August 22, 2009
Cannons fall to Outlaws
by Staff Report/
The Boston Cannons' frustrating trend of one-goal losses continued, leading to their elimination from the Major League Lacrosse playoffs.
Boston squandered a two-goal, fourth-quarter lead and fell to the Denver Outlaws, 11-10, Saturday afternoon in Annapolis, Md.
All seven of the Cannons losses this season were by a single goal. None were more heartbreaking than Saturday's, with a berth in the league championship game on the line.
Boston took a 9-7 lead into the fourth quarter, buoyed by solid netminding from Kip Turner. But the Outlaws, the league's first-place team, exploded for four straight goals, the first three coming from Josh Sims and the fourth from Kyle Harrison.
Boston finally ended its 16-minute, 43-second scoring drought when, with 1:09 left in the game, Matt Alrich took a pass from Sean Morris and snuck a ground ball past Denver goalie Jesse Schwartzman. Boston's Chris Eck won the ensuing faceoff and sprinted down the field, but Ryan Boyle was hammered receiving a pass, and Denver took possession and ran out the clock.
The Cannons opened the game by jumping out to a big lead but settled for a one-goal advantage at the break, 6-5.
With 9:04 left in the third quarter, Boyle made it a two-goal advantage. The Cannons then scored a beautiful goal. After Denver clanged a shot off the post, Boston moved the ball up the field quickly. Boyle fired it to Morris on the right side of the goal. Morris sent it across the crease to Alrich, who flew through the air, past the sliding goalie, and finished the play to put Boston up by three, 8-5.
Back came Denver with two quick goals by Jeff Sonke and Harrison to close to within one.
Alrich took a pass in front of the net and finished with 2:52 left in the third, causing Schwartzman to erupt at his defense with his team trailing 9-7.
Rabil fired a shot off the post with just over a minute left in the period, and Turner made a couple of big saves to keep the lead at two heading into the final quarter.
Sims grabbed a rebound and scored a behind-the-back goal exactly two minutes into the fourth quarter to start the final comeback. Sims tied the score with 7:31 left and put Denver ahead at 6:52. Harrison put the Outlaws ahead by two at 5:47.
Denver advances to Sunday's final to face Toronto. The Nationals knocked off the Long Island Lizards, 14-13, in Saturday's second semifinal.
