The Bayhawks want to make a statement. Baltimore (4-7) will conclude its Major League Lacrosse season at 7 p.m. Saturday against the Philadelphia Barrage (9-2), which is tied with Denver for the best record in the league.
After an offseason of roster changes, the Bayhawks have struggled to play consistently and put together a cohesive squad. Though the team is 4-1 at home this season, it dropped all six road games.
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“For whatever reason, we were struggling to get over that hump on the road,” said head coach Scott Hiller.
The Bayhawks dropped their final road game last Saturday in Boston, 22-16. Baltimore had eight saves in the loss compared to Boston?s 25.
“We did not get what we want from our goaltending, and their goaltending did very well,” Hiller said.
When the Bayhawks went to Philadelphia two weeks ago, they returned home with a 22-11 loss.
“I am looking for a lot more energy and a lot more effort,” said Hiller, who called Philadelphia “one of the best two teams in the league.”
“We are going to treat it like a playoff game, a statement game, and hopefully we will end the year on a good note,” Hiller added. “Next season starts Saturday night.”
Hiller said that they may try to give Philadelphia?s face-off specialist, Paul Cantabene, a few different looks to control possession.
“We might dress Ben DeFelice back into the lineup to give Cantabene three to four different looks,” Hiller said. “Kevin Frew has been doing a good job, but he got a little frustrated with Cantabene.”
Baltimore goalie Greg Havalchak is unsure if he will get the start Saturday, but he knows that the game has implications for next year.
“We have a young team,” Havalchak said.”We are trying to mesh it together to get a good start on the offseason and lead into next season with a little more cohesiveness.”
BAYHAWKS FLY HOME
» This season will be the worst record for Baltimore in the six-season history of the MLL. Before 2006, the Bayhawks? worst season was 2004, when they went 7-5 in the regular season and dropped their only playoff game.
» This will be the last MLL game for the foreseeable future for Baltimore goalie Matt Russell. At the end of August, Russell will go to San Diego for Navy SEAL training.
» The Bayhawks? 2006 college draft class was highly productive in its first season. The rookies have combined for 50 goals and 17 assists.
