Chesapeake looks to lock up top seed by beating Long Island and Denver

Having already clinched a berth in the playoffs, the Chesapeake Bayhawks will be looking to build momentum as they close the regular season with a two-game home stand at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Two teams with plenty to play for are coming to Annapolis as the Long Island Lizards (8-4) are trying to secure a playoff spot while the Denver Outlaws (9-3) still have a shot at winning the regular season crown. 

Chesapeake (9-3) will now try to lock up the top seed in Major League Lacrosse Championship Weekend, which  would enable the Bayhawks to play in the first semifinal (1 p.m.) on Saturday, Aug. 25th at Harvard Stadium in Boston. That is an advantage because winner of the first semifinal will have more time to rest for Sunday’s championship game than winner of the second semifinal (4 p.m.).

 “In this league, everything comes down to Championship Weekend so the goal is to be playing your best lacrosse at the end of the season,” Chesapeake head coach Dave Cottle said. “I don’t think we’ve played a great game yet. We’ve had quarters of brilliance, but also quarters in which we become bored. In order to win a championship, we need to be a great team for two games on that final weekend. So that is the standard we’ll be striving to reach during these next two games.”

Chesapeake is coming off a tough 16-13 loss at Boston and concluded a four-game road trip that lasted the entire month of July with a 2-2 mark. Against the Cannons, the Bayhawks were undone by penalties as they committed 11 for the game and six in the fourth quarter alone.

Looking ahead to this Saturday’s matchup with Long Island, Cottle would like to see Chesapeake correct a few problems that cropped up during the loss to Boston.

 “I felt like we had been making great strides defensively, but we took a step backwards on Saturday. We need to communicate better and tighten up our defensive structure,” he said. “Offensively, we settled for too many one pass, one shot possessions. We need to get back to moving our feet, moving the ball, and working for high-percentage shots.”

Cottle wants the Bayhawks to be aggressive and make opposing offensive players think twice about taking the ball to the goal, but said it’s important to play under control. He was particularly displeased that several of the penalties against Boston where whistled on offensive players.

 &l