenses. There are times when the ball gets stuck in his stick or when he tries to do too much. But when he attacks upfield in a straight line, digs his shoulder into his defender and fires through contact, he’s hard to stop.
“Good for him for sticking with it, good for us for sticking with him,” Bates said. “Happy for him. You could just see it made our offense that much looser. So we’re excited for him to hit the back of the net.”
Moore will look to build on his newfound momentum when the Archers face the California Redwoods this Saturday in Fairfield.
