Hounds Rally Past Lizards in Fourth Quarter
May 31, 2013 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Charlotte Hounds News Release
The Charlotte Hounds on Friday night earned their second win of the season, defeating the New York Lizards 14-12 in front of 4,886 fans at James M. Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, N.Y. Matt Danowski was named Player of the Game after scoring two key fourth-quarter goals that put the Hounds ahead late in the game. Goalie Adam Ghitelman and the defense also held the Lizards scoreless through the final 18:15 of the game to preserve the victory.
Ryan Young put the Hounds on the board first, scoring goal-line extended for the 1-0 lead less than three minutes in. But Lizards rookie and reigning Tewaaraton Trophy winner Rob Pannell started a run with his first professional goal to tie the game. Scores from Mark Matthews and Stephen Peyser pushed the Lizards to a two-point lead. But Hounds rookie Mason Poli scooped up the groundball from the next faceoff and streaked straight to the cage for his first MLL goal to cut the Lizards lead to 3-2. Eric Lusby followed up with a shot to the top right corner to tie the game at 3-3 halfway through the quarter. However, Greg Gurenlian won the ensuing faceoff and took it to the cage to regain the lead for the Lizards. Peyser and Young each tacked on one more to close out the quarter with the Lizards ahead by one, 5-4.
The teams traded goals to start the second, as Pannell and Peet Poillon tallied two each before Brian Carroll stepped up to tie the game at 7-7. But shortly after, Joe Cinosky was called for pushing, giving Peyser the opportunity to tally a 2-point power-play goal and regain a two-point advantage for the Lizards. David Earl extended the lead to 10-7 at halftime with a late goal from long range.
The Hounds opened the third with back-to-back goals from Young and Lusby to cut the Lizards lead down to one, 10-9. But the Lizards responded with two-straight goals of their own by Gurenlian and Matt Gibson to carry a 12-9 lead into the final stanza.
Matt Sawyer got the fourth-quarter rally started for the Hounds, tallying back-to-back goals to make it a 12-11 game with 11:29 to play. Danowski scored the equalizer less than four minutes later, and Lusby's third goal of the night gave the Hounds their first lead, 13-12, since opening the game 1-0. Danowski's second goal came with just over two minutes remaining in the game to seal a 14-12 come-from-behind victory for the Hounds. Ghitelman finished the game with 10 saves, including four in the final quarter.
The Hounds (2-3) return home on Saturday, June 8 to face the Ohio Machine (0-4) for the first time this season. Faceoff is scheduled for 7:00pm ET at American Legion Memorial Stadium. Tickets are available at charlottehounds.com/tickets.
• Discuss this story on the Major League Lacrosse message board...
Major League Lacrosse Stories from May 31, 2013
- Boston Cannons Fall to Denver Outlaws, 24-14 - Boston Cannons
- Hounds Rally Past Lizards in Fourth Quarter - Charlotte Hounds
- First Place Nationals Visit Defending Champion Bayhawks - Hamilton Nationals
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
