The New York Riptide were tired of the frustration, they were tired of their teammates playing stellar on the defensive side of the ball and they were tired of their goalie standing on their head.
After all of the frustration, the team grinded and toughed out their first franchise victory, which was a 13-12 overtime thriller against the Georgia Swarm in National Lacrosse League action on Saturday night.
With less than ideal conditions outside of Nassau Coliseum the Riptide certainly turned up the heat inside as Dan Lomas and Kieran McArdle both recorded hat tricks.
New York opened the game on a strong note as goals by McArdle and Scott Johnston gave the team an early lead. The scoring between both the Swarm and the Riptide was back and forth, with Georgia scoring several goals before New York got back into the game.
Tyson Gibson scored twice in the later parts of the Third Quarter to get the momentum back in the Riptides favor. Georgia saw goals from Zed Williams and Lyle Thompson to give the visiting side a 10-6 lead.
The Riptide hung real tough and really grinded things down on the defensive side of the ball and were rewarded with some really huge moments in front of a great crowd at Nassau Coliseum. One of the most memorable of the season came with 1.7 seconds left as Gale Thorpe propelled the team into overtime.
Shortly after New York sent the 2351 fans in attendance happy as Dany MacRae scored a goal in overtime that gave the Riptide the first victory in franchise history. Leading the way in the cage was Alex Buque made 37 saves.
This is such a huge moment for the Riptide as the Swarm is a team that is always in contention for the National Lacrosse League Championship and features amazing athletes on their side. This is just the start as New York will look to continue the momentum that was built on this night.
Up next for the Riptide will be a road trip to Philadelphia to take on the Wings, before they host the San Diego Seals on January 25, with the start of the game scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
During the course of the night the Riptide raised money and awareness for Cancer as the team held their Stick Up to Cancer Night.
1495Sports is proud to bring the following Press Conference video after the team’s first victory in franchise history:
Featuring Head Coach Regy Thorpe along with Riptide players Dan MacRae and Dan Lomas
For more information on the New York Riptide fans are encouraged to click on the link seen here: