As of July 18th, 2020, Major League Lacrosse is back! From Annapolis, Maryland, the Philadelphia Barrage squared off against the Chesapeake Bayhawks. This would be the first game for the Barrage since the 2008 season. Former Atlanta Blaze general manager, Spencer Ford, became the head coach of Philadelphia in their 2020 rebirth. Ford’s first task as the Barrage head coach was a tall one against the reigning MLL champions.
Recap
This game was a tale of two halves. The Philadelphia Barrage held a narrow advantage over the Chesapeake Bayhawks at halftime. Up by a goal, 8-7, Philadelphia did barrage the Bayhawks with shots. That was the theme of the game. What failed the Barrage against Chesapeake was the lack of discipline in the second half.
Only down by a goal, the Chesapeake Bayhawks were far from out. The Bayhawks did a better job of securing possessions, shooting, and converting on the powerplay. Scoring on the extra-man opportunities is what hurt the Philadelphia Barrage. Four powerplay goals gave Chesapeake the separation they needed to put the Barrage in the rear-view. If Philadelphia could limit penalties and not turn the ball over, they may have squeaked out a win against the Bayhawks.
The final score saw the Chesapeake Bayhawks (1-0) defeat the Philadelphia Barrage (0-1), 16-11. Some Philadelphia Wings players were playing on both teams in this game. Recently extended transition defender, Isaiah Davis-Allen, was on the winning side with the Chesapeake Bayhawks. Making their Barrage debuts were Anthony Joaquim and Liam Byrnes.
Eyes on the Philadelphia Wings
Most of the statistics from the Philadelphia Wings players were all hustle stats. Isaiah Davis-Allen had a ground ball recovery, as did Anthony Joaquim. Liam Byrnes led all Wings players with five ground ball recoveries and caused two turnovers. Byrnes committed two penalties against the Chesapeake Bayhawks, which contributed to the Philadelphia Barrage’s demise.
Standout Stars
Andrew Kew of the Chesapeake Bayhawks was the standout of this game. He had six goals, practically sealing the victory. Even more impressive is that he only took six shots on net. If Kew shot, it was as good as gold. Tommy Palasek was the standout for the Philadelphia Barrage. Stay tuned for more Barrage coverage from Philly Sports Network!
