Riptide Beat New Jersey 15-9 In Home Opener
May 28, 2007 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Los Angeles Riptide News Release
CARSON, CALIFORNIA - Sunday, May 27, 2007 - Goaltender Mickey Jarboe (Navy '00) led a strong defensive effort from the Los Angeles Riptide, who topped the New Jersey Pride 15-9 before a crowd of 5,764 at The Home Depot Center on Sunday night. Jarboe, the Bud Light MVP, allowed just nine goals and finished with 16 saves in the contest as he posted his second win in as many starts for the Riptide, who hold sole possession of first place in the Western Conference after two weeks of play.
"It feels great to get the win, especially against an East Coast team," said Jarboe, one of six graduates of the United States Naval Academy on the Riptide's roster. "It's good to pick that one up after not beating an East Coast team last year. Obviously, the home crowd was behind us and we gave them what they wanted."
"Our offense was on point, especially in the first quarter and we responded well when they went on their run in the third quarter," continued Jarboe. "That really showed the heart and the character of this team."
Andrew "Buggs" Combs (Maryland '01) led the Riptide with four goals on Sunday night and the 29-year-old native of Baltimore leads the Riptide with nine total goals on the season. Combs and Spencer Ford (Towson '99) each also finished the game with five points as Combs collected one helper and Ford was credited with three goals and two assists.
For a complete look at the box score from Sunday night's game, go to the following Url: http://pointstreak.com/prostats/gamesheet_full.html?gameid=492317
The Riptide outscored the Pride 4-2 in the opening period with Ford credited with two of the four goals. Meanwhile Jarboe finished the quarter with seven saves. The Riptide closed the first quarter with three straight goals, including one from Ford, one from Sean Lindsay (Syracuse '04) and one from Michael Watson (Virginia '97).
The Riptide scoring streak continued into the second quarter as the home team opened a six goal lead thanks to a pair of tallies from Combs and one goal each from Lindsay and Ford. The Riptide also played strong on the defensive side of the field and they limited New Jersey to just one goal in the quarter. New Jersey scored late in the period to snap the Riptide's consecutive goals streak at seven and to make the halftime score 8-3 Los Angeles.
New Jersey pulled to within 9-7 in third quarter thanks to four straight goals, including one with a man-up advantage. But Lorne Smith (Princeton '99) restored order and closed the quarter with two straight goals to give the Riptide a lead of 11-7 after three quarters of action.
The Riptide doubled up the Pride four goals to two in the final quarter to complete the 15-9 victory. Riptide goal scorers in the quarter were Graham Gill (Navy '05) Watson, J.J. Morrissey (Virginia '06) and Combs.
The Riptide will return to action next Saturday, June 2 when they travel east to play the Boston Cannons. Game time is set for 4 p.m. Pacific.
The Riptide's next home game is set for Saturday, June 23 versus the Chicago Machine at The Home Depot Center, with the game scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.
Individual tickets to see the Riptide this summer at Home Depot Center are on sale now with tickets starting at $18 for general admission. Season tickets are also available. For more information, visit LARIPTIDE.COM or call 1-866-4-LAX-TIX.
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Major League Lacrosse Stories from May 28, 2007
- Riptide Beat New Jersey 15-9 In Home Opener - Los Angeles Riptide
- Pride Taken Under by Riptide - New Jersey Pride
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