Looking ahead to MLL's second half
The MLL postseason picture became a little clearer after all six teams were in action Saturday. Although the All-Star Game in Denver was a chance to let the hair down, so to speak, and relax for a fun night of lacrosse, teams are back down to business in the fight for the playoffs.
Denver (7-2)
With an 11-8 win over Washington on Saturday, Denver is guaranteed a playoff spot. After dropping a one-goal game to Boston before the All-Star break, the Outlaws and coach Brian Reese were looking to rebound heading into the second half.
"I think we were complacent going into some games and still winning but not playing the way we should be playing," Reese said. "I think that wake-up call was good for us and hopefully we respond well."
Their response included a fourth-quarter shutout of the Bayhawks. The league's top defensive unit tied for its lowest goals allowed all season. The top attack line of Drew Westervelt, Brendan Mundorf and Matt Brown combined for six goals. Faceoffs still haunt Denver; it is last in the league (39.5 percent).
The Outlaws play Long Island twice and Toronto to close out the season. Two of those three are on the road, where Denver is undefeated this season.
Boston (6-4)
The Cannons boast the top two point leaders in the league: Paul Rabil (25 goals, five 2-point goals, 11 assists) and Sean Morris (20 goals, 18 assists). The Cannons also have the No. 3 offense, backboned by MLL assists leader Ryan Boyle.
Against Chicago on Saturday night, the Cannons used a seven-goal run in the second quarter and an eight-point performance by Boyle to earn a win.
All four of Boston's losses have come by a single goal -- one to Denver and three to Long Island. They have two games remaining -- against Toronto, whom the Cannons beat 19-15 earlier in the season, and Washington, whom they blew to smithereens, 19-9, in June.
Long Island (5-4)
A 19-9 blowout at the hands of Toronto is not how the Lizards wanted to head into the final stretch of the season. Aside from one overtime loss to Washington in the second game of the season, the Lizards' other three losses have come by an average of eight goals. Bottom line: When they win, it's usually close, but when they lose, it's ugly.
The Lizards have the league's second-best defense, allowing an average of just more than 12 goals per game. Matt Danowski leads the team in points with 24, and Tim Goettelmann is the leader in goals with 17.
Long Island faces Denver twice and Chicago to finish off the season. The home-and-home series with the Outlaws should be a good one after a bench-clearing brawl in their earlier matchup.
Toronto (5-5)
After a 4-1 start, Toronto was considered one of the league's elite. A 15-8 loss at Denver in which the Nationals saw themselves fall behind 11-2 at halftime was the first of what became a four-game losing streak leading up to the All-Star break.
"When you lose four in a row, you really start to doubt things," said Toronto long-stick midfielder Brodie Merrill, who is the league leader in ground balls by a non-faceoff player. "I think the natural thing to do is point the finger, but I think each one of us needs to look within ourselves and try to pick up our own game individually."
The Nationals seem to be back on track after a 19-9 win over Long Island on Saturday in which Geoff Snider went 21-31 at the X and Jeff Zywicki and Joe Walters chipped in six points apiece. Toronto also boasts the MLL's top offense, averaging 15 goals a game, and has the league's leading goal scorer in Merrick Thomson, who had two goals against the Lizards.
The road to the playoffs won't be easy: Toronto hosts both Boston and Denver to close out the regular season -- two teams it has yet to beat this year. Toronto needs to win at least one of those games to rest easy about its playoff chances.
Washington (3-6)
Not mathematically eliminated yet, the Bayhawks pretty much need to win out and have Long Island or Toronto lose out to make the postseason.
Washington held Denver, the league's No. 2 offense, to just one first-half goal and 11 for the game Saturday but didn't get the job done offensively.
Kyle Dixon leads the team with 35 points and leads the league with eight 2-point goals. Alex Smith has the Bayhawks sitting at the top of the MLL in faceoff win percentage at .613.
The Bayhawks have a home-and-home series with Chicago and close the season against Boston. They've beat the Machine already this season, but the finale against Boston is no walk in the park.
Chicago (2-7)
At 2-7 with three games remaining, the Machine will not be making an appearance in Championship Weekend in Annapolis.
Kevin and Mike Leveille lead the team in points at 36 and 25, respectively, and though the offense has produced at times throughout the season, the defense has some glaring holes. Chicago is last in the league in team defense with 15.11 goals allowed per game.
The Machine play Washington twice and host Long Island to finish out 2009.
Danielle Bernstein is a contributor for Inside Lacrosse.
