The second night of the NILL saw the chemistry starting to build in each of the teams, and an increase in intensity. With spectators from the UCD and Dublin Avengers women’s lacrosse teams, all the players were keen to put on a show for the ladies present.
The first game saw the Darkside and Troopers face off after their tight draw the week before, with both teams vying to take the upper hand. Impressive ball movement on the Darkside’s behalf allowed them to go into the half with a 5-4 lead, with goals being spread amongst Drew Wichmann, James Nolan and Cillian Murphy. The Troopers rallied, with tallies from Marty Scanlon, Ciarán Boylan and Mike Kennedy, but unfortunately fell short to give Darkside the win, 10-9.
Thunder faced the Darkside in the second game of the night, hoping to improve on the previous weeks’ performance of two losses. Due to stellar performances from both goalies, Darkside had a tense 2-1 lead at half. However, after the break Thunder were unable to get it together offensively with Tadhg Bolger scoring their only goal of the second half. Despite a strong defensive effort from Thunder, the momentum Darkside carried allowed them to put together an impressive 6 goals for an 8-2 finish. Aidan “AK47” Kelly broke the ice with his first goal of the league, with Drew Wichmann continuing his streak of killing it (he asked me to put this in) with a hat trick in the second half.
The final game of the night saw Thunder battle it out with the Troopers. The first half saw a similar start to the previous game with a similar score line, of 2-1 but this time in favour of Thunder. Strong saves from Colm Murphy and Aidan Marshall disrupted both offences. Wanting to get their first win of the franchise, Thunder game out of the half gritty and determined. With Jake Morris opening up the scoring for Thunder after the half, and Conor O’Brien stepping up to put one in the back of the net, it was clear the team had started to click. Despite goals from Kennedy, Boylan and Quinn, Thunder ruled the day taking a lead off the face with a quick goal from Matt Doncel. The game finished 5-4, giving Thunder their first win of the season.
The second night of the league leaves the stands at;
Darkside 12
Stormtroopers 9
Thunder 3
The third night of the NILL will take place January 27th, 8-10pm in Loughlinstown Leisure Centre. Spectators and new players are always welcome!
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