Ryan Powell grew up a John Elway fan, never imagining he would dominate a game of a different kind on Elway’s old turf. With an array of bursts from behind the cage, San Francisco’s Powell kept finding the net Saturday night, tying the Major League Lacrosse single-game record with nine goals.
With no answer for Powell, plus a slow start, the expansion Denver Outlaws lost for the first time, 25-20 before 8,915 at Invesco Field at Mile High.
“I idolized John Elway, and to play where he played is a dream come true,” Powell said. “To score nine goals in the place where I remember Elway dominating means a lot to me.”
Denver (3-1) ended the best start in the MLL’s six-year history for an expansion team after being outscored 8-5 in the fourth quarter. The Outlaws dominated the final quarter in their first three games, 17-7.
“From top to bottom, everybody stepped up, and we outplayed them in the middle of the field,” Powell said. “They have three superstars in the midfield and they put them out there every shift, where we threw three lines at them.”
One of those superstars, Denver’s Mike Law, came into the game as the MLL’s leading scorer but was held to one goal. Two of his attempts found the post in the first half while Denver followed its usual trend of falling behind, 3-0 and 10-5.
“You have your ups and downs,” Law said. “Really it’s a case of coming out aggressive and staying that way.”
Jeff Sonke’s 2-pointer closed the gap to 10-7, but the visitors scored twice to take a 12-7 halftime lead.
Law was part of a flurry of five straight third-quarter goals, yet the Dragons (2-1) regained their momentum with a trio of goals.
Footnote
Members of the National Lacrosse League champion Colorado Mammoth were honored at halftime, and Dave Stilley carried the Champion’s Cup onto the field. Clips of Gary Gait’s retirement speech and Mammoth highlights were shown. Law, Brian Langtry, Josh Sims and Tom Ethington play for the Outlaws and the Mammoth, as does Nick Carlson, who is sidelined by a knee injury.
San Francisco 4 8 5 8 – 25
Denver 3 4 8 5 – 20
San Francisco – Powell 9 goals-3 assists-12 points, Inge 3-1-4, Rotelli 3-0-3, Yevoli 3-2-5, Zummo 2-1-4, Reppert 1-0-1, Park 1-0-1, Holmes 1-1-2, Booth 1-0-1, Whitty 0-1-1. 2-point goal – Zummo.
Denver – Brown 5-0-6, Langtry 2-3-5, Sonke 3-0-4, Sims 2-1-4, Mundorf 2-0-2, Rekowski 1-2-3, Hanna 1-1-2, Law 1-0-1, Erwin 0-1-1. 2-point goals – Brown, Sonke, Sims.
Goalkeepers – SF, Cade, 35 shots, 18 saves; Denver, Tierney 39-15; A – 8,915.
