BALTIMORE — Within the first 6:30 of the Maryland Whipsnakes’ Homewood Field homecoming opener against the Philadelphia Waterdogs on Saturday, goalkeeper Brendan Krebs was called into action on four occasions.
Krebs stonewalled each early look, but the 6-5 netminder’s standout afternoon had only just begun. As he posted nine saves in a first-half shutout, Krebs’ squad jumped out to a 9-0 halftime advantage.
“Our defense really helped us a lot on the offensive side,” said attacker Colin Heacock, one of two Whipsnakes to score a hat trick Saturday afternoon. “Krebs played an incredible game today. … Just having a first official home game back in Baltimore with the crowd was pretty special.”
Despite his flaming hot start between the pipes amid August temperatures soaring into the 90s, Krebs said maintaining a cool, composed demeanor was crucial.
“It’s just that, ‘One at a time’ mentality,” Krebs said. “The guys in front of me were giving me the shots I like to see, so kudos to them. … It’s cool to see zero on the scoreboard at half, but you have another 24 minutes to play.”
Behind Krebs’ career-high 19 saves and eight different point scorers, the Whipsnakes (4-4) held the Waterdogs (1-7) to their season-low scoring output in a 12-6 victory. With the win, the Whipsnakes moved just one victory away from clinching a playoff berth.
When the teams last met in a June 16 clash, the Whipsnakes grinded out a 15-14 overtime victory. Some six weeks later, the hosts left any potential late-game heroics firmly on the backburner.
Whipsnakes coach Jim Stagnitta said his defense’s collective effort helped fuel the quick attacking start his team coveted heading into the matchup. He added that rookie defender Ajax Zapitello demonstrated his elite 1-on-1 acumen, holding Michael Sowers to two goals on six shots.
“I thought we did a really good job defensively of altering their shots, getting sticks on their hands and giving [Krebs] shots he could save,” Stagnitta said. “But at the same time, these guys are so good that very few saves are routine saves.”
Although attacker Matt Rambo said it would take some time for him to get accustomed to calling Homewood Field his home field, the former Maryland star jumpstarted the Whips’ offense with two early goals.
After TJ Malone found Zed Williams for the Whipsnakes’ fourth goal of the game, Stagnitta’s squad scored five more second-quarter goals to build an almost insurmountable edge. Malone didn’t hit paydirt on any of his five shots, but he quarterbacked his attack to the tune of four assists.
Staring down a nine-goal halftime deficit, Waterdogs coach Bill Tierney told his team to “forget the Xs and Os” in his locker room speech.
“Forget the scoreboard — at that point, you’re down 9-0, there’s nothing to do but check your hearts [and] check your fortitude,” Tierney said. “We were flat. They weren’t. … So, at halftime, you just check yourself at the gate here. See who you want to be, why you are a pro lacrosse player and bring out fortitude and courage.”
Tierney said he bears sole responsibility for the loss.
“A loss like this is on no one but the coach,” Tierney said. “We didn’t have the guys ready. It’s a difficult task to play a great team like the Whips, and [I] just didn’t have them ready to go.”
While the Whipsnakes notched two consecutive goals out of the break, the Waterdogs finally breached Krebs’ cage on their 27th shot. The play put an end to a 30:27 scoreless stretch for the visitors.
With Sowers finding windows to showcase his game-changing ability, the Waterdogs netted five consecutive scores in just 5:33 to enter the final quarter down 11-5.
Midfielder Zach Currier capped a 6-0 Waterdogs’ run early in the fourth period, but Currier’s conversion marked his squad’s final tally, as the Whipsnakes handed their opponents a second consecutive defeat — shaving down the Waterdogs’ already slim playoff hopes.
“I don’t know if you can execute much better on either end of the field than we did in the first half,” Stagnitta said. “At this level — we’ve been through it many times — it’s hard to maintain that for two hours. But we did enough to certainly get a win over a really talented team.”
The Whipsnakes close out their two-game homestand Sunday afternoon against the Boston Cannons.
