Outlaws Stage Rally to Beat Machine, 15-11
from press release
DENVER — The Denver Outlaws returned to INVESCO
Field after the Major League Lacrosse bye week, coming back from a
7-4 half-time deficit to beat the Chicago Machine 15-11 in front of
7,982 lacrosse fans.
Midfielder Brian Langtry was the big man for Denver, winning the
Bud Light MVP for his four-goal, two-assist outing. Rookie
Attackman Connor Martin made the most of his Outlaws debut, netting
a hat trick and dishing out one assist. Machine Midfielder Bill
McGlone put up a hat trick and an assist in a losing effort.
"When Langtry gets going, he puts his mind to going to the goal and
no one is stopping hime," Head Coach Brian Reese said. "He's a
great shooter, great feeder and a tough guy to stop when he gets
going. He's very crafty inside and very smart and knows how to get
open."
The Chicago Machine wasted no time getting on the board, as they
took the first lead off a goal 40-seconds into the game from
Attackman Brendan Cannon. Martin answered for the Outlaws, scoring
the first goal of his career to tie the game. Despite stifling
defense from the Outlaws, Chicago regained the lead as Midfielders
Josh Sims and Chris Rotelli both netted a goal to bring the score
to 3-1 halfway through the first.
Langtry capitalized on a Denver power play, finding fellow
Midfielder Dan Hardy for his first goal of the game to stop a
two-goal Machine scoring run. Chicago's offense struck again,
taking a 4-2 lead after the first quarter off an unassisted goal
from Midfielder Jordan Levine.
The Outlaws started the second-quarter scoring, with Martin freeing
up space and finding Midfielder Alex Hopmann in prime scoring
position to cut Denver's deficit to one. Chicago Midfielder Martin
Cahill took advantage of a man-up situation, before fellow
Midfielder Doug Shanahan extended the Machine lead to 6-3 midway
through the second quarter.
The Denver woes continued with an unassisted goal from McGlone,
before Hopmann ended the Outlaws scoring drought with his second
goal of the game. After a physical, defensive two quarters of play,
the Outlaws went into halftime with a 7-4 deficit to mull over.
The Outlaws opened up the third quarter with a Langtry goal, before
the Machine put a seventh player in the scoring column off a goal
from Midfielder Brett Garber. Hardy found the back of the net for
the second time, muscling his way through the Machine defense to
bring the score to 8-6 with eight minutes left in the third
quarter.
Chicago answered Hardy's second goal with back-to-back goals from
Rotelli and McGlone, before a seven-minute defensive struggle
ensued. With the clock ticking down on the third quarter, Martin
scored his second goal off a diving shot with one-second left to
send the game into the fourth quarter with a 10-7 score.
The Outlaws stormed out of the fourth-quarter gates, as Face-Off
Specialist Andrew Hennessey scored his first goal of the season and
Langtry hit his second to cut the Denver deficit to one. Langtry
struck again six-minutes later, securing a hat-trick and tying the
game.
"Langtry's third goal was huge. It just gave us energy," Reese
said. "Amazing goal by the way, it gave us the spark."
Rookie Midfielder Sean DeLaney stepped up when the Outlaws needed
him, completing the Denver comeback with a two-point goal half-way
through the final quarter and bringing the score to 12-10.
Midfielder Steve Giannone broke the Machine's back with the Outlaws
sixth unanswered goal, before Langtry put the nail in Chicago's
coffin with his fourth goal. Langtry wasn't finished, as he found
Martin with an around-the-back pass for Martin's hat-trick
goal.
"Martin is a great sport, a great kid. I just wanted to give him a
shot," Reese said about the rookie. "I thought he's a pretty
talented guy. He's a great guy to have on the team, he pushes
everyone else. I think he can play in this league."
McGlone scored the Machine's first goal of the fourth quarter, but
it wouldn't matter as the Outlaws retained the ensuing face-off to
finish the game with a 15-11 victory.
