Riptide NB Zip MLL Championship Game Preview
August 26, 2007 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Los Angeles Riptide News Release
CARSON, CALIFORNIA - Saturday, August 25, 2007 - The Western Conference Champion Los Angeles Riptide of Major League Lacrosse (MLL) will take on the defending MLL champion Philadelphia Barrage in the NB Zip MLL Championship game at PAETEC Park in Rochester, New York, on Sunday, August 26 at 1 p.m. (ET). The Riptide earned the chance to compete in the championship game with their 15-14 victory over the Rochester Rattlers on Saturday.
RIPTIDE VS. PHILADELPHIA: The Riptide have faced Philadelphia once before in their history. Philadelphia got the better of the match-up, posting an 18-6 victory over the Riptide at United Sports Stadium Field in Philadelphia on May 27, 2006. The contest marked the first game as a franchise for the Riptide.
RIPTIDE'S LAST GAME RECAP (AUGUST 25 VS. ROCHESTER): Bud Light MVP/attackman Chazz Woodson had four goals and attackman Spencer Ford added one goal and four assists for the Riptide, who earned a spot in the NB Zip MLL Championship game with their thrilling 15-14 victory over the Rochester Rattlers at PAETEC Park on August 25. The Riptide struck first and took a 2-0 lead over the Rattlers thanks to goals from attackman Terry Riordan and midfielder Anthony Kelly. The Rattlers answered with two goals of their own to tie the game at 2-2, but Woodson gave the Riptide the lead again with his first tally of the contest at 5:45. From there, the Rattlers went on the offensive and scored five unanswered goals to take a 7-3 lead. Riptide midfielder Graham Gill closed out the quarter with his goal at 14:38 to cut the Rattlers lead to 7-4. The Riptide took command in the second segment, outscoring their opponent 5-1 with goals from Riordan, attackman Wes Green and Woodson, to take a 9-8 lead after 30 minutes of play. After six-plus scoreless minutes to start the third frame, the Rattlers collected two goals to take a 10-9 lead. The Riptide tied the game at 10-10 with Gill's second goal of the game and regained a one-goal lead with Woodson's fourth tally of the game. The lead continued to swap back and forth in the final quarter with attackman Michael Watson netting the eventual game-winning goal to give the Riptide a 15-14 victory and a chance to capture the league title with a win against Philadelphia on Sunday.
PHILADELPHIA'S LAST GAME RECAP (AUGUST 25 VS. DENVER): Midfielder Roy Colsey scored the game-winning goal just 51 seconds into overtime to lead the defending MLL champion Philadelphia Barrage to a 13-12 come-from-behind victory over the Denver Outlaws in the first semifinal game of NB ZIP MLL Championship Weekend at PAETEC Park on August 25. Colsey led the Barrage with a game-high four goals, including one two-point goal, and also had an assist while attackman Seth Goldberg and midfielder Matt Striebel each added two goals with an assist. Goalie Brian Dougherty made 14 saves in the victory while allowing just eight goals. Attackmen Brendan Mundorf and Matt Brown each scored three goals with an assist to lead Denver in a losing effort.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: With a victory on Sunday against Philadelphia, the Riptide will win their first MLL Championship in just their second season as a franchise...Only two players on the Riptide's current roster - attackmen Terry Riordan and Chris Massey - have previously won MLL championships...The Riptide finished the 2007 season unbeaten (6-0) in all games played on their home turf at The Home Depot Center. Philadelphia was the only other team in the league to finish the season undefeated at home...The Riptide finished the 2007 regular season with the best defense in the league, allowing the lowest total number of goals among all MLL teams with 138 for an average of 11.5 per game...Riptide attackman/midfielder Spencer Ford set a new MLL-record with 47 assists this season and he finished the season with 16 more assists than the next closest player in the league standings. In addition, Ford's 60 total points (13-47=60) ranked second overall in the circuit...Riptide goalie Mickey Jarboe, who earned his first career postseason victory on Saturday, finished the regular season tied for the league lead with nine wins, and he led the league in both goals-against-average (11.11) and save-percentage (.592).
RIPTIDE ON TV: The NB Zip MLL Championship game between the Riptide and Philadelphia will be televised live on ESPN2 HD at 1 p.m. (ET) as the MLL Game of the Week.
RIPTIDE VIEWING PARTY: Fans in Los Angeles can watch the Riptide compete for the 2007 MLL Championship as the Riptide will host a viewing party at Sharkeez in Manhattan Beach (3801 Highland Ave., 310-545-6563) on Sunday starting at 10 a.m. (PT). Members of the Wave Patrol and mascot Rippy will be on hand to host promotions and give out Riptide prizes to fans throughout the championship game.
RIPTIDE IN 2007: The Riptide completed their second season as a franchise in 2007 as the Western Conference Champions, and their impressive record of 9-3 tied for the best in the league. The Riptide's record-setting season was highlighted by a six-game winning streak from June 16-July 28, which helped the team clinch a playoff spot on July 28 with two games still remaining on the regular season schedule. The Riptide and Rattlers have only met once before in their history with Rochester posting a 16-13 victory at The Home Depot Center on June 3, 2006.
MULTIMEDIA: For a comprehensive preview of the Riptide in the NB Zip MLL Championship Weekend, visit the following link at LARIPTIDE.COM:
http://lariptide.com.ismmedia.com/ISM2//pdfs/07_postseason_guide.pdf
For NB Zip MLL Championship Weekend ticket information, visit the official MLL website at MAJORLEAGUELACROSSE.COM or call 1-585-454-5425.
For more information, visit LARIPTIDE.COM or call 1-866-4-LAX-TIX.
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