The Archers (1-0) took on the Waterdogs (0-1) with the men in orange looking to continue their win streak and the Dogs seeking their team’s first win. The Waterdogs were without Zach Currier due to concussion symptoms sustained from the opening play on Sunday. Despite being without their top midfielders, the Waterdogs took a 6-3 lead in the first half and carried some momentum into half time. Yet the second half was all Archers, as they outscored the Dogs 6-1 in the final two quarters.
Grant Ament Steals the Show Again
It was the Grant Ament show again Tuesday night as the first overall pick led the Archers to their second straight win in as many nights.
Ament put up four points for the second consecutive night, including a jaw-dropping around the back pass to a streaking Tom Schreiber that would prove to be the deciding goal.
Waterdogs Second Half Woes Continue
The Waterdogs started the game strong much as they did in their last game, carrying a three-goal lead into the second half. Kieran McArdle led the way with a goal and two points as the Waterdogs got Connor Kelly, Drew Snider, Ryan Drenner, Ben McIntosh, Wes Berg, Danny Eipp and Ben Reeves all involved.
But for the second game in a row, the Waterdogs faltered in the second half. They scored only one goal as the Archers came roaring back to tie the game in the third quarter at six and never looked back. The Waterdogs offense was able to generate more shots in the fourth, but the quality of the shots were very poor and the offense appeared stagnant.
Despite an abysmal second half on offense, they still had a chance to tie the game at the end as Coach Andy Copelan drew up a pick play that freed Ryland Rees up for a last-second two point shot. The shot would not go though and the Dogs were left still looking for their first win.
Archers Goalie Tandem Continues to Impress
The Archers offense will continue to get a lot of love, but it was Tony Resch’s defense that delivered another great performance, holding the Waterdogs to just one goal in the entire second half. Drew Adams recorded 6 saves on 12 shots in the first half and Adam Ghitelman stole the show for the Archers in the second, recording 10 saves with a sparkling 91% save percentage. Ghitelman also won the Archers a crucial possession on the endline in the fourth quarter that led to a Scott Ratliff goal on the other end that put the game away for good.
PLL Betting Breakdown
Ghitelman’s hustle on the endline ended up having significant betting implications. The hustle play, which led to a goal on the other end by Scott Ratliff, ended up swinging the game in favor of the Archers according to the spread of 1.5 points. Those that were hoping for a Waterdogs win against the spread were left fuming at the end with the Archers last-minute cover.
Next Up
The Archers will face the Chrome in the battle of the undefeated on Thursday, July 30 at 9:30pm ET. The Waterdogs will look to secure their first win against the Chrome as well the following night on Friday, July 31 at 9:30pm ET.
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