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After their undefeated season came to an end in Week 5, Charlotte got back to their winning ways, defeating the Ohio Machine, 14-12. The victory not only kept Charlotte undefeated at home (4-0), it also meant the Hounds earned an important sweep of the season series with the defending champion Machine.

Charlotte got off to a hot start, taking an 8-3 lead at halftime behind five different goal scorers, including two apiece from Kevin Cooper, Kevin Crowley, and Matt Rambo. Charlotte extended the lead again in the third quarter, but the Machine did not go away quietly.

Ohio scored the first three goals of the fourth quarter – including two power-play goals from the returning Peter Baum – to cut the deficit to 13-10. Rambo scored his third of the game, but Ohio responded with a two-point goal from defender Steven Waldeck to get within two with 1:17 remaining.

Charlotte sealed the deal, however, as Michael Ehrhardt intercepted a Machine pass with 12 seconds remaining. According to Lax Sports Network, it’s the second time this season Ehrhardt has caused a last-second turnover to help Charlotte win. 

Ehrhardt is a big reason for Charlotte’s success this season, says Charlotte general manager Mike Cerino.

“Michael Ehrhardt is a dominant player,” he said. “You won’t find him in anybody’s top 25, but I think he’s in the top 10. Six-foot-five, can cover anybody, and one of the best offensive long poles in the league.”

“It’s 13-12 against Dallas [in Week 2], we lose the faceoff [and] Michael tracks down the offensive player, tracks down the ball," he added. "You go to the next game against Chesapeake – it’s 12-12, we win the faceoff and … he takes a two-pointer to win the game 14-12. There are two ways to dominate the game, taking the ball away and scoring the ball. You start getting in close games [and] there’s your game changer. He’s the piece that makes us go.”

Dallas Beats Florida

The Rattlers topped the Launch, 19-13, earning its fifth win of the season and sitting a half-game behind Charlotte for the top spot in the standings.

For the fifth time this season, Jordan Wolf totaled at least five points, and he did so by scoring five goals, four of which came in the second half.

It was the first time he’s scored five goals in a game since July 16, 2017, in a game against the Boston Cannons. He also took the league lead in goals (20, tied with Rattlers teammate Ty Thompson, who scored two goals against the Launch) and points (30).

“It was definitely a full team effort, offense, defense,” Wolf said in a postgame interview on Lax Sports Network. “I thought we played a lot better together in the second half, especially offensively, sharing the ball, getting out of each other’s way. We knew it wasn’t our best half in the first half and lucky enough to come out firing in the second.”

MLL Stars Follow Final Four

Players from around the league were fixated on the biggest weekend for college lacrosse.

Many 2018 draft picks were playing in the Division 1 men’s final four, including four first-round picks: Maryland’s Connor Kelly (selected second by Atlanta), Albany’s Connor Fields (selected third by Charlotte), Yale’s Ben Reeve’s (selected fourth by Dallas), and Duke’s Justin Guterding (selected ninth by Ohio).

A few current MLL players also participated, as Duke assistants Matt Danowski (Chesapeake) and Ned Crotty (Dallas) took on Maryland and assistant coach Jesse Bernhardt in the second semifinal game.

Players were also active on Twitter.

Lizards face-off specialist Jerry Ragonese was at Gillette Stadium alongside former New York teammate Greg Gurenlian, while Charlotte midfielder Kevin Crowley congratulated future Hound teammate Connor Fields on his successful collegiate career.

It’s possible the most intriguing tweet came from Lizards defender Ryan Flanagan. A former North Carolina graduate, Flanagan heaped heavy praise on the rival Duke Blue Devils, tweeting, “Duke develops lacrosse players. They don’t just happen to play big on Memorial Day Weekend.”

Noteworthy

Cody Radziewicz, a ninth-round selection in the 2017 collegiate draft who did not play last summer, tallied a career-high five points for Dallas with three goals and two assists. … John Galloway made 14 saves to improve his record to 3-0 on the season. … Drew Simoneau won 22 of 37 faceoffs and scored his first goal of the season for Dallas. … Dylan Molloy (five goals, one assist) and Kieran McArdle (two goals, four assists) led the Launch with six points apiece. …  In his 100th career game, Kyle Harrison scored one goal, his 130th of his MLL career. … Five players totaled two points for the Machine, but Ohio was led by Jake Bernhardt, who had two goals and two assists. … John Haus scored one goal and added three assists in Charlotte’s victory. … Charlie Cipriano made 13 saves in goal for the Hounds.

Player of the Week

Matt Rambo, A, Charlotte

Rambo scored a game-high five goals (four of which were unassisted) on seven shots. He added an assist for six points. The five goals were the most he’s scored in a game this season.

“A lot of the guys are helping me out this year,” Rambo said in a postgame interview on Lax Sports Network. “It’s only my second year. The first year out of Maryland, I was a little beat up. You’re just not used to the fast-paced game. Shout out to some of the rookies who adapt real quick. This year, I’ve been saying all year, our chemistry in our locker room, everyone gets along. I think last year, we held the ball a little too much. This year, we have a lot of assisted goals. The ball is just moving so much more. There’s a lot of unselfish play.”