The Denver Outlaws (7-5) return to the Major League Lacrosse playoffs on Aug. 25 with a semifinal game against the top-seeded Philadelphia Barrage (9-3).
The other semifinal at Paetec Field in Rochester, N.Y., matches the hometown Rochester Rattlers (9-3) against the Los Angeles Riptide (9-3).
The Riptide supplanted Denver as the Western Conference champion in the second summer of play for both teams.
After defeating Los Angeles 11-10 on Aug. 4, Denver ended the regular season by losing a five-goal lead at San Francisco, rallying from a four-goal deficit, then falling 16-15.
Coach Brian Reese had hoped to maintain momentum with a victory despite resting a few injured players.
“We had a few lapses, but I was happy with the way we came back,” Reese said. “We had a chance to tie it late, but we hit a few pipes. The guys know we have to play more consistently in the playoffs.”
Drew Westervelt led the Outlaws with five goals and two assists, earning his second MLL rookie of the week award. The attackman from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County boosted his regular-season total to 20 goals. His 34-point total, including 14 assists, is the fourth-highest output by a rookie in MLL history.
Too few 2-pointers?
At the start of the season, the MLL moved the 2-point line back from 15 yards to 16 yards.
The move was designed to maintain an exciting element while making it more of a “shooter’s shot.”
The jury is still out on whether the MLL achieved its goal. Scoring from beyond the arc decreased from 113 2-point goals in 2006 to 65 goals this summer.
Last season, Denver led the MLL in 2-point scoring with 22 goals; this season San Francisco’s 12 long-distance goals topped the league while the Outlaws were limited to seven.
Denver midfielder Jeff Sonke predicted the change would make it substantially more difficult to score.
In 2006, Sonke scored eight 2-point goals; this season he scored two, including a blast in overtime that defeated New Jersey. It was the first 2-point goal to determine an overtime in the MLL’s seven-year history.
The drop in 2-point scoring reduced Sonke’s overall point total from 40 in 2006 to 29 this season. Along with the increased distance on that shot, Sonke has been slowed by a nagging lower leg injury.
