Drew Westervelt’s anxieties ebbed away each time he buried the ball in the net or delivered a pass to set up a score Saturday night. In one of the finest debuts in Major League Lacrosse history, Westervelt was stress-free by the time he scored four goals and made three assists in the Denver Outlaws’ 18-15 victory over the Los Angeles Riptide.
“Going in, I was nervous,” Westervelt said. “I didn’t know what to expect. I just wanted to come in and fit into the team somehow. Fortunately, I scored a few goals and they helped get the jitters out.”
The Invesco Field crowd of 8,473 was not comfortable, however, until the final horn, as Los Angeles (2-2) pecked away at Denver’s defense, scoring five of the game’s last seven goals.
Outlaws netminder Trevor Tierney made 11 of his 27 saves in the final quarter as a defensive struggle turned into a goal-scoring fest with each side netting seven fourth-quarter tallies.
“The talent is so high and the guys shoot so well that goals can start piling up real quick,” Tierney said.
Tierney stopped a flurry of late attempts from the two-point line to help Denver improve to 2-1.
“I’ve got a good goalie,” Outlaws coach Jim Beardmore said. “And I love my new rookie. He’s an athlete; that kid can run.”
At 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, Westervelt is the second-largest player on the squad, yet among the fastest.
In a league restricted to one weekly practice because the players work weekday jobs, Westervelt’s familiarity with second-year attackman Brendan Mundorf was invaluable. The close friends played three seasons together at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.
While Westervelt racked up seven points, Mundorf did him one better, scoring five goals with three assists.
Footnotes
Josh Sims, who came into the game as the Outlaws’ second-leading scorer, was sidelined after a hard hit in the second quarter and was unable to return. As a precautionary measure, he was taken to the hospital for X-rays of his shoulder and upper arm. …
Brian Langtry, who missed last week’s game with a neck injury, needed four stitches to close a gash in his face.
Los Angeles 1 3 4 7 – 15
Denver 4 3 4 7 – 18
Goals – L.A. – Riordan 5, Gill 4, Ford 2, Watson 1, Downing1, Green 1, Smith 1; DEN – Mundorf 5, Westervelt 4, Brown 3, Langtry 2, Hanna 2, Sonke 1, Snider 1.
Assists – L.A. – Ford 6, Gill 1; DEN Mundorf 3, Westervelt 3, Langtry 2, Sonke 2, Law 1, Snider 1. Saves: L.A. Jarboe 16 saves-18 goals; DEN Tierney 27-15. A – 8,473.
