Cottle waits for a lift in midst of dismal slide

With missing and injured players, Chesapeake has dropped four of past five

Dave Cottle is a man in search of answers. So far this season, things just aren’t clicking for his Chesapeake Bayhawks (3-4), who have dropped four of their past five after a 2-0 start.

During their current three-game slide, the Bayhawks were edged by a goal by the unbeaten New York Lizards and then blown out by the Denver Outlaws, 17-10. Last Saturday’s home loss was particularly frustrating as the Rochester Rattlers took over a back-and-forth contest by scoring four unanswered goals over the final 12:07.

“The game was tied at 11 early in the fourth quarter, and we started turning the ball over on the offensive end,” said Cottle, the team president and coach. “Three of their last four goals were the result of our offensive turnovers. They got some transition opportunities and we didn’t defend them well.”

At the midway mark of the14-game Major League Lacrosse regular season, Chesapeake finds itself in sixth place. Good news for the Bayhawks is that things could change quickly; four teams are tied for second place with 4-3 records.

Chesapeake could put itself right back into the playoff picture by defeating the Outlaws (4-3) tonight at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

“This is a really important game because a win would be a real lift at this point,” Cottle said.

That’s because the Bayhawks would then have two weeks to regroup — the following weekend brings a bye because of the MLL All-Star Game. Chesapeake, which has been hurt by injuries and player absences, is expecting to finally have its full roster available for the June 20 game at the Ohio Machine.

“We’ve got to circle the wagons and get this next one until we are at full strength again on the 20th,” Cottle said.

Chesapeake will be without three of its top players tonight: Ben Hunt (Severna Park) will miss his fourth straight game with a hamstring injury while fellow offensive midfielder Matt Mackrides will sit out his third consecutive game with a concussion. They will be joined on the sideline by short-stick defensive midfielder Dan Burns (Maryland, Severna Park), who suffered a concussion during the loss to Rochester.

Cottle is confident the two-week layoff will give those three time to get healthy. He also is eager to gain the services of rookie Charlie Raffa on June 20. Faceoffs have been a major problem for the Bayhawks, and Raffa could be a difference-maker in that department.

Raffa, the team’s fourth-round draft choice out of Maryland, is a two-time United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association All-American as a faceoff specialist. The Long Island, N.Y., native concluded his career ranked third in Terps history in ground balls (274) and fourth in faceoff wins (498).

Chesapeake has been beaten on faceoffs in all seven of its games and ranks last in MLL with a .318 winning percentage (63-for-198). Stephen Robarge began the season as the team’s top faceoff specialist, but is now on military reserve. Long-stick defensive midfielder C.J. Costabile has been filling the role, often trying to harass the opposing specialist after losing the draw.

Cottle said after last Saturday’s loss that Chesapeake was “trying to become a team in the middle of games.” That’s because the Bayhawks have not fielded the same starting lineup in consecutive games this season.

Attackman Matt Danowski is the team’s quarterback, running the offense from behind the cage. He is also the team’s leading scorer with 19 points despite missing two games because of his duties as an assistant coach at Duke.

Midfielder Joe Walters (Maryland) and attackman Drew Westervelt (UMBC, John Carroll), two of Chesapeake’s leading scorers in 2014, made their season debuts last Saturday night after missing six games while playing for teams in the indoor National Lacrosse League. Midfielder Kevin Crowley, who scored 62 goals in consecutive seasons with the Hamilton Nationals, is still involved with the NLL playoffs as a member of the Toronto Rock.

Mackrides, the Bayhawks’ second-leading scorer with 16 points, was having an outstanding season before going down. Chesapeake is also missing the power dodging of the 6-foot-5, 215-pound Hunt, who is tied for third on the team with nine goals and has the ability to run through defenders.

Close defenseman Michael Evans (South River), one of the top cover men in MLL, sat out two games with back problems. Nicky Polanco started the first couple of games of the season on close defense but has not dressed since because of a family matter. Factor in that crease enforcer Brian Spallina was traded to New York, and Chesapeake has not been nearly as aggressive defensively as it was last year.

“We need to be a little tougher on the defensive end. We’ve got to be more physical,” Cottle said.