The Nationals had a quick turnaround this week, playing two games within three days-and it showed. Earlier this week Toronto fell to the Cannons, and tonight they kept on falling. In their previous meeting, the Denver Outlaws made sure to make a statement by defeating the Toronto Nationals 15-8, proving they were worthy of the number one spot.

The rematch played out in much the same way. With a final score of 20-16, Denver strengthened its hold on the top spot in the league as Toronto slipped further down the ranks. In front of 3,791 Toronto fans, the Denver Outlaws left BMO field showcasing why they are the top team in the league.

Denver drew the first blood two minutes into the game with a goal by Dan Hardy and an assist from league point leader Brendan Mundorf. Matt Brown netted the next goal from a feed by Nate Watkins. Toronto wasn't going to let the Outlaws off to an easy start though, as Gavin Prout retaliated with a shorthanded goal. A few minutes late Toronto pulled ahead by a goal; however, this was the first and last time of the game that Toronto led Denver. At the end of the first quarter the game was tied up at four goals apiece.

The Outlaws started off the next quarter again, this time with an unassisted goal by Josh Sims. Scoring was back-and-forth for the rest of the quarter with attackman Drew Westervelt netting the first power play goal of the night and Delby Powless getting Toronto's second shorthanded goal. Denver took the lead at the end of the half with a score of 10-8.

Toronto set off scoring in the second half, putting in their third shorthanded goal as Brodie Merrill netted his first of the game. Mundorf quickly got even by punishing National keeper Brett Queener with back-to-back goals. Not to be outdone by Mundorf, Matt Brown added his own set of back-to-back goals. Sims and Westervelt scored their second goals of the game, Westervelt off of an assist from Denver goalkeeper Jesse Schwartzman. By the end of the quarter, the Outlaws pulled ahead of the Nationals 16-10.

While Toronto did rally in the fourth quarter with help from Merrick Thomson and a two-point goal by Stephen Hoar, it wasn't enough. The Nationals fell for a second time to the Outlaws with a final score of 20-16.

Denver's Brendan Mundorf showed why he leads not only the Outlaws but also the league in points, adding six tonight (5 G, 1 A). But the most impressive player on the field was Matt Brown, who scored in all four quarters. Contributing seven points (6 G, 1 A) to the Outlaw victory, Brown earned himself Bud Light MVP of the game.

Merrick Thomson kept the Nationals competitive, taking home six points on the night (5 G, 1 A). Delby Powless also had a big game with five points in total (3 G, 2 A).

On the defensive end, Jesse Schwartzman made nine saves for the Outlaws. Toronto's Doc Schneider and Brett Queener finished with nine and four saves respectively.

Toronto will travel next to play the Chicago Machine while Denver will return home to host the Boston Cannons. Both games will take place on the fourth of July.

For full box scores and game sheets, visit PointStreak.com. For scores and standings, computer ratings, stories, and the schedule of upcoming games, see LaxPower's MLL Page. You can also visit the MLL web site for full coverage of the league.

2009-06-28