The streaking Portland Stags rattled the visiting San Francisco Dogfish and never let up for a convincing 23-17 victory on Sunday afternoon.
The Dogfish had a strong start, batting down a Stags pass and scoring a break point to take the first lead of the game. Unfazed, the Stags quickly went to their all-star offensive cutter Timmy Perston (6 goals, 1 block) to even the score 1-1.
For a long stretch of the first quarter, the Dogfish acted as their own worst enemy with four successive turnovers, all of which the Stags capitalized on for break points to take a 5-1 lead.
San Francisco began to reverse the tide after they reset with a timeout and threw a powerful hammer pass for a score.
On the ensuing possession, Perston chased down the disc again for his third goal in the first quarter. Portland ended the first quarter with a commanding lead, 6-3.
The two teams traded quick points throughout the second quarter including two scores by Raphy Hayes (2 goals). Ben McGinn (3 goals, 3 assists) also had a highlight grab, going completely horizontal in the air and landing with the disc barely inside the end zone.
“I was a benefactor on a few different plays, but no one tried to do too much,” said McGinn, who led the Stags in combined goals and assists along with Timmy Perston. “We just need to run our system, and we did a good job of that today.”
Both teams increased their defensive pressure and refused to give up a point for several minutes in the middle of the second quarter. Player-coach John Thornton (1 block) came out of nowhere for a diving pass breakup. After a five-turnover series, the Stags began to pull away again when Matthew Melius scored.
The Stags defense had a signature play when Topher Davis (1 block) interrupted a seemingly easy pass and the Stags found Peter Woodside (3 goals, 1 block) for a break point.
“The team played great as a team,” said Woodside. “No one was looking to make plays by himself.”
Refusing to relent, the Dogfish scored with just eleven seconds left in the half to come within four goals, 11-7.
The Stags pulled away in the third quarter, beginning with an immaculate 50-50 disc catch by Cody Bjorklund (2 goals, 2 assists).
“Our offense played better overall,” said Stags head coach Danny Quarrell. “There was a little more confidence, more sticking to the system and grinding out points instead of looking to score early. All of our handlers played very well today.”
Many of San Francisco’s points came on long flick passes as their cutters eluded the Stags with speed all game. Their precise passing to open areas exhausted Portland defenders.
“We have a size advantage against all the teams, but the opposite effect is they have a speed advantage,” said Quarrell. “I think we did a good job. We only allowed seventeen points. On a day with basically no wind, to hold a team to less than twenty points is good.”
The Dogfish undermined their successes by committing several unforced turnovers, including a turn immediately after a Stags’ pull, which allowed the Stags to score twice within ten seconds.
The Stags outscored the Dogfish in the third quarter 7-4 and headed into the fourth quarter with a comfortable 18-11 lead.
San Francisco landed the first punch in the fourth quarter, and the teams traded blows throughout the remainder of the game to reach the final score of 23-17.
Because of their lead, the Stags were able to mix up their lineups and play newer players.
“Even when we went to the next guys in line like Vinh Bui and Adam Bilbaeno (1 assist), they stepped up and played great as well,” said Quarrell.
Next week, the 4-0 Stags will rematch the Vancouver Nighthawks at Hillsboro Stadium on Saturday, May 16, at 2:00 p.m.
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