South Florida Hosts Major League Lacrosse On Saturday at FAU
Written by Lee Roggenburg on . Posted in Uncategorized.
On Saturday, June 22nd, Major League Lacrosse returns to Boca Raton as the Hamilton Nationals play the Rochester Rattlers at FAU Stadium. The game is slated to begin at 7:00pm and the doors will open at 5:30pm. Tickets can be purchased at the box office and range from $15 to $20. The local organization, Elev8 Sports Institute, is sponsoring the game and providing all of the logistical support, so a big thank you goes out to them for doing this.
The Nationals enter the game in second place with a 5-2 record, while the Rattlers are 3-4, tied for fourth place, the final playoff position. The season is halfway over as the league is scheduled for 14 regular season games so this game looms large for both teams as the playoff push starts in earnest.
Hamilton’s offense is led by Kevin Crowley, a Stony Brook graduate who leads the team with 23 goals and 8 assists this season. Syracuse-grad Stephen Keogh has potted 12 goals in 5 games, while Kevin Cunningham (Villanova) has chipped in 6 goals and 13 assists and Joe Walters (Maryland-grad) added 9 goals and 10 assists. Cody Jameson, who scored the NCAA Championship overtime winning goal against Cornell a few years ago, has played only three games so far this year but contributes when he does play. Defensively they are led by Brodie Merrill (Georgetown) and recent Johns Hopkins graduate Tucker Durkin, the reigning NCAA defenseman of the year. Brett Queener (SUNY-Albany) starts most of the games in goal and Hamilton signed recent Bellarmine graduate Dillon Ward to back him up. Recent college graduates Garrett Thul (whom local fans will remember from the 2013 Orange Bowl Classic as a member of Army, scoring 7 goals against Michigan), Durkin, and Mike Poppleton (Johns Hopkins FOGO specialist) have provided a spark to their season.
Rochester’s offense is led by 14 goals scorer Jordan Macintosh (RIT) and 11 goal scorer Matt Streibel (Princeton), and Ned Crotty (Duke) leads the team with 9 goals and 10 assists. Rob Rotanz (Duke) has chipped in with 8 goals in 6 games. Recent Johns Hopkins grad John Ranagan has made an instant impact, scoring 6 goals in his first three games from the midfield. The defense is led by Syracuse grads Joel White and John Lade, and Mike Manley (Duke). Syracuse-grad John Galloway has solidified the goaltending for the Rattlers.
For those attending fans not familiar with the MLL game, the rules do differ somewhat from what you are used to seeing from the college or high school game. The major differences are a 60-second shot clock that resets only if the team regains possession after a shot ON goal, not at it. Another major difference is the 2-point shot arc. Any goal scored from a shot behind the line counts for two points, not one. Many fans of the college game would note the influence of the new rule changes initiated this season were based on the faster pace of the MLL game, particularly in reaction to teams trying to stall the clock down. Fans should expect a fast-paced game, with both teams attempting to initiate transition offense. MLL teams dress far less players than colleges do, putting an emphasis on midfielders with dual skills of offense and defense as the roster size does not allow for too much specialization.
I hope all of the local lacrosse fans turn out for this game, as it is widely known that MLL has expansion plans over the next decade and the local turnout will give MLL insight into whether the Boca Raton area can support a franchise in the future!
The Nationals enter the game in second place with a 5-2 record, while the Rattlers are 3-4, tied for fourth place, the final playoff position. The season is halfway over as the league is scheduled for 14 regular season games so this game looms large for both teams as the playoff push starts in earnest.
Hamilton’s offense is led by Kevin Crowley, a Stony Brook graduate who leads the team with 23 goals and 8 assists this season. Syracuse-grad Stephen Keogh has potted 12 goals in 5 games, while Kevin Cunningham (Villanova) has chipped in 6 goals and 13 assists and Joe Walters (Maryland-grad) added 9 goals and 10 assists. Cody Jameson, who scored the NCAA Championship overtime winning goal against Cornell a few years ago, has played only three games so far this year but contributes when he does play. Defensively they are led by Brodie Merrill (Georgetown) and recent Johns Hopkins graduate Tucker Durkin, the reigning NCAA defenseman of the year. Brett Queener (SUNY-Albany) starts most of the games in goal and Hamilton signed recent Bellarmine graduate Dillon Ward to back him up. Recent college graduates Garrett Thul (whom local fans will remember from the 2013 Orange Bowl Classic as a member of Army, scoring 7 goals against Michigan), Durkin, and Mike Poppleton (Johns Hopkins FOGO specialist) have provided a spark to their season.
Rochester’s offense is led by 14 goals scorer Jordan Macintosh (RIT) and 11 goal scorer Matt Streibel (Princeton), and Ned Crotty (Duke) leads the team with 9 goals and 10 assists. Rob Rotanz (Duke) has chipped in with 8 goals in 6 games. Recent Johns Hopkins grad John Ranagan has made an instant impact, scoring 6 goals in his first three games from the midfield. The defense is led by Syracuse grads Joel White and John Lade, and Mike Manley (Duke). Syracuse-grad John Galloway has solidified the goaltending for the Rattlers.
For those attending fans not familiar with the MLL game, the rules do differ somewhat from what you are used to seeing from the college or high school game. The major differences are a 60-second shot clock that resets only if the team regains possession after a shot ON goal, not at it. Another major difference is the 2-point shot arc. Any goal scored from a shot behind the line counts for two points, not one. Many fans of the college game would note the influence of the new rule changes initiated this season were based on the faster pace of the MLL game, particularly in reaction to teams trying to stall the clock down. Fans should expect a fast-paced game, with both teams attempting to initiate transition offense. MLL teams dress far less players than colleges do, putting an emphasis on midfielders with dual skills of offense and defense as the roster size does not allow for too much specialization.
I hope all of the local lacrosse fans turn out for this game, as it is widely known that MLL has expansion plans over the next decade and the local turnout will give MLL insight into whether the Boca Raton area can support a franchise in the future!
