Mike Powell Leads Team USA to ILF Title Game
7/20/2006 8:07:44 PM | Men's Lacrosse
by Brian Logue - U.S. Lacrosse
LONDON, Ont. – Former Syracuse All-American Mike Powell scored two goals and handed out three assists, and Doug Shanahan won 12 of 15 faceoffs and scored twice as the 2006 U.S. men’s team defeated Australia, 13-10, to advance to the championship game of the International Lacrosse Federation (ILF) World Championship before a crowd of 2,000 fans. The Americans improved to 6-0 and won their 38th straight ILF game, dating back to a loss to Canada in the 1978 final.
Team USA will face the winner of tonight’s Canada-Iroquois Nationals semifinal in Saturday’s ILF championship game, to begin at 3:30 p.m. at TD Waterhouse Stadium and before a live audience on CSTV.
Eight different players scored to put the U.S. seemingly comfortably ahead, 8-2, with less than eight minutes to play in the second quarter. Australia began a 5-0 run that bookended halftime and gave the Americans their most formidable challenge from a team not wearing host Canada’s colors.
Nathan Stiglich beat Trevor Tierney with a nifty, quick-stick shot while falling away from the goal to begin the spurt with 3:22 to play before halftime. Brendan Mundorf, who starred at UMBC and led Australia with five points, followed with a low wrap-around goal just over a minute later, to make the score 8-4.
Australia's momentum continued, as Peter Inge, ineffective at the X in the first half, won five of six faceoffs in the third period, giving the Australians possessions which they turned into goals. Wes Green scored the first of his team-high three goals (all in the second half) on a bounce shot 2:50 into the quarter. He followed with another bouncer past Chris Garrity at the 13:55 mark before Mundorf scored an extra-man goal courtesy of a Josh Ardossi assist, trimming the U.S.’s lead to one and forcing the Americans to call timeout as the Australian fans roared.
"We got caught up in all the excitement and made some turnovers and some sliding mistakes," said Team USA coach John Desko of his third-period timeout. "So we just needed them to settle down and regroup and get the ball back to our end of the field."
Respond the Americans did, with a run that put Australia at bay. Kevin Cassese took a Casey Powell feed and blasted a shot past Australian goalie Warren Brown for an extra-man tally with 6:25 to play in the quarter. Less than 3 minutes later, after a John Gagliari-forced turnover, Mike Powell corralled a loose ball and raced down field to beat Brown for a 10-7 U.S. lead.
It was Shanahan that provided the clincher. He beat Inge on the fourth quarter’s opening faceoff, scooped the ground ball and went straight to the goal, scoring and putting the Americans ahead by an insurmountable 11-7 margin just seven seconds into the frame. Mike Powell’s second goal, with just under 10 minutes to play and courtesy of a Kyle Harrison assist, made the score 13-8.
"It was a great test for us. I thought the Aussies came out and played very hard. They did a terrific job today. We gave up a couple more goals than we wanted to and we weren’t as patient as we wanted to be, but all in all it’s a great win for this time of year," added Desko, whose squad will attempt to win its seventh straight ILF title Saturday.
It appeared as though the Americans would advance to the final with ease. Even though David Whiteman tallied the first goal for the Australians, dominance on the faceoffs (the Aussies won just one in the first quarter) helped the U.S. respond with four straight by four different players. A Casey Powell strip on a ride of Daniel Pusvacietis led to a Kyle Sweeney goal that put Team USA up 4-1 midway through the period. Scott Urick, Matt Striebel and Joe Walters all scored in the second quarter before the Australians began their game-tightening run.
Australia drops to 3-4 and will play the loser of the Canada-Iroquois National semifinal in the third-place game, set for 11 a.m. Saturday.
BOX SCORE
Score by Periods 1+2+3+4=F
(3-4) Australia 2+2+3+3=10
(6-0) United States 5+3+2+3=13
Goals
AUS: Wes Green 3, Brendan Mundorf 3, David Whiteman 2, Darren Nicholas, Nathan Stiglich.
USA: Jay Jalbert 2, Michael Powell 2, Doug Shanahan 2, Casey Powell, Ryan Powell, Kyle Sweeney, Kevin Cassese, Matt Striebel, Scott Urick, Joe Walters.
Assists
AUS: Brendan Mundorf 2, Josh Ardossi, Russell Brown, Kim Delfs, Tim Fry, Daniel Pusvacietis.
USA: Michael Powell 3, Casey Powell, Joe Walters, Roy Colsey, Kyle Harrison.
Goalies
AUS: Warren Brown 39 min., 8GA, 6 svs.; Scott Garnsworthy 1 min.
USA: Trevor Tierney 40 min., 4GA, 2 svs.; Chris Garrity 40 min., 6GA, 4svs.
Faceoffs
AUS: Robert Stark 0-4, Darren Nicholas 0-2, Peter Inge 9-21.
USA: Kyle Harrison 3-7, Doug Shanahan 12-15, Kevin Cassese 3-5.
