PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Head coach Kevin Cassese made it a perfect three-for-three on Thursday evening as he helped lead the Philadelphia Barrage of Major League Lacrosse to a dramatic 12-11 overtime victory over the New Jersey Pride at Yurcak Field. With the win, the Barrage move to 3-0 with Lehigh’s newly hired coach in the lineup and 7-3 overall. Philadelphia now sits just one-half game out of first place in the Eastern Conference behind front-running Rochester and holds one of the wild card spots for MLL Championship Weekend, scheduled for August 25 and 26 in Rochester, New York.
Cassese played a major role in the Barrage’s win on Thursday, assisting on the game-winning goal to Seth Goldberg on a fast break at the 3:16 mark of the overtime session. That capped an evening in which the Barrage overcame an early 3-0 deficit to the Pride. After falling behind, Philadelphia unleashed three straight goals of its own to tie the game at three with just over one minute remaining in the first period.
A late score by New Jersey propelled the home team to a 3-0 run and put the Barrage in yet another three-goal deficit. Philadelphia eventually tied the contest at six early in the second half and from there it was a see-saw affair. Cassese tied the game at seven with his only goal of the evening midway through the third but New Jersey regrouped and took a 9-8 lead heading into the final period. The Barrage fell behind 10-8 in the fourth but refused to go away, eventually tying the score at ten. Both teams would score one more goal each, sending the game into the extra session, setting up the dramatic ending.
Philadelphia is now off until Saturday, August 4 when they travel to Washington, D.C. to take on the Washington Bayhawks. Game time is set for 4:00. Following that game, the Barrage has just one regular season contest remaining, a home date with Washington on August 11.
