New York advances to finals for first time since 2021
New York Titans chaser Lindsay Marella surveys her options against the San Antonio Soldados in the MLQ Championship semifinals.
The New York Titans advanced to their first Benepe Cup finals since 2021 on Sunday morning with an efficient two-game sweep of the San Antonio Soldados. In a matchup of the East and South Division winners, New York maintained a small but consistent edge, winning game one 160-130 and game two 135-80.
Throughout both games, the Titans were repeatedly lifted by chaser Josh Johnson, the top scorer at two consecutive MLQ Championships. Johnson tallied a combined 17 goals, which would have been the fourth most among all players at the Benepe Cup last year. He scored a hat trick to help the Titans take an early 50-10 lead in game one before a series of turnovers forced by San Antonio beaters Daniel Williams and Jess Markle closed the deficit. Following a red card on New York beater Tate Kay for contact to the head, the Soldados nearly pulled even, making good use of the two-minute power play.
But establishing a theme for the remainder of the contest, San Antonio was not able to tie the score. With the flag runner on pitch, New York turned to a veteran lineup and Johnson began a sensational run of six goals in a row for the Titans, reaching the set score of 160 all by himself. Soldados keeper Miguel Esparza replied with four goals of his own during flag runner on pitch, and he finished with eight total on the game, but Johnson outshone his former Austin Outlaws teammate, recording 11 goals and tilting the balance in favor of New York.
Game two unfolded similarly, though San Antonio managed to briefly take the lead in the middle portion of the match. Keeper David Avila scored twice to give the Soldados a 50-40 advantage and chaser Emme Gouveia capped a strong season by converting two goals around the hoops to keep the score knotted at 70-70. Yet once again, Johnson started to get hot for New York and the Titans took control. Seeker Jason Ng secured his second flag runner catch of the weekend to win the game and clinch a spot in the finals.
New York will play the Chicago Prowl in MLQ Championship finals in a rematch of an instant classic semifinals series last year. The Titans were upset 2-1, losing on a walk-off goal by chaser Nivash Jayaram. With the loss, San Antonio was eliminated.