One more major box was checked off for the Charlotte Bootleggers franchise last Saturday night in their first road game. That of course was their first win in franchise history, which came in a 19-17 shootout win over the Salem Mayhem.
The Bootleggers made some adjustments and nearly doubled their offensive production from the first week to give their fans an historic date they won’t forget. January 14, the day the Bootleggers were victorious for the first time.
“From week one to week two we definitely made some adjustments,” said Charlotte head coach John Lantzy.
“With a game under our belt we were able to see what our strengths and weaknesses were. We had a better plan on offense to take higher percentage shots and eliminate some of the poor shooting we had last week that led to transition opportunities. Overall it was just a good day for our guys; and a good leap forward, and it showed.”
John Lantzy, Coach
The teams traded blows throughout the entirety of the game as the margin remained close through all four quarters. Early on Jake Carraway gave the Bootleggers an early lead to make it 4-3 Charlotte.
Salem would respond well for the rest of the quarter, as they took an 8-6 lead over the red and black into the second frame. Kyle Whitlow tacked in the final goal of the period in the final minute on a penalty shot for the Mayhem.
In the next three quarters, the Bootleggers continued to shoot lights out, sharing the wealth all over the offense, finishing with 19 goals. That performance was good for the second-most goals scored in a game in PBLA history after 10 games of the league.
“We were really focused on taking better shots and getting to the front of the goal,” noted Lantzy. “We took 68 shots in the game and 60 of them were in the middle-third of the field where we really wanted to get to. We’re really putting a lot of pressure on them to get high quality shots and it worked in the second week.”
The Bootleggers also saw the debut of their first round pick, Marcus Holman. A name that the lacrosse world knows very well, and as a UNC lacrosse alum, Charlotte fans are very excited to see him perform.
Holman did not disappoint in his first game with the Bootleggers, having a commanding presence on the field as well as off the field as a natural leader.
“Marcus is just a pro in every word that you can define in lacrosse, ” added Lantzy.
“We were down two late and both of the penalty shots he had were really the difference in the game to get back in it. He’s a great boost and a great leader for the guys as it’s hard not to listen to him because he has a lot of experience in every scenario.”
John Lantzy, Coach
With the win, the Bootleggers now even up their record at 1-1 with a chance to string a few wins together coming up. It’ll also be a much anticipated return for their fans, as they welcome their team to try and win their first game at the Boplex.
Charlotte will welcome the Hampton Hammerheads, who will also come into the game with a 1-1 record. That game will be inside Bojangles Coliseum on Saturday, January 29th, at 7 p.m. However, the Bootleggers will have another bye week beforehand to rest up and game plan for the Hammerheads.
“First and foremost we have to take care of ourselves this week physically during the bye week,” Lantzy said. “We’ll be back to the process of seeing what we did well last week and trying to replicate that. We have a great group of guys that are very committed to the process, so they’ll put the work in, but we’re excited to get back home and play in front of our fans.”
