Chicago Machine Week 10 Preview

7/18/10 4:00 PM

Chicago Machine Week 10 Preview

By: Dan Kopf

Seven weeks ago the Machine found themselves sitting near the top of the league with a 3-1 record. Now the Machine are fighting for their lives for the last spot in Championship Weekend with three games to go. The Machines’ first test comes against the (6-3) Denver Outlaws. The Outlaws can clinch a playoff berth with a win over Chicago.

Both teams enter this weekend missing key components of their teams due to the World Championships in Manchester, England. The Machine will be without their starting attack unit which consists of the Leveille brothers, Mike and Kevin, and rookie phenom Ned Crotty. This unit has combined for 80 points including 50 goals and 30 assists. Chicago will have to rely on attackman Tim Balise and Brendan Cannon to fill the void. The Machine will also be without veteran leaders, Matt Striebel, and D.J. Driscoll.

According to Chicago’s midfielder Chris Rotelli, the Machine are ready to play without their veterans. “We have so much talent to field an excellent team. In order to win we have to show up and fight, and grind one out,” Rotelli said. “We are without guys and so are they, but we want it more than they do.”

The Outlaws are also missing key pieces on offense and defense. Denver will be without their top three point leaders in Drew Westervelt, Brendan Mundorf, and Max Seibald. Defenseman Eric Martin and backup goalie Adam Fullerton will also be sitting out this weekend’s game.

The Outlaws however, will have reigning goalie of the year Jesse Schwartzman in net. Schwartzman is fourth in the league in goals against average with 12.66. Schwartzman might be one of the league’s elite goalies but he is not unbeatable. “You just have to always try to take good shots. You can’t hurt him straight on because he has such great position in net,” Rotelli said. “If you move the ball you will create the open shots needed to beat him.”

Rotelli also emphasized the importance of playing smart lacrosse. “It’s not going to be a finesse game. We need to beat them on the ground balls and it’s going to come down to the basic elements of lacrosse,” Rotelli said.

Midfielder Anthony Kelly also stressed the significance of playing smart lacrosse. “We just can’t beat ourselves and we have to continue to play our game,” Kelly said. Without some of their key players Kelly is also looking for players to step up their game. “Ultimately we’re going to have some guys who haven’t had the opportunity to step up and elevate their game,” Kelly said.

The Machine will look for new players to grab the limelight as they play the second place Outlaws this Saturday at 9:00 p.m. in Denver. This will be the first of two times the Machine will visit INVESCO field where the Outlaws are undefeated. Chicago’s attempt to end Denver’s home winning streak can be seen live on ESPN3.com.

2010 Major League Lacrosse Championship Weekend presented by Warrior
August 21-22, Annapolis, MD
For information and tickets go to www.majorleaguelacrosse.com