Lizards drop both games on MLL’s Opening Weekend

The New York Lizards opened their season on Friday night after hosting their inaugural Town Cup, a tournament of the best middle school PAL lacrosse teams across Nassau and Suffolk.  When the festivities ended, a crowd of 5,592 sat down to watch a revamped Lizards squad take on the defending champion Denver Outlaws at Shuart Stadium on the Hofstra University campus.

The Lizards then traveled to Boston for a Saturday showdown with the Cannons.  The Cannons come into the 2019 season with a new attitude after a disappointing 5-9 season in 2018.  They came into the game on Saturday looking to take down the favorite Lizards.

Friday, May 31st, 2019 – vs Denver Outlaws

The Lizards came out flat, as they were a little tentative on offense to begin the game.  They hit their stride around the fourth quarter however, trying to get a few past the Outlaws.  Down 10-8 in the fourth quarter, Alex Zomerfeld cut the lead to just one.  Unfortunately, Outlaws goaltender Dillon Ward played incredibly well and stood on his head during the final minutes to preserve the 11-9 win.

The Lizards’ offense got contributions from all over, with Mark Matthews leading the team with two goals and two assists.  Fellow newcomers Kevin Crowley and Dylan Molloy both added one goal and one assist each, while longtime Lizard and former MVP Rob Pannell had two assists.  Austin Kaut made 11 saves in the losing effort.

Saturday, June 1st, 2019 – @ Boston Cannons

The Lizards went into Boston with the chance to get back to .500 after a tough loss to Denver.  Unfortunately for them, they ran into the buzzsaw of Mark Cockerton, who scored six goals for Boston.  The Lizards kept it close all night but were never able to break through.

Their best chance was a run in the fourth quarter that brought them to one goal down.  After being down 13-9, the Lizards stormed back with three goals in the final five minutes, including a Nicky Galasso tally with just one minute to go.  The Lizards couldn’t get a tying goal past Nick Marrocco and they dropped to 0-2.

Rob Pannell led the Lizards with two goals and two assists.  Galasso had two goals, Dylan Molloy had three and Kevin Crowley potted another two.  Austin Kaut finished with 13 saves.

With the Lizards starting off the season 0-2, they need to come back in Week 3 with a strong effort against Chesapeake Bayhawks.  They’re off next week with a bye and come back on June 15th at home.