Sunday afternoon in Columbus, the California Redwoods made history by routing the New York Atlas 15-5, setting a new record for scores in a Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) regular-season game.
The Redwoods had to dig themselves out of an early hole as the Atlas scored two two-pointers to go up 4-0 in the first 93 seconds of the game. Head coach Anthony Kelly was frustrated because the game plan was to not let New York shoot two-pointers, and he laid into his team for putting goalie Dillon Ward and the defense in a bad position.
Once the Redwoods broke onto the scoreboard 32 seconds later, there was no stopping them. California scored five of the next six goals to tie the game, then outscored New York in each of the final three quarters, including a shutout in the fourth.
Chris Kavanagh led the charge with five goals and seven points, setting a career high. Fellow All-Star and second-year player Andrew McAdorey tallied a goal and an assist in the quarter. Atlas head coach Mike Pressler praised Kavanagh, saying he thought he was "absolutely the best offensive player on the field."
The Redwoods had eight different goal-scorers, seven of whom had at least two goals. In addition to McAdorey's goal and assist, Aidan Danenza had his first three-point game of the season, and short-stick defensive midfielder Brian Tevlin also scored two goals.
The win – one Josh Balcarcel said was the closest to a full 48-minute game the team has played all season – snapped a three-game losing streak and helped the Redwoods stay in the thick of the crowded Western Conference playoff race.
With two games remaining in the regular season, the team believes it's found some extra confidence heading into the final playoff push. "It's good to see the offense turn a corner," Kelly said. "We knew what we were capable of. We've been playing around with some pieces and figured things out."
The Redwoods will look to build on this momentum as they head into their final two games of the regular season. The team will face off against the Chaos on Friday and then close out the season against the Red Laces on August 19th.
Source: Yahoo Sports