Major League Lacrosse Announces 2008 Schedule
Published on January 17, 2008 under Major League Lacrosse (MLL) News Release
Boston, Mass. (January 17, 2008) - Major League Lacrosse (MLL), the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league, today announced the schedule for the 2008 season, according to MLL Commissioner David Gross.
The eighth season of Major League Lacrosse begins on Saturday, May 17th with all ten teams in action. In the Eastern Conference, New Jersey opens the season at Boston, Rochester travels to Long Island, and Washington will face the Barrage. It has been a tumultuous off-season for the Barrage, with speculation that the team would not play in 2008. The Barrage and the Bayhawks met twice in the final two weeks of the 2007 season, with the Barrage easily defeating the Bayhawks on both occasions.
In the Western Conference, Chicago plays host to San Francisco, and in what is fast becoming one of the hottest rivalries in the league, Denver looks to avenge their 2007 Semi-Finals loss to Los Angeles when they host the Riptide.
"Last year was great season for Major League Lacrosse," said Gross. "We saw a new attendance figure with nearly 20,000 fans in Denver on the Fourth of July, and there is the potential that record fall again in 2008. And last season's playoffs gave us some of the most exciting games of the season, with the two close Semi-Final games and the great back and forth battle between the Riptide and Outlaws in the NB ZIP Championship."
The Los Angeles defeated the Outlaws by a score of 16-13 in the 2007 NB ZIP Championship Game at Rochester's PAETEC Park to capture their third overall MLL title. The two teams will meet during Week Eleven in Los Angeles.
In Week Two, new Bayhawks Head Coach Jarred Testa will face his old team when the Denver Outlaws travel to Washington for the Bawhawks home opener at George Mason University.
In Week Three, the Battle of California once again gets underway when the L.A. Riptide make their way to San Jose State University, the new home of the San Francisco Dragons.
Other highlights include the first ever meeting between the Long Island Lizards and Los Angeles Riptide when they face-off in Week Six. The Denver Outlaws and Boston Cannons will also meet for the first time in league history during Week Thirteen.
On July 4th, Denver hosts San Francisco at INVESCO Field. Last season, 19,793 fans turned out on the Fourth of July to watch the Machine battle the Outlaws, setting a professional lacrosse attendance record.
Between Weeks Nine and Ten, Denver will also host the 2008 MLL All-Star Game on Thursday, July 17th.
Additionally, the Boston Cannons and Washington Bayhawks will play at Navy Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland on July 19th, and the San Francisco Dragons and Los Angeles Riptide will play at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California on August 9th.
The Warrior Major League Challenge and the Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft will occur between the second and third weeks of the regular season and will be held on Wednesday, May 28th.
The MLL season concludes in Boston where the 2008 NB ZIP MLL Championship Weekend is set to be played at Harvard Stadium on August 23rd and 24th. The Semi-Final games will be held on Saturday, August 23 with the two Semi-Final winners advancing to the NB ZIP MLL Championship Game on Sunday, August 24.
The venues for certain matchups, including all home dates for the Barrage, are still to be determined. Information on the location of those games will be made available on the league's website as it becomes available.
Major League Lacrosse will also announce the dates for the 2008 Television Schedule at a later date.
The complete 2008 MLL Schedule can be viewed at www.majorleaguelacrosse.com/statistics/leagueschedule/.
About Major League Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse, a 10-team professional outdoor lacrosse league, was founded in 1999 by fitness entrepreneur Jake Steinfeld, CEO of Body by Jake Global L.L.C., and founding 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; 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; and Jim Davis, chairman and CEO of New Balance. The MLL commenced play in June of 2001. The MLL is comprised of two conferences. The Eastern Conference contains the original six teams, Boston, Long Island, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Rochester and Washington. The Western Conference debuted in the 2006 season with MLL expansion franchises Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Additional league information can be found at www.majorleaguelacrosse.com.
Major League Lacrosse Stories from January 17, 2008
- Dragons Announce 2008 Season Schedule - San Francisco Dragons
- Denver Outlaws Announce 2008 Schedule - Denver Outlaws
- 2008 Riptide Schedule Set - Los Angeles Riptide
- Rattlers Announce 2008 Schedule - Dallas Rattlers
- Boston Cannons Announce 2008 Season Schedule - Boston Cannons
- Pride Announce 2008 Schedule - New Jersey Pride
- Major League Lacrosse Announces 2008 Schedule - MLL
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.
