A Month Off Doesn't Stop Denver in Gritty Semifinal Win

PHILADELPHIA — The second Premier Lacrosse League semifinal of Labor Day featured the No. 1 seed Denver Outlaws and the California Redwoods. In the regular season, the Woods and Outlaws split their matchups. California won in week one, and Denver avenged the loss in Fairfield. The rubber game? It was the biggest one yet.

California knocked off Carolina in the quarters..The Outlaws are back on the field after a month off. They had a bye in the final regular season weekend, then there was a league bye, then there was the bye they earned in the quarterfinals as the top seed.

“I was just kind of anxious to see how we’d come out after 30 days of not playing,” Outlaws head coach Tim Soudan said. “We had some good practices last week, so I was hopeful. But the rust showed up, and we knocked off after the first quarter. We started playing more like ourselves in the second half.”

Ultimately, Denver’s defense was the unit that stole the show. It shut out the California offense for over 20 minutes, a stretch that spanned from the late second quarter into the fourth quarter. It gave the offense the time to score six straight, going from down one in the second quarter to up five midway through the fourth.

The Redwoods couldn’t fight back after Denver built the lead, and the Outlaws won 12-7 to advance to face the New York Atlas in the PLL championship game at Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey on Sept. 14.

Denver went 7-1 over their last eight regular season games. They added Jared Bernhardt to the lineup and made the move to rookie Logan McNaney in the cage. Immediately, the Outlaws became the team to beat.

With a pair of MVP finalists on attack in Pat Kavanagh and Brennan O’Neill (two of the roster’s four Tewaaraton Award winners), the Outlaws have won with execution, with speed, and sometimes with just a sheer tsunami of talent.

“Sticking to our offensive principles is what got us here in the first place as the number one seed,” Kavanagh said. “I don’t think we were moving the ball well enough in the first half, kind of settling that first look on all these possessions. Then we had a couple multiple pass goals in the second half, which has been our identity all year.”

First-year head coach Anthony Kelly and first-year GM Joe Spallina took over the Redwoods in the offseason and rebuilt the roster. With a rebuild frequently comes low expectations; there were not many pundits picking the Redwoods for a semifinal appearance in year one of the new regime.

A resurgent season by Dylan Molloy along with elite performances by rookies Chris Kavanagh and Andrew McAdorey pushed the Redwoods beyond those expectations.

California got just the kind of start it needed. Chayse Ierlan stopped a two-point shot and turned the save into a transition opportunity. Chris Fake loaded up from range and drilled a two-pointer, giving the Redwoods an early 2-0 lead.

“We knew we were going to have to handle their punches and they came out hot,” O’Neill said. “But our defense really stepped up. While we were getting back into our groove, they’re able to have our backs and not let the game get out of hand.”

A penalty for a high hit gave the Outlaws an opening to get themselves going. O’Neill converted with a goal on the power play. TD Ierlan was able to win the ensuing faceoff, though, denying the Outlaws the chance to score multiple times on the same foul. The Redwoods got their own turn on the power play not long after, and McAdorey converted from the interior to put the Redwoods up 3-1.

Molloy bulldozed through his man on the following possession to score, pushing the Redwoods lead to 4-1.

Then the Outlaws did what they do, which is create goals from next to nothing. Bernhardt blew by his man on a low-corner dodge to get cut the deficit to two, and then Pat Kavanagh beat the first-quarter buzzer to get the Outlaws within one.

O’Neill scored a fadeaway jumper of a two-pointer, something only he can do, that even stood up after being challenged by the Redwoods. The Redwoods responded with a goal by Molloy, tying the game at 5.

“We had a lot of guys that nobody wanted. A lot of guys that people didn’t know existed. We brought them in, gave them an opportunity, and there are a lot of guys in our group that answered the bell,” Kelly said. “And [Molloy] is a veteran guy. He’s the oldest guy on our team. He shows up every week, does his job, and he hates to be in the spotlight.”

Kelly asked Molloy to carry the flag onto the field as the teams ran out, and at first, Molloy was hesitant. Ultimately, Molloy agreed.

“It’s a small piece of who he is,” Kelly said. “But for him to be there, so many guys on this team look up to him,” Kelly said.

Molloy once again powered his way to the net, rolling off a would-be defender to get to the inside and finish to complete a first-half hat trick. For the second time, however, Denver beat the buzzer.

Dalton Young attacked from below goal line extended and scored on a diving effort to tie the score at 6 with three seconds left before the break. Replays showed that Young was very close to touching the crease, but California declined to challenge. With the goal standing as called, the teams headed to the locker rooms tied.

Denver started the second half hot with a goal from O’Neill less than a minute in. It also had a power play opportunity, and while the Outlaws didn’t convert, they scored immediately after the power play expired with a ride back goal by Zach Geddes on an assist from O’Neill.

Chayse Ierlan made nine first-half stops for California, so trying to rattle him early in the second half was massive. Denver stretched the lead to three, its biggest lead of the game, a few minutes later with another goal from O’Neill. The score stayed 9-6 for the remainder of the third, as Denver shut out the Redwoods the entire frame.

“I’ve been saying it all year, having that trust in the guys on the other end as an offensive player is huge,” O’Neill said. “You can take chances, you can kind of play a little more free when you trust those guys so much to make stop. It allows you to not think so much, not second guess, because you have that faith.”

Ierlan made 13 saves through three quarters as the Redwoods defense had held tight, but the offense lost some of the rhythm it had in the first half.

“I think they got a little streak there where they were winning some faceoffs, I don’t think we had a ton of touches,” Kelly said. “I think we were rushing a few possessions, giving the ball away. I don’t think it was anything they were doing any different, it was more lack of execution on our end.”

Graham Bundy Jr. put the Outlaws up 10-6 as Denver continued to wear the Redwoods down. The Outlaws went up 11-6 while pushing the Redwoods’ scoreless streak past the 20-minute mark. Justin Anderson made it 12-7 with a minute to go, as the Outlaws put a bow on a gritty win.

O’Neill led all scorers with six points on four goals, one of which was a two-pointer, and an assist. Pat Kavanagh had three points, Young and Bernhardt had two points each, and Justin Anderson, Geddes, Bundy, and Jon Donville each had a point. McNaney finished with 11 saves (64.7 percent).

“It’s hard for me to look ahead or think about next year right now. But for what these guys were able to do this year, I’m really proud of them. I couldn’t be prouder of that group,” Kelly said. “And I’m happy I’m with them. Say what you want about this group, they don’t quit. They play hard, and we’re going to continue to build on it. You look at us, I think we’re the one team that continued to get better every week.”

Molloy had four points, including a hat trick, to lead the Redwoods. Chris Kavanagh had two points, Fake had two points on a two-pointer, and McAdorey and BJ Farrare each had a point. Chayse Ierlan finished with 16 saves (59.3 percent).