Chesapeake Looks to Return to Winning Ways at Home Against Ohio
May 30, 2014 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Chesapeake Bayhawks News Release
ANNAPOLIS, MD - Head Coach Dave Cottle said Chesapeake played its best lacrosse of this young 2014 season toward the end of a 15-12 loss to Florida on May 17 in Annapolis. Cottle believes the Bayhawks can turn things around in the win-loss column if they can duplicate the energy and effort they showed while almost rallying from a nine-goal deficit.
"Hopefully, we can build on our last 19 minutes of play. From the last four minutes of the third quarter until the end of the game against Florida, we played the type of lacrosse necessary to win games in this league," Cottle said. "Now the challenge is to play that way for the full 60 minutes."
Chesapeake (1-3) will look to bounce back and snap a two-game losing streak when its hosts Ohio (1-3) on Saturday night at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Major League Lacrosse (MLL) took last weekend off so as not to conflict with the NCAA Championships and Coach Cottle used the extra time to break down film to figure out ways the Bayhawks can improve, both offensively and defensively.
"Well we're last in the league in goals allowed and second-to-last in goals scored so that's not a good combination," Cottle said. "Right now, we're not playing very well on either end of the field. Fortunately, we've got a great group of guys who are committed to getting this thing fixed. We're going to keep working hard to become a quality lacrosse team."
Chesapeake lost a key cog on defense when veteran Brian Spallina suffered a broken jaw during the Florida game. Spallina has been the close unit's starting crease man for three years and his toughness and communication ability will be sorely missed.
Coach Cottle has options as he can use either Jesse Bernhardt or fellow second-year professional Brian Megill on close defense alongside regular starters Nicky Polanco and Michael Evans. Following practice on Thursday and Friday, the coaching staff will determine if Patrick Kiernan, who was an honorable mention All-American as a senior at the Naval Academy, will dress and play long pole defense on Saturday.
"We'll have to reshape our defense with Brian Spallina out for the rest of the year. Regardless of who we put on the field, we need to play better as a group and stop giving teams so many high-percentage looks," Cottle said.
Kiernan is among several 2014 Collegiate Draft picks who will practice with the Bayhawks this week. Coach Cottle is also eager to get a look at Dylan Levings, the team's second-round selection out of Yale. Levings ranks second in school history with 643 faceoff wins and a .612 winning percentage during his collegiate career.
Adam Rand, primary faceoff specialist for Chesapeake during its consecutive championships, won 29 of 49 draws while going against Ohio's Eric O'Brien in two meetings last season. C.J. Costabile, who faces off with a long stick, gave the Bayhawks a lift in that critical area by winning six of the 11 draws he took against Florida.
Coach Cottle said attackman Brandon Benn, the team's fifth-round pick, is another rookie who is a candidate to dress on Saturday. The Canadian, who scored 104 goals over his final three seasons at Johns Hopkins, is a strong inside finisher and is also effective on extra man.
Chesapeake will still be without the services of high-scoring midfielder Joe Walters, who will be a welcome addition to the offense when he concludes play in the National Lacrosse League postseason. Walters is a key member of the Rochester Knighthawks, who are playing the Calgary Roughnecks in the Champions Cup finals.
The Bayhawks have to find a way to score more goals with the personnel available and Coach Cottle believes the 2-2-2 offensive set the coaching staff installed prior to the Florida game began to pay dividends down the stretch. "This is a team that has really fought moving the ball. We have more one-dodge, one-shot possessions than any team in the league," Cottle said. "We need guys to move the ball and trust that they are going to get it back."
While Ohio comes to Annapolis tied with Chesapeake for last place in the MLL, the third-year franchise is vastly improved this season and has considerable firepower. On offense, the Machine boast a pair of Tewaaraton Award winners in attackman Steele Stanwick and midfielder Peter Baum.
Ohio added one of the most exciting players in lacrosse history this season in Kyle Harrison, a three-time, first team All-American at Johns Hopkins and NCAA Division I Player of the Year in 2005. The Machine also have one of the league's top rookies in Tom Schreiber, another three-time, first team All-American and two-time winner of the McLaughlin Trophy as the top midfielder in Division I while at Princeton.
"Since Bear Davis took over as Head Coach, the Machine have become more and more competitive," Cottle said. "They've drafted very well and made some other good personnel moves and now have the parts to be a good team. In the past, Ohio made the type of mistakes to give games away. That is no longer the case and now you have to beat them."
A portion of the gate receipts from Saturday's game will go to the One Love Foundation, which was established in memory of former Bryn Mawr School and University of Virginia women's lacrosse player, Yeardley Reynolds Love. Sharon Love will be on hand to announce the winners of the One Love Foundation's Unsung Hero Award. Two of the aforementioned rookies - Chesapeake's Levings and Ohio's Schreiber are among the five men's finalists.
The Bayhawks 2014 Season Tickets are now available and can be purchased over the phone by calling the box office 866-99-HAWKS (42957). Visit us at www.thebayhawks.com for the full schedule. This season, the Bayhawks and Lexus are giving away an ES350 to one lucky Season Ticket Holder at the last game of the season. Every Season Ticket purchased will amount to one entry into the giveaway.
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Major League Lacrosse Stories from May 30, 2014
- Bocklet Brothers Lift Outlaws over Hounds - Denver Outlaws
- Hounds' Comeback Falls Short in Denver - Charlotte Hounds
- Charlotte Hounds Join Forces with GovX to Honor Military and First Responders - Charlotte Hounds
- Chesapeake Looks to Return to Winning Ways at Home Against Ohio - Chesapeake Bayhawks
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