Toronto Nationals Face Lizards in Second to Last Game of Season
Published on July 30, 2010 under Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Hamilton Nationals News Release
TORONTO- The Nationals are back in the State of New York for their game on Saturday, July 31 against the Long Island Lizards. This is the first of two back-to-back games for the two teams both looking to secure their spot in the post-season. Long Island's James M. Shuart Stadium will play host to the two teams when they face off at 7:00 p.m.
As the Nationals players, who were members of Team Canada, are back from the World Championships, Toronto will be back in fine form to take on the Lizards. The Nationals dominated the Lizards when they met for the first time this season on June 19, resulting in Toronto winning their first game of 2010. That win also initiated the three game winning streak by the Nationals, before they faced tough losses in their last two games against Denver and Boston. A win in Saturday's game against the Lizards is crucial to the Nationals' playoff hopes.
"I would like to think that being able to focus on lacrosse exclusively and practice and play as much as we did for two weeks should be of great benefit to our guys that were in Manchester," says Dave Huntley, head coach of the Nationals. "We will find out on Saturday against a Long Island team that is playing very well right now. We are going to try and win each little battle and each five-minute segment. If everyone does their job, we will be happy with the result."
Last week, at the World Lacrosse Championships in England, Team Canada went into the playoffs looking destined to win for the second time in a row. Defeating Australia 15-6 in the semi-finals left Canada with only one game standing between them and the Championship trophy. But, that game meant facing their toughest rivals in the tournament - the United States.
The Championship game took place on July 24 and Canada had the odds in their favour, coming into the game at 6-0. Also, Canada won the title in 2006, for the first time in 28 years, in an upset over the U.S. team. The U.S. team was determined to get it back by starting off to an early lead. They relinquished it to Canada a number of times throughout the game and the score was tied 8-8 going into the final quarter. Unfortunately, the U.S came out on top with a close score at the end of 12-10.
Although Canada lost, it wasn't all bad as John Grant Jr. was named the top attacker and Brodie Merrill was the top defenceman in the tournament. Canada's goalie, Chris Sanderson, who was playing while currently battling cancer, was named the best goalie of the tournament.
The Toronto Nationals are Canada's first professional field lacrosse team. They began playing in 2009 in the MLL (Major League Lacrosse), and concluded our inaugural season by winning the Steinfeld Cup. The Toronto Nationals chose their name due to the cultural connection to Aboriginals, as they represent two nations playing as one team.
Tickets for the last game of the season at Lamport Stadium are still available. Single tickets can be purchased through the Nationals website at www.nationalslacrosse.com or by calling 1-877-9GO-NATS. Tickets start as low as $16.95.
Major League Lacrosse Stories from July 30, 2010
- Toronto Nationals Face Lizards in Second to Last Game of Season - Hamilton Nationals
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
