Panther City Defeats San Diego, 11 – 10

The Panther City Lacrosse Club (7-9) defeated the San Diego Seals (9-7), 11 – 10, at Pechanga Arena Friday night.

Forward Phil Caputo set the tone for the offense, netting four goals to lead all scorers, including two back-to-back goals in the fourth quarter to give Panther City the lead with less than 30 seconds remaining. It is the second time this year that Caputo has scored his season-high four goals, and he passed the 30-goal mark in a season for the first time in his career. Two of Caputo’s goals were assisted by rookie forward Patrick Dodds, who became just the ninth rookie in NLL history to dish out 50 or more assists in their first season. Dodds finished with a game-high six points on four assists and two goals of his own.

On the defensive side of the ball, Panther City goaltender Nick Damude held the potent Seals offense to just 10 goals on 55 shots (.818 save percentage). The defense also held San Diego to just three goals in the second half, and just one in the final quarter, giving Panther City the team’s first fourth quarter comeback in franchise history as the team continues to learn from mistakes and build chemistry, a focal point for head coach Tracey Kelusky.

Panther City next returns home to battle the Georgia Swarm (8-7) on Saturday, April 23. Faceoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT at Dickies Arena.