Denver Outlaws at New York Lizards-Game Preview
July 8, 2015 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Denver Outlaws News Release
DENVER - The Denver Outlaws (5-6) will travel to Uniondale, N.Y., to face the New York Lizards (9-2) in the teams' first matchup of the season. The faceoff is set for Thursday at 5:30 p.m. MDT at Shuart Stadium.
The Outlaws have lost only three times in 19 games vs. the Lizards. Denver will have a big task at hand as they take on the dominant 2015 New York team. The Outlaws will face the added challenge of coming off the worst loss in franchise history, a 22-9 home loss to Boston.
"Hopefully we can shrug off Saturday night as an aberration and get back to playing lacrosse the way that we have and the way we can," Head Coach B.J. O'Hara said. "We've got a tough challenge against, obviously, a very good New York team, but it's a game that we have to keep our hopes alive."
Despite four goals from Drew Snider and John Grant Jr.'s 300th career goal, Denver fell to the Cannons in the Mile High Fourth of July celebration in front of a record-setting 31,644 fans. The Outlaws posted season lows in goals (9), assists (3) and points (12), while Boston earned season highs in score (22) and tied the season records for goals (18), two-point goals (4) and points (31).
The Lizards will certainly be a challenge for the Outlaws. As the league leaders in points scored as well as points allowed, New York has been successful on both sides of the ball. New York and Denver are on opposite ends of the spectrum in shooting, as the Lizards have the most shots on the season, the Outlaws own the fewest. Nevertheless, Denver is first in the league in shooting percentage, converting on 32.8 percent of all shots.
The faceoff X will be the main site of the battle as the top faceoff men will be on the field. Anthony Kelly has the most faceoff wins and attempts in MLL history. He became the only player to ever take 3,000 attempts in the loss to Boston. The Lizards' Greg Gurenlian is the faceoff leader in 2015, winning 76.7 percent of faceoffs this season.
Tune in to Altitude Sports Network or ESPN3 at 5:30 p.m. MDT tomorrow to watch Denver take on New York for the first time in 2015.
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Major League Lacrosse Stories from July 8, 2015
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- Cannons Host 'You Can Play' Night at July 11th Game - Boston Cannons
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