Best of the Best Individuals and Teams Battle in Week Eight
Published on July 15, 2004 under Major League Lacrosse (MLL) News Release
Boston, MA (July 15, 2004) â Major League Lacrosse (MLL), the premiere professional outdoor lacrosse league, presents a special Week Eight of high scoring, fast moving, hard-hitting action. In addition to the three games on tap this weekend, the Bud Light MLL Skills Competition will pit some of the league's best players in three contestsâFastest Shot, Bullseye and Freestyleâto determine who really is the best of the best. This fan favorite will take place during halftime of Thursday's divisional match-up of the Long Island Lizards and Philadelphia Barrage at Villanova Stadium. The game and the Bud Light MLL Skills Competition will air nationally in a special Major League Lacrosse "Game of the Week" on ESPN2 on Saturday, July 17 at 2 p.m.
Division leaders Boston and Rochester will face off on Saturday night in Rochester. The Cannons have been the league's top team all season, while the Rattlers just took over first place in the National Division in Week Seven. Also on the docket Saturday, the Baltimore Bayhawks visit the New Jersey Pride with hopes of regaining some momentumâand first place in the National Division. The Bayhawks-Pride matinee is also a Major League Lacrosse "Game of the Week", airing nationally on ESPN2 on Tuesday, July 20 at 4 p.m.
Long Island Lizards (4-2) at Philadelphia Barrage (2-5), July 15 at 7:00 p.m.
Bud Light MLL Skills Competition at Halftime
It's not often that a halftime event is just as anticipated as a match-up of two former MLL Goalie of the Year winners, but such is the case Thursday night. The Bud Light MLL Skills Competition at halftime will feature some of the league's top players, including reigning Bud Light MLL MVP Jay Jalbert and 2003 Cascade Rookie of the Year Adam Doneger. Two-time defending Fastest Shot champion David Evans hopes to match the 108 mph shot that has won the last two years, while David Curry and Scott Urick appear to be favorites to take the Bullseye title back to New Jersey. Fans will also get to choose the winner of the Freestyle Contest, featuring top snipers like Jalbert and Kevin Leveille.
For the rest of the evening, all eyes will focus on the goalies. Brian Dougherty, last year's MLL Goalie of the Year, leads the Lizards into Philly to take on the Barrage and netminder Greg Cattrano. Long Island is riding a two-game win streak and, thanks in part to a torrential downpour and a scheduled week off, has actually not lost in over a month (since June 12 versus Boston). Dougherty has been the primary reason for their recent success, setting an MLL single-game record in Week Seven by making 33 saves in a 20-18 win over New Jersey. "Doc" was named MLL Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts, the third time this season he was so honored. But head coach Vinnie Sombrotto is apprehensive about depending so much on Dougherty.
"We can't keep relying on Doc to make 30 saves a game," said Sombrotto. "But he has been the difference in our wins lately."
Philadelphia and Long Island have met only once this season, when the Lizards won a defensive struggle, 14-12, in Week Three. Dougherty made 21 saves and Kevin Finneran was named Bud Light MVP, netting four goals and assisting on two more. A win against the division-rival Barrage would go a long way towards ensuring a playoff birth, but Sombrotto is still hesitant about his team's readiness to defend their MLL title. Noting that his squad relies far too much on Dougherty, he observed, "I don't think we're a championship caliber team right now."
While Sombrotto is fine-tuning for the post-season, head coach Sal LoCascio and his Philly squad are on the outside looking in. LoCascio, a former all-world goalie himself, can depend on a defense anchored by Cattrano, the 2002 MLL Goalie of the Year and Bud Light MVP. Last week, that defense came up just short against the division-leading Cannons, dropping a 20-18 decision after leading 6-2 early. Blake Miller exploded for a game-high seven points (6G, 1A), moving him into second in the MLL with 24 goals and fourth place with 31 points. Ryan Boyle continued his spectacular rookie campaign with six points (1G, 5A), moving him in into fifth in the league in assists despite having played just three games. LoCascio noted that Boyle's arrival opens up the defense for Keith Cromwell, who has responded by racking up 18 points in three games with the rookie.
Including the narrow defeat in Week Three, the Barrage have dropped their last four meetings against the Lizards. The last time a Barrage squad defeated Long Island was in 2002, when they called Bridgeport home. But LoCascio is confident this match-up will have a different result. "We are a much better team than the one Long Island beat early in the season," he said. "We only played well for half the game back in June.
"That will change this time," LoCascio promised.
Boston Cannons (6-1) at Rochester Rattlers (4-3), July 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Rochester is atop the National Division for first time this season after defeating Baltimore in Week Seven, 17-13. Led by Josh Coffman's six goals and Casey Powell's five points (4G, 1A), the Rattlers controlled much of the game, not allowing Baltimore to lead after the first quarter. With the win, Rochester moved a half-game ahead of the Bayhawks for the division lead. After winning only one of the first eleven meetings versus the Bayhawks, the Rattlers have won two straight and took their first season series from the National Division powerhouse.
Now, Rochester represents the National Division in a clash against the American Division-leading Cannons. Boston defeated the Rattlers, 21-19, in the only other match-up between the two squads this year. Rochester still leads the overall series, 4-3, but is only 1-2 at home all-time versus the Cannons. The game will also be a meeting of the top two scorers in the MLL: Boston's Conor Gill (6.14 PPG) and Rochester's Ryan Powell (6.17 PPG). Gill, who has played in one more game than Powell, is on pace to break Rattler Casey Powell's league record of 70 points, established last season. With Baltimore playing the last place New Jersey Pride this week, a Rochester win over Boston is likely essential to maintain a lead over the Bayhawks.
The trip to Rochester is Boston's first road trip since defeating the Lizards in Long Island on June 12. Since then, Boston enjoyed a 2-1 record while playing three consecutive home games. The Cannons victory over the Barrage in Week Seven followed a script to which Boston has become quite accustomed this season: After falling behind early, the Cannons surged into halftime, then stole the game with a spirited fourth quarter. The hero this time around was Michael Watson, who scored five goals, including several highlight tallies that brought the fans to their feet, to earn MLL Offensive Player of the Week honors.
In the Week Three meeting, Gill registered four goals and three assists and was named Bud Light Game MVP. This time around, Gill should expect to see a lot of Rochester defenseman John Glatzel, who kept Baltimore's Mark Millon in check in Week Seven. Gill and Glatzel have a long history together, dating back to high school when Gill played for St. Paul's and Glatzel for Boy's Latin in Maryland's prestigious MIAA conference. But don't expect defense to be the story of this meeting: Boston enters the game having scored a league-leading 137 points, with Rochester's high-octane offense second in the league with 124.
Baltimore Bayhawks (3-3) at New Jersey Pride (1-6), July 17 at 4:00 p.m.
Baltimore enters this week's match-up with New Jersey a half-game back in the National Division race after dropping their Week Seven meeting with Rochester. Millon, the two-time Warrior MLL Offensive Player of the Year, struggled under increased defensive pressure. Player-coach Gary Gait, who has used 31 different players this season, says the juggling has hurt the traditionally offense-minded Bayhawks' scoring output. "We still haven't jelled yet as an offense," he noted. Just as puzzling as the offensive drought has been Baltimore's struggles at home, where they are 0-3 this season. Looking for a spark, Gait gave goalie Rob Scherr his first MLL start in Week Seven, and he responded with 22 saves in the losing effort.
To find their groove, Baltimore will take to the road, where they are undefeated in three games this year. In Week Three, the Bayhawks defeated the Pride, 22-19, in a Wild West Tour meeting in Denver, Colo. Millon hopes to take this opportunity to get back on track, having led Baltimore with seven points in the earlier game against New Jersey. But the Bayhawks were unable to contain Pride attackman Jesse Hubbard, who scored a game-high nine points. Gait noted that is nothing new for Baltimore. "We need to shut down the other team's go-to guys better. The Powells have killed us in Rochester; Jesse Hubbard the same thing." The legendary player-coach has a simple solution to a high-scoring opponent.
"We have to make him hit the turf."
The Pride are looking to snap their six-game losing streak after running into another record-setting goalie in Week Seven. But Dougherty's 33 saves were eerily familiar for New Jersey; the previous record was first set in Week Five when the Rattlers' Tillman Johnson made 31 saves against the Pride. Last week, the Pride attempted a late comeback with a 6-1 run to end the game, but it simply wasn't enough. Despite being frustrated by Dougherty, Walid Hajj scored his first MLL hat trick and added an assist to earn Cascade MLL Rookie of the Week honors. Head coach Ted Georgalas was complimentary towards Hajj, who was playing in just his fourth MLL game. "He's learning the ins and outs of this league, shooting on the run and gaining confidence. He's been very good for us."
One key to getting the Pride back on track will be getting stronger performances from their star players. Doneger scored twelve points in the first two games of the season, but since then has averaged just 2.6 points per game. Hubbard still leads the league in goals scored and is the MLL's all-time goals leader, but was held to just two tallies and an assist last week. New Jersey hasn't beaten Baltimore in their last six tries since 2002, including a meeting in last year's playoffs. One bright spot is that the Pride will have the luxury of playing more games at home down the stretch. After playing only one home game in the first half of the season and traveling everywhere from Boston to Denver, the Pride now play three of the next four at Sprague Field.
Major League Lacrosse, a six-team professional outdoor lacrosse league, was founded in 1999 by fitness entrepreneur Jake Steinfeld, CEO of Body by Jake Global L.L.C., and partners Dave Morrow, a former champion lacrosse player and now CEO of Warrior Lacrosse, a leading global provider of innovative and high performance lacrosse equipment; and Timothy B. Robertson, former CEO of The Family Channel and the current chairman of Bay Shore Enterprises, L.L.C., an investment holding company with activities in international media and Internet technology ventures. The MLL commenced play in June of 2001 and enters this season with teams in Baltimore, Boston, Long Island, (Montclair) New Jersey, Philadelphia and Rochester. The 2004 MLL season began on Saturday, May 22 and concludes with the New Balance Major League Lacrosse Championship Weekend, Friday, August 20 and Sunday, August 22 at Nickerson Field in Boston, Mass. Additional league information can be found at www.majorleaguelacrosse.com.
Major League Lacrosse Stories from July 15, 2004
- Philadelphia Barrage Gain a Victory over Defending Champions Long Island Lizards, 18-17 - Philadelphia Barrage
- Lizards fall to Philadelphia; Lowe injured in loss - New York Lizards
- Best of the Best Individuals and Teams Battle in Week Eight - MLL
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