ORLANDO, Fla. — Washington wasted little time showcasing it’s depth on both sides of the ball in a lopsided 17-7 win over the Orlando Titans in National Lacrosse League action Saturday night at Amway Arena in Orlando.
Orlando’s top-ranked defense, which entered the contest yielding a league-low 9.50 goals per game, couldn’t keep pace with Washington’s aggressive attack as it surrendered nine goals in the first half.
Four Stealth players notched hat-tricks, assaulting Titans goaltender Matt Vinc with a flurry of shots, and Stealth goaltender Matt Roik added a tremendous effort in goal, making 34 saves and containing Orlando’s Casey Powell (five points).
“Matt Roik was sensational tonight,” said Stealth head coach Chris Hall. “He shut the door on some great offensive talent on the Titans’ bench. He made some big saves when the game was close and continued to make them to hold the lead.”
Playing without injured forward Jeff Zywicki for the second straight game, Stealth assistant captain Cam Sedgwick scored three goals in the first half while Rhys Duch (three goals, six assists) and league scoring leader Lewis Ratcliff (three goals, five assists) and Luke Wiles (three goals, five assists) added hat-tricks of their own.
After falling behind 1-0 early in the first quarter, Washington (10-4 overall) countered with a seven-goal second quarter and outscored Orlando (8-5) 8-3 in the second half.
Washington scored three goals in a 31-second span with less than one minute remaining in the second quarter, including a full-court, empty-net goal by Kyle Sorensen to beat the halftime buzzer and give Washington a 9-4 lead.
“The three goals to end the first half was a turning point in this game,” said Hall. “It was early in the game, but it was a sign that we weren’t going to let them back into the game.”
The Stealth, which became the league’s first 10-win team, converted 4-of-6 power play opportunities while holding Orlando to 0-for-3 on the advantage.
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