The Ohio Machine, an expansion team in Major League Lacrosse (MLL), qualified for the MLL playoffs with a 14-10 victory over the Florida Launch at Selby Stadium on Saturday in front of a sellout crowd of about 5,000.
The Machine, after inaugural campaigns of identical 2-14 records, surged to win five consecutive games in a row after a 3-6 start to their season. However, five of their six losses were by a combined seven goals.
The Machine started out a bit sluggishly, being down 1-0 halfway through the first period; however, they responded with four straight goals, two of which were scored by MML goal-scoring leader, Marcus Holman, to take a 4-1 lead and led at the end of the 1st period, 4-2.
Holman scored his third goal in the 2nd period and was assisted by two goals from Steele Stanwick to put the Machine up, 8-4 at halftime.
The Launch answered the bell in the 3rd period, posting three consecutive goals to narrow the gap to 8-7. However, Stanwick responded with a goal to close the 3rd period to put the Machine up, 9-7 at the end of the 3rd period.
In the 4th and final period, the Machine put away the Launch for good, scoring five goals, including Holman’s 4th goal of the evening, thus finishing the regular season as the MLL’s goal-scoring champ. Peter Baum completed the scoring with his 35 goal of the campaign.
The Machine will now face the Rochester Rattlers, who capped off an impressive campaign by soundly defeating the Boston Cannons, 18-8, which would have allowed the Machine to clinch the last playoff position without winning against the Launch. The Rattlers finished with a 10-4 record and will face the MLL’s hottest team in the Machine, who have won five in a row, including victories against the Rattlers in Rochester just two weeks ago as well as the 2nd place-finishing Denver Outlaws, in Overtime.
For the upstart Machine, this late-season surge and success allow them to carry momentum into next week’s slate against the Rattlers, which is scheduled for Saturday, August 16th at 3 P.M.