Levi Anderson Completes Whipsnakes Comeback, Punches Title Game Ticket

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — One half of the Premier Lacrosse League championship game is set, as the Maryland Whipsnakes upset the top-seeded New York Atlas in overtime in the first semifinal held at Hofstra University’s Shuart Stadium.

Rookie Levi Anderson hit the winner just over seven minutes into the extra frame to secure the Whips’ spot in the championship game, which is scheduled for Sept. 15 at Subaru Park in Chester, Pa.

“Initial reaction, that was one of the greatest lacrosse games I’ve been a part of in my career — at any level,” Atlas head coach Mike Pressler said. “Two heavyweights, slugging it out out there. Overtime was as wild a thing I’ve seen as a coach, and you have zero control of it because you don’t have timeouts. But, you know, we had our chances, there’s no complains here. We had our chances.”

Punching their championship ticket is nearly the culmination of the Whipsnakes’ red-hot effort in the second half of the season.

“I can’t be more proud of this group,” Whipsnakes head coach Jim Stagnitta said. “It’s kind of what we’ve done the last seven weeks. I’m not sure we played great, clean lacrosse. But man, we played so hard, we played hard in the middle of the field. … The energy, the crowd, the toughness, every single inch of that field was contested. Obviously, I’m really pleased and proud of our guys for winning that game, but what a great game to be a fan. To see that kind of play in overtime, if I didn’t have a stake in it, it would have been a lot more fun.”

The Atlas got a quick start in the first quarter. Off a save by Liam Entenmann, Danny Logan went to pass down and pick down for Jeff Teat, giving the league’s leading scorer space for his first goal and the Atlas a 1-0 lead in the game’s first minute. The Atlas only turned the tempo up from there. Another Whipsnakes turnover turned into a transition goal courtesy of Gavin Adler’s assist to Connor Shellenberger, and then Bryan Costabile scored just seconds later. In less than three minutes, the Atlas led 3-0.

Anderson answered with a swim and score out of an invert to get the Whips on the board. TJ Malone added his first to make it 3-2, and then Trevor Baptiste put a stop to the Whips’ momentum. He scooped and scored after the Malone goal, and then scooped and scored, this time from two-point range, to make it 6-2 in the blink of an eye. Baptiste went 7-for-9 in the first quarter and added those three points in a span of four seconds.

“I think it’s just staying aggressive, especially in a game like this, when it’s the semifinals,” Baptiste said. “You know, as we’re feeling right now, tomorrow’s not guaranteed. You just have to lay it all out there.”

The pace slowed a bit in the second quarter. After four scoreless minutes, Dox Aitken found the net on a thundering downhill dodge out of the sub box to give the Atlas a 7-3 lead. Colin Heacock answered a few minutes later to make it 7-4.

As it always seemed to go, things swung the other way. This time, the answer came from Myles Jones, who scored his first goal shooting through his man to make it 8-4 with 4:12 left in the half. Malone added another when he cleaned up a rebound off an Adam Poitras shot, and the first half came to an end with the Atlas leading 8-5. Entenmann managed just two first-half saves, but the Atlas defense limited shooting opportunities for the Whips. 

The last 10 goals of the first half were unassisted, as both teams flexed their offensive muscles with dodgers and by attacking matchups in which they had a physical edge.

In the third quarter, Whipsnakes goalie Brendan Krebs got hot, and it started the Whips’ battle uphill and back into the game. The Atlas got some decent looks, but Krebs was up to the challenge. With a trio of saves, Krebs kept the margin within reach.

“I thought he started a little bit slow, and he started a little slow against the Outlaws last week. But as the game goes on, he just gets better and better,” Stagnitta said. “He’s just scratching the surface. I mean, he’s a rookie. This is his first year starting games for a season, and that’s what I’m so excited about.”

The game momentarily stayed at a stalemate as the Whips offense struggled and Krebs continued to stand tall. Zed Williams attacked from behind off a quick restart and fed Malone, who made one more pass to Rambo for a dunk that cut the deficit to two, as the Whips found ways to manufacture opportunities while they struggled in settled offense.

Another atypical goal came a minute later. Heacock’s defender broke his stick, and Heacock took advantage by using his size to get to the middle and score, bringing the Whipsnakes within one. The Whips shut the Atlas out in the third quarter, part of a spectacular defensive effort that severely limited Teat.

“Matt Dunn has played terrific,” Stagnitta said. “And just like when we play against [Michael] Sowers, or [Grant] Ament or [Tom] Schreiber, because [Teat] is right up there with those guys, you can’t allow him to be a feeder and a scorer. He can’t go four and four. Matt Dunn does a really good job covering him. Everyone thinks Zap is going to cover him; Zap’s really good, but Matt has been around this league.”

Maryland continued to grab momentum with a massive goal late. With just six seconds left in the third quarter, Malone charged to his left from X and scored from in tight, tying the score at 8.

The Atlas finally broke through in the fourth. Entenmann made a save and turned it into quick transition. The Atlas used a numbers advantage, and Shellenberger skipped a pass to Costabile for a two-point goal, giving the Atlas a 10-8 lead. Teat added a goal to make it 11-8 with 5:36 to go.

Ryan Conrad answered less than a minute later for the Whips following a ground ball scrum, bringing Maryland back within two. Pressler attempted to challenge the goal, as replays showed that Conrad might have been in the crease. But officials ruled that the challenge flag wasn’t thrown fast enough, so the goal stood.

“It was my mistake,” Pressler said. “I should have thrown the flag, then tried to get Matt Palumb’s attention. I was trying to get his attention and then throw the flag in that window of time. The 30 seconds ran out, that’s what I was told. We felt on video he was definitely in the crease. That was our interpretation. … I should have thrown the flag. I waited too long, and that’s on me.”

On the ensuing possession, Heacock completed his hat trick and brought the Whips back within one. Rambo tied the score at 11 moments later. The Atlas had the last touch in regulation but couldn’t get a shot off.

The overtime period was a frantic, electrifying sequence. Both teams had great looks, but neither could bury them. Krebs made multiple spectacular saves, denying Teat and Aitken in high-percentage spots. Jake Stevens hit a cross bar. Entenmann robbed what looked like sure goals.

In the end, it was Anderson who swam past his short stick matchup and stuck the ball in the top corner, sending the Whips to the finals.

“I’ve played in a few big games in my career. Not as big as this, but I feel like I was somewhat prepared,” Anderson said. “I’ve had a lot of success on short sticks this year; it’s been a lot of fun. On that play, I brought the ball low, I saw there was no slide coming, and they kind of left me on an island. I went to dodge over the top, my guy was kind of high hedging, I swam him, then gave the goalie a head fake and stuck the top corner.”