Pride Comeback Thwarted By Bayhawks
May 18, 2007 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
New Jersey Pride News Release
PISCATAWAY - The Pride rallied from a late, 10-6, deficit to force overtime against Washington Friday night at Yurcak Field on the campus of Rutgers University, but Chris Garrity made two fantastic saves for the Bayhawks in the extra period, and Conor Gill's goal 1:52 into overtime earned the visitors an 11-10 win.
In overtime, Garrity denied a Conor Ford attempt, but the Pride maintained possession, and midfielder Adam Doneger received a pass in space in front of the Washington net. Doneger rifled a shot from eight yards out, and Garrity made a spectacular save to extend the game.
"It felt pretty good," Doneger said of the shot. "Anytime I have an eight yard shot in front of the goal I'm going to take it. At the end of the day, they did what had to be done to get the win."
"You've got to hand it to Garrity," Pride coach Peter Jacobs said, "he made two great saves."
The Pride looked poised to steal an improbable come-from-behind victory when Doneger scored from deep to tie the game with just 51 seconds remaining. Doneger and his teammates celebrated what they thought was a 2-point goal, which would have given the Pride an 11-10 lead, but the referee said that Doneger's foot was on the arc.
"I felt like it was a 2-point shot," Doneger said, "I still feel like it was a 2-point shot."
Uncertainty at face-off was the top concern for the Pride heading into the season, and early face-off woes negated a fast start. The Pride jumped out to a 3-0 lead just 6:27 into the game, despite having not yet won a face-off.
The slump, in which the Pride lost nine consecutive face-offs before securing a win 14:27 into the first quarter, allowed Washington to quickly erase the deficit.
Washington followed a goal with a face-off victory and another goal on the ensuing possession twice in the first quarter.
Midfielder Kyle Harrison helped to right the Pride's struggling face-off game, including two key wins in the game's late stages. Following Jesse Hubbard's goal, which brought the game to 10-9 with 1:24 to play, Harrison won a draw leading to Doneger's controversial tally.
While the 1-point ruling left the game tied, Harrison again won the draw, earning the Pride the final possession in regulation. The possession led to a slashing penalty on Washington's Ryan Curtis in the game's final seconds, granting the Pride a power play for the extra period's opening minute.
Harrison and attackmen Liam Banks and Conor Ford each tallied twice for the Pride, which suffered a 30:38 scoreless drought between Banks' first and third period scores.
Jacobs praised the defensive effort after the game, which kept the game in reach through the offensive struggles.
"We played two-thirds of the game on defense,'' he said. "I thought [our defense] played really well."
The Pride's fast start and strong finish were overshadowed by an abysmal second period.
"I'm not one for moral victories," Jacobs said. "The fact of the matter is we didn't play sixty minutes of lacrosse."
While the strong stretches show promise, Jacobs is not content with having upside. "It shows we have potential," Jacobs said, "but we had potential last year too."
Washington's Garrity earned Bud Light Game MVP honors for the contest thanks to his overtime saves. Garrity stopped 14 shots and allowed 10 goals for the Bayhawks.
Attackman Matt Ward had four goals for Washington, his second consecutive four point effort. Washington midfielder Matt Frye added three goals for the Bayhawks.
The Pride (0-1) will travel to Los Angeles to take on the Riptide (0-0) Sunday, May 27.
Major League Lacrosse Stories from May 18, 2007
- Riptide To Host Viewing Party - Los Angeles Riptide
- Pride Comeback Thwarted By Bayhawks - New Jersey Pride
- Gill Goal Thwarts Comeback - New Jersey Pride
- Outlaws Release 2007 Television Schedule - Denver Outlaws
- Riptide Set To Open Second Season - Los Angeles Riptide
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.
