| Team: | Hamilton Nationals |
| Year: | 2009 |
| Record: | 7–5 |
| Division Place: | 2nd MLL |
| Coach: | David Huntley |
| Stadium: | BMO Field |
| Playoffs: | Won Steinfeld Cup |
| Previous: | N/A |
The 2009 Toronto Nationals season was the first for the franchise. Their first game in the MLL was on May 15, 2009 against Washington Bayhawks, which they won 17–16.[1] They also won their first home game over the Chicago Machine 15–11.[2] The Nationals qualified for the playoffs as the second seed with a 7–5 record and the best offense in MLL with 184 goals for. The Nationals played their first playoff game against the Long Island Lizards at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. Toronto won their semi-final matchup 14–13 thanks to a strong game by Merrick Thomson scoring 4 goals. Toronto went on to face the Denver Outlaws in the Steinfeld Cup Final.[3] The Nationals were tied with the Outlaws 9–9 with over a minute to go in the game. Nationals head coach Dave Huntley called a time-out to draw out a strategy. With 45 seconds left to go, Joe Walters passed to Shawn Williams and Williams scored the winning goal to give the Toronto Nationals their first championship victory 10–9 over the Denver Outlaws. Merrick Thomson was named Playoff MVP[4] and Brodie Merrill won the Major League Lacrosse Defensive player of the Year Award.[5]
W = Wins, L = Losses, PCT = Winning Percentage, GB = Games Back of first place, GF = Goals For, 2ptGF = 2 point Goals For, GA = Goals Against, 2ptGA = 2 point Goals Against
| Qualified for playoffs |
| Team | width=50px | W! | width=50px | L! | width=50px | PCT! | width=50px | GB! | width=50px | GF! | width=50px | 2ptGF! | width=50px | GA! | width=50px | 2ptGA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Outlaws | 9 | 3 | .750 | - | 166 | 8 | 138 | 6 | ||||||||
| Toronto Nationals | 7 | 5 | .583 | 2 | 184 | 4 | 172 | 9 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | .500 | 3 | 125 | 4 | 144 | 9 | |||||||||
| 6 | 6 | .500 | 3 | 173 | 12 | 150 | 6 | |||||||||
| Washington Bayhawks | 5 | 7 | .417 | 4 | 148 | 14 | 175 | 9 | ||||||||
| 3 | 9 | .250 | 6 | 159 | 8 | 176 | 11 |
Long Island finished ahead of Boston based on a head to head record of 3-0.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Field | Result | Attendance | Record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 15 | @ Bayhawks | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium | 17–16 | 3,715 | 1–0 | |
| 2 | May 22 | Machine | BMO Field | 17–16 | 5,144 | 2–0 | |
| 3 | May 29 | Lizards | BMO Field | 13–9 | 3,424 | 2–1 | |
| 4 | June 4 | @ Bayhawks | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium | 17–15 | 3,216 | 3–1 | |
| 5 | June 13 | Bayhawks | BMO Field | 19–12 | 3,544 | 4–1 | |
| 6 | June 20 | @ Outlaws | Invesco Field at Mile High | 15–8 | 8,216 | 4–2 | |
| 7 | June 25 | @ Cannons | Harvard Stadium | 19–15 | 7,532 | 4–3 | |
| 7 | June 27 | Outlaws | BMO Field | 20–16 | 3,791 | 4–4 | |
| 8 | July 4 | @ Machine | Glenbrook South High School | 24–19 | 1,338 | 4–5 | |
| 10 | July 18 | @ Lizards | James M. Shuart Stadium | 19–9 | 7,621 | 5–5 | |
| 11 | July 23 | Cannons | BMO Field | 18–17 (OT) | 3,542 | 6–5 | |
| 13 | August 8 | Outlaws | BMO Field | 16–10 | 3,635 | 7–5 |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Field | Result | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLL Semifinal | August 22 | Lizards | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium | 14–13 | 6,720 | |
| Steinfeld Cup | August 23 | @ Outlaws | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium | 10–9 | 7,003 |