KIRYAT GAT, ISRAEL — Goalkeepers played a huge role in keeping the score close from beginning to end as Barak Netanya LC secured their first win of the season, 7-5, over Kiryat Gat LC on Thursday at Kiryat Gat Synethic.
Dan Kaufman (60:00, 15 SV) had 7 saves in the first quarter, leading a strong defensive stand for Kiryat Gat to keep the score tied at 0, however, Jonah Biblowitz (2G, 1A) netted the first goal of the game one minute into the second quarter putting Netanya on the board. After back-and-forth scores, Logan Miller (2G) snuck in one more in the final minutes, sending Netanya to halftime with the lead.
With momentum from the break, Kiryat Gat stormed back in the third quarter to gain the lead with 3 goals from Alex Irizarry (4G) but Netanya evened it out at 5 a- piece with 10 seconds remaining in the third. Netanya escaped an early fourth-quarter man-down situation unscathed before Drew Gallant (1G, 3A) scored the go-ahead goal, earning him EL AL Player of the Game honors.
Barak Netanya sealed their first win, 7-5, with 5 minutes to play. Duncan Kleinfeld (60:00 min, 8 SV) secured the win with a solid performance in the cage.
Barak Netanya is back in action against Haifa LC on Sunday at 7pm on Tubruq Field. Kiryat Gat will host Be’er Sheva on Tuesday at Kiryat Gat Synthetic at 8pm.