LA Riptide Can Clinch Western Conference With A Win On Saturday
August 10, 2007 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Los Angeles Riptide News Release
CARSON, CALIFORNIA - Friday, August 10, 2007 - The Los Angeles Riptide (8-3) of Major League Lacrosse (MLL), the top-ranked team in the Western Conference, can clinch the conference title with a win versus the Chicago Machine (3-8) at The Home Depot Center on Saturday, August 11 at 4 p.m.
RIPTIDE VS. CHICAGO IN 2007: The Riptide have faced Chicago twice this year and are 2-0. Bud Light MVP/attackman Spencer Ford (Towson '99) led all scorers with seven points (2 goals and 5 assists) and attackman Terry Riordan (Hopkins '95) finished with a team-leading four goals as the Riptide beat Chicago, 21-13, at The Home Depot Center on June 23. Prior to that game, the Riptide faced the Machine and opened the 2007 regular season with a 20-14 win at Toyota Park in Chicago on May 19. Former Riptide attackman Buggs Combs led the Riptide with five goals, Sean Lindsay (Syracuse '04) led the Riptide with seven points (4 goals, 1 two-point goal, 2 assists and 1 shorthanded goal) and goaltender Mickey Jarboe (Navy '00) finished with 21 saves.
RIPTIDE'S LAST GAME RECAP (AUGUST 4 AT DENVER): Bud Light MVP/midfielder Brian Langtry had three goals and five points to lead the Denver Outlaws past the Riptide, 11-10, at INVESCO Field at Mile High on August 4. Attackman Terry Riordan had five goals and attackman Spencer Ford had six points - including five assists - for the Riptide, who lost for the first time in seven games. The Riptide and the Outlaws played to a 1-1 tie at the end of the first quarter with Riordan credited with the lone Los Angeles tally. Ford assisted on the play. The close, low-scoring game continued through the second quarter, with each team recording three goals in the segment. The Riptide took their first lead at 4-3 with Riordan's second goal of the quarter and third goal of the game at 13:12, but the Outlaws tied the game at 4-4 with just seven seconds remaining in the first half. The Riptide twice came back from one-goal deficits in the third quarter, and the game remained tied at 6-6 after Riordan collected his fourth goal of the game at 13:36 of the stanza. The Riptide scored three of the first four goals in the fourth quarter to take a 9-7 lead, but the Outlaws rebounded quickly and erased the Riptide advantage with three goals in 48 seconds. Riordan made it a 10-10 game with his fifth goal of the game at 10:42, but Denver scored what turned out to be the game-winner two minutes later to post the victory.
CHICAGO'S LAST GAME RECAP (AUGUST 5 VS. SAN FRANCISCO): Attackman Kevin Leveille scored a game-high five goals and added an assist as the Chicago Machine snapped a two-game losing streak with a 17-11 victory over the San Francisco Dragons at TOYOTA Park on August 5. Leveille was named as the Bud Light MVP after his six-point performance while attackman Sean Morris added a goal with four assists. Machine rookie Eric Pittard had a season-high three goals along with an assist.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The Riptide clinched the team's first-ever playoff berth with their 20-11 victory versus San Francisco on July 28 and with a win on Saturday against the Machine, the Riptide will clinch the Western Conference title for the first time in team history...The Riptide have won all of their games (5-0) on their home turf this season...The Riptide are unbeaten (5-0) against Chicago in the team's two-year history...The Riptide have the lowest total of goals allowed among all MLL teams with 125, for an average of 11.4 goals per game...Riptide attackman/midfielder Spencer Ford set a new MLL record for assists in one season with his 41st assist of the year against San Francisco on July 28. Ford leads the league with 46 assists and his 57 total points (11-46=57) rank second overall in the circuit, just four points back from the MLL points leader...Riptide goalie Mickey Jarboe leads the league in both goals-against-average (10.98) and save-percentage (.602)...Riptide attackman Chazz Woodson has scored three goals in each of his three games played since coming to the team from Boston on July 11...Riptide midfielder Sean Lindsay leads the league with five two-point goals and he is third in the league with 91 shots.
MLL CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS: The Riptide will be one of the four teams heading to Rochester, New York to compete for the league title during the NB Zip MLL Championship Weekend on August 25-26. The Riptide, who will join Denver, Rochester and Philadelphia at the Championship, clinched the team's first-ever playoff berth with their 20-11 win versus San Francisco on July 28.
MULTIMEDIA: For a comprehensive preview of Saturday's game between the Riptide and the Outlaws, visit the following link at LARIPTIDE.COM:
http://lariptide.com.ismmedia.com/ISM2//pdfs/game_notes/081107_gamenotes.pdf
For ticket information, visit LARIPTIDE.COM or call 1-866-4-LAX-TIX.
2007 L.A. RIPTIDE SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time (PT) Result
Saturday, May 19 @ Chicago Machine 5:00 PM 20-14 Win
Sunday, May 27 New Jersey Pride 7:00 PM 15-9 Win
Saturday, June 2 @ Boston Cannons 4:00 PM 19-14 Loss
Saturday, June 9 @ Denver Outlaws 5:00 PM 18-15 Loss
Saturday, June 16 @ San Francisco Dragons 1:00 PM 14-13 Win
Saturday, June 23 Chicago Machine 5:00 PM 21-13 Win
Saturday, June 30 San Francisco Dragons 5:00 PM 16-12 Win
Saturday, July 14 Denver Outlaws 5:00 PM 17-5 Win
Saturday, July 21 @ Washington Bayhawks 1:00 PM 19-5 Win
Saturday, July 28 San Francisco Dragons 7:00 PM 20-11 Win
Saturday, August 4 @ Denver Outlaws 5:00 PM 11-10 Loss
Saturday, August 11 Chicago Machine 4:00 PM
About the L.A. Riptide
The Los Angeles Riptide, southern California's newest professional sports franchise, began its inaugural season in May of 2006, as a member of the 10-team Major League Lacrosse (MLL) league. The AEG-owned and operated team, based at The Home Depot Center's 10,000-seat track & field complex, will provide fun and affordable family entertainment, showcasing America's fastest-growing team sport, in addition to becoming the foremost resource for the lacrosse community.
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Major League Lacrosse Stories from August 10, 2007
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