Westervelt's Four Goals Lead BayHawks to 15-7 Rout
June 9, 2012 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Chesapeake Bayhawks News Release
ANNAPOLIS, MD - Attackman Drew Westervelt fired in four goals to lead a balanced attack while face-off specialist Adam Rand and goalkeeper T.C. DiBartolo also played pivotal roles as the Chesapeake Bayhawks routed the Charlotte Hounds, 15-7, before a boisterous crowd of 8,192 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
Rand continued his impressive season at the face-off stripe by winning 19 of 26 draws and DiBartolo recorded 10 saves in just three quarters of action as Chesapeake improved its record to 5-1 and took over sole possession of first place in Major League Lacrosse. Westervelt also dished off an assist in being named Bud Light Most Valuable Player of the game.
"We have a lot of veteran guys and we're at our best when we keep things simple. A lot of our goals tonight came from making one more pass and just being simple," Westervelt said. "Our defense was solid tonight and T.C. played unreal in the cage. Adam Rand kept winning face-offs and getting us the ball back, which is how we were able to build that big lead."
Attackman John Grant, Jr. along with midfielders Matt Mackrides and Steven Brooks all scored two goals for Chesapeake, which unleashed 56 shots in the contest. Attackman-midfielder Ben Rubeor netted a goal to extend his scoring streak to 22 consecutive games.
Chesapeake entered the game in a first place tie with Boston, which lost 13-10 to Long Island. The Bayhawks now boast a 2-1 record at home to go along with a 3-0 road mark. "This was a give-back game because if we didn't win it would be like giving back one of our road wins," Chesapeake head coach Dave Cottle said.
Mackrides got the onslaught started by waltzing in unguarded on the left wing for a hard overhand crank shot with just over three minutes elapsed. The goals came fast and furious thereafter with Westervelt scoring twice less than a minute apart to make it 3-0.
Midfielder Brian Carroll finally put Charlotte on the board with 11:14 elapsed, but Chesapeake scored four goals in the final 3 ý minutes of the period to take a commanding 7-1 lead. Westervelt had a hat trick after one quarter while Mackrides, a rookie out of Penn State, had two goals.
Long stick defensive midfielder Dan Hostetler scored a spectacular goal in the first period, faking out multiple defenders while weaving his way to the goal then flipping a backhanded shot past Charlotte goalie Joe Marra.
Grant Jr., a left-handed Canadian with amazing stick skills, scored an equally remarkable goal early in the second quarter. Grant had a defender draped all over his back when he fired a no-look, over-the-shoulder shot that stunned Marra and stuck the top corner of the cage.
Charlotte showed signs of life by scoring two goals in the opening six minutes of the second quarter, but Chesapeake concluded the frame with a 3-1 run to take an 11-4 halftime lead.
Rand came into the game ranked among the MLL leaders with a .544 winning percentage and improved that with a dominant performance as the 19 face-off wins were a career-high.
"I've been getting more and more comfortable, more and more confident with each game," Rand said. "It's a big responsibility having to replace one of the best face-off men of all time. I have to give a lot of credit to our wing play. Dan Hostetler, Barney Ehrmann, Matt Abbott and Jeff Reynolds do a great job of communicating and are ground ball machines."
Attackman Matt Danowski scored a goal and dished off three assists to lead Charlotte (1-5). Midfielder Steven Berger scored two goals for the Hounds, who were beaten 37-27 on ground balls.
The Bayhawks return home on Saturday, June 16th to battle the Hamilton Nationals. Howard W. Phillips will be giving away beach towels and you can for Father's Day the Bayhawks are offering the Father's Day Family Pack - 4 tickets and a pizza for just $60. Tickets can be purchased online at www.thebayhawks.com or over the phone by calling the box office 866-99-HAWKS (42957). Reserve your seat today and see the Bayhawks battle at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium this summer.
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Major League Lacrosse Stories from June 9, 2012
- Boston Cannons Lose 13-10 to Surging Long Island Lizards - Boston Cannons
- Hounds Suffer Third Straight Loss, 15-7 to BayHawks - Charlotte Hounds
- Westervelt's Four Goals Lead BayHawks to 15-7 Rout - Chesapeake Bayhawks
- Nationals Win Second Straight, 17-8 - Hamilton Nationals
- Nationals Win Second Straight - Hamilton Nationals
- Nationals Activate Goalie Brent Herbst - Hamilton Nationals
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