Standout Performances: Week Five
Week five is in the books and it’s time to find out which players put up standout performances.
Leo Fried – Detroit Innovators (U)
Who else? Detroit Innovators utility Leo Fried recorded the first triple-double of the 2024 season against the Toronto Raiders, finishing with a whopping 15 goals, 12 assists, and 14 stops. He carried the load in the absence of chaser Julien Theuerkauf and delivered by picking apart the Raiders defense. Possession after possession, he calmly found the open chaser on the wings with a perfectly-timed pass or slotted a shot through the top hoop to shred the 2-2 Toronto zone. He even got to debut alongside his brother Ryder Fried, who added two goals in an intriguing sign of things to come for Detroit.
Bryan Melchior – Toronto Raiders (K)
Keeper Bryan Melchior has long been one of the the most important players for the Toronto Raiders and he showed his value once again against the Detroit Innovators, with a team-high four goals and six stops. On offense, he used his size and strength effectively to fend off tackles and break through the Detroit Innovators high press. On defense, he helped to maintain a level of physicality that kept the series close, a trademark of the Raiders identity in the North Division for years. He also committed 10 turnovers, so there is room for improvement, but Melchior was trying to make things happen against a tough opponent.
Jay Stewart – Austin Outlaws (C)
Along with the rest of the Austin Outlaws, chaser Jay Stewart got back on track in the South Division SuperSeries. Despite only having a film session and no practice between their stunning loss to the League City Legends and their do-or-die matchups with the New Orleans Curse and the Kansas City Stampede, the Outlaws figured many things out and Stewart deserves much of the credit offensively. He helped Austin utilize the wings and attack from the wide spaces rather than funneling their attempts down the middle. He hunted mismatches, beat defenders 1-on-1, and converted a number of acrobatic finishes en route to 20 goals and nine assists.
Shelby Cascio – New Orleans Curse (C)
Chaser Shelby Cascio, a veteran of the New Orleans Curse program who returned to the pitch this season after a year off, had a breakout weekend with four goals and three stops against the Austin Outlaws and six goals and six stops against the Kansas City Stampede. The performance against the Stampede, which helped the Curse to their first series victory over their northern rivals since 2017, was especially notable. She tied for the second-most goals and the most stops by a woman chaser in a single series this season, trailing only Washington Admirals chaser Jeannette High’s eight goals against the Ottawa Black Bears. Throughout the weekend, Cascio set an example for the rest of her team of coordinating across positions and moving in perfect harmony with her beaters.
Lauren Curry – Kansas City Stampede (B)
Beater Lauren Curry was a bright spot for the Kansas City Stampede during an otherwise challenging weekend on the road in Round Rock, Texas. She helped to salvage a win from the New Orleans Curse series, a huge achievement that keeps Kansas City’s MLQ Championship hopes alive, by playing 31 drives and recording a team-high plus-minus of +6. She was also the only Stampede beater to finish without a negative plus/minus against the Austin Outlaws. After missing the San Antonio Soldados series, Curry showed the significance of her contributions by winning exchanges with overextended opposing beaters and disrupting passing offenses in the half court.
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