On June 23, 2018 WPLL runner-ups the Brave faced off against the Fire who were looking for their first WPLL win of the season. Both teams showed a strong presence on the field which made for an eventful and intense game to match the vibe in Baltimore hosting its first ever PLL-WPLL experience.
In the first half, the Brave took a significant lead scoring five goals while the Fire remained scoreless. After taking a timeout to regroup, the Fire put themselves on the board scoring two goals and winning the ensuing draws. Former Northwestern Wildcat Hannah Nielson kept the Fire in the first half with three assists and a goal. The half ended with the Braves leading 9-7.
The Brave started the second half off strong with a goal from former Maryland Terrapin Brooke Griffin, but the Fire continued to hang in and kept the Brave’s defense on their toes by challenging the Brave goalie Kelsea Donnelly (15 saves) with close shots. Despite this, the Brave overall were more consistent. The Fire, well into the second half, failed to put away goals and the play became sloppy with multiple turnovers from both teams. Former Boston College standout Dempsey Arsenault kept the Brave on top by scoring 5 points and the Brave held on to win 13-9.
The Brave came out on top by dominating the majority of the draws. Their midfield also outplayed the Fire, which was a key factor in the win. Arsenault was the star of the show for the Brave and was named Gatorade’s player of the game. The Fire showed they could put up a fight and hung with the Brave for the majority of the game, but getting outworked at the midfield and getting behind early on came back to hurt them and ultimately prevented them from getting the win.
Brave 13, Fire 9
