Washington, DC - The Washington Bayhawks (5-7) of Major League Lacrosse (MLL) finished the 2009 season strong, but the team came up just short of clinching the fourth and final seed for the New Balance Championship Weekend. The Bayhawks won their final two games of the year to keep their hopes alive, but the Long Island Lizards win Saturday night clinched the berth for the Lizards. This is the Bayhawks fourth straight summer missing the postseason since they won the Steinfeld Cup in 2005. Championship Weekend will be held August 22nd and 23rd at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, MD."We are very disappointed with how things turned out," said Bayhawks Head Coach John Tucker. "We have a great group of guys here, and they deserve to have a chance to play in the playoffs. We've worked very hard all season battling back from a rocky start, and I'm proud of our boys. There is a tremendous core of players here, and we're moving in the right direction for next year."
The Bayhawks entered the final week of play needing a win on the road at Boston and a Long Island loss at Chicago. The Bayhawks handled their share with the game-tying goal from defending Rookie of the Week Pete Poillon, who added another tally with 3.5 seconds remaining in regulation to seal the win. However Long Island stood strong with their season on the line and ended the Bayhawks playoff push with a 13-11 win Saturday night against the Machine.
The Denver Outlaws will face the Boston Cannons in the first game of the semifinals of the playoffs. The two clubs split the season series as each club won their road game by one goal. The Outlaws were the first overall seed in the playoffs and will be hoping their strong play all season continues into the playoffs. Game time is set for 12 PM EST on Saturday, August 22nd. The game will be televised live on ESPN2.
The other half of the semifinals will be played at 3 PM that Saturday with the Lizards facing the Toronto Nationals. The Lizards and Nationals also split their season series with each team winning the road game.
The MLL Championship will be played on Sunday, August 23rd at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium between the two Saturday winners. Game time will be at 1 PM EST, the game will be televised live on ESPN2.
Bayhawks 2010 Season Tickets are on sale now through the Bayhawks Ticket Office. For a limited time, fans will receive a Bayhawks autographed MLL lacrosse ball when they reserve two or more seats for next summer's games. To reserve your tickets, contact the Bayhawks at 866-99-HAWKS (42957) or by going to the Bayhawks website at www.washingtonbayhawks.com.
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