Doucette Takes Charge as Charging Beat Charm 12-10

The Women’s Lacrosse League played on Hofstra University’s turf this weekend, with the host New York Charging and visitor Maryland Charm squaring off as the only undefeated programs going into Saturday night.

In a league that runs a four-game schedule, every matchup matters.

On Long Island, the Charging took it 12-10. New York sports are having their moment — and not just in basketball. Here’s how the Charging took charge.

ROOKIES ROCK

There were debuts on either side of the field. The Charm’s Jenika Cuocco recorded five saves, spending the second half in the cage in a two-goalie rotation that saw Caylee Waters in for the first half.

“It was exciting to see Cuocco get out there and not even bat an eyelash,” Charm head coach Emily Parros said.

Kori Edmondson scored two goals and Darcy Felter scored three for the Charging in their first professional games. Felter’s first goal was particularly memorable as she caught the ball in a somewhat awkward low position and managed to control the pass for a BTB finish.

“I’ve always thought she was an unbelievable player,” said Charging head coach Colleen Magarity, who also coached Felter in high school. “Her ability to catch anything inside with anyone around her is incredible.”

HAT TRICK HUNGRY

Good things come in threes. For the Charging’s Emily Hawryschuk, Izzy Scane and Felter, they sure do. Scane managed to score two goals in just 13.7 seconds. Ally Kennedy and Sam Apuzzo also put the ball in the back of the net three times each for the Charm. Apuzzo actually scored a buzzer beater to end the game, but it wasn’t enough.

“Izzy, you’re unguardable coming out of the box,” Kendall Halpern said to her teammate about one of her three goals. “That’s Izzy’s best lax.”

HUMPHREY HALTED

Ashley Humphrey had a league-record performance of nine points against the California Palms in her last game. New York had an answer for Humphrey, holding her to just one assist and an 0-for-3 shooting performance. With Humphrey neutralized at X, the Charm offense was out of sorts.

“We wanted to take her away at X, whether it was in a full faceguard or deny,” Magarity said. “We know Ash is a huge facilitator for them, so to take that out of their game, I think it’s kind of what shook them up a bit.”

DO-IT-ALL DOUCETTE

Madison Doucette had a league-record 17 saves and 63-percent save rate Saturday night. Maryland’s offense really had to work to get any shot off, and Magarity’s defensive vision during the draft really came to life on the field.

She wanted a strong unit in front of Doucette, and each Charging defender recorded at least one caused turnover.

“Madison in cage … I’m so comfortable back there just because I have her behind me,” Halpern said. “Whenever I get beat, Madison will make the save. She is the backbone of the team.”

On the subject of defense: Props to Abby Bosco of the Charm for recording three ground balls and six caused turnovers, a league record.

SCORING STALL

For more than 17 minutes between the end of the first half and into the third quarter, the Charm didn’t score. That’s a testament to the Charging defense but also the discombobulated Charm offense without Humphrey’s impact. Apuzzo saw the ball through the net with 4:08 remaining in the third quarter to end the offensive drought.

“You have to shoot to get hot, and you shoot to stay hot,” Parros said. “At the end of the day, we weren’t hot today.”

“We need to understand the pace of the game and the momentum,” Apuzzo said.  

“Offensively, we need to have a little bit more respect for defensive stops and make sure we’re not throwing the ball away.”

PIPE MONSTER

The pipe monster came to play in this one. The sound of the ball clanging against the goal posts was a constant. For Maryland, it was the difference. The Charm shot 21 percent. Of their 48 shots, 21 either hit the pipe or missed.

“It didn’t go our way today, and it’s disappointing,” Parros said. “We didn’t turn the corner on our shooting, and overall we need to bring more consistent energy across the board.”

The Charging aim to stay undefeated, as they challenge the Palms next Saturday in San Diego. The Charm will have this game in the back of their mind until they get the Charging again on July 11 in Chicago.

“I think the one great thing is that we get to play them next game,” Apuzzo said.