The Battle Begins: Philadelphia v. Denver in Semi Finals
August 23, 2007 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Philadelphia Barrage News Release
Philadelphia, PA (August 23, 2007) - The defending Major League Lacrosse Champions, the Philadelphia Barrage travel to Rochester, NY on Saturday to face the Denver Outlaws in the first round of the MLL semi-finals. These two teams are no strangers; they met during regular season contention where the Outlaws managed to squeeze by the Barrage with a two-goal win. And in 2006, the Barrage man-handled Denver in the Championship game to go on and win the MLL title. Both teams have something to prove on the field but all bets are off in the post-season and anything can happen. The Barrage are hoping to become the first team in MLL history to win
Philadelphia is coming off two big wins over the Bayhawks in their final regular season games and has that winning momentum going their way as the move toward the semi-final game. The Barrage will be led by two-time Warrior Goalkeeper of the Year, Brian "Doc" Dougherty who has put up big numbers this season, helping his team to another Eastern Conference title. He made a career high of 21 saves against the Outlaws on July 21. Dougherty will be backed up by his front line of defensemen including Kyle Sweeney, Brett Moyer and Brian Spallina, who have all been an important part of this team keeping up their winning ways.
The offense had two of their biggest goal scoring games to end the regular season and they are looking for more. The dynamic duo of Roy Colsey and Matt Striebel dominated the midfield putting up a collected total of 15 goals in the last two games alone. They were co-MVP's in the 2006 post-season and were hard to stop by the Denver defense. Together they put 13 goals past Outlaws keeper, Trevor Tierney, in that championship game; three of those goals were two-pointers. Attackman Ryan Boyle, who is third in the league for total points with 58 points (26G, 1 2ptG, 31A) and first on the Barrage, was the mastermind behind the assault on the Outlaws, recording four assists. Boyle will be joined on Saturday by Seth Goldberg, Michael Springer and Jed Prossner who have all put up big numbers so far this season.
The battle will begin at 2:00 p.m. eastern time on Saturday, August 25 at PAETEC Park in Rochester, NY. Tickets are still available by visiting www.rochesterrattlers.com or by calling (585) 454-5425 ext. 115. Second seeded Los Angeles Riptide will face third seeded Rochester Rattlers immediately following the first game at 5:00 p.m. Both semi final games will be aired on ESPN360.com. The winner from each game will advance to the NB Zip Championship Game. The game will be held on Sunday, August 26 at 1:00 p.m. eastern time and will be aired LIVE on ESPN2.
2007 Barrage Game Schedule:
May 19 at Boston Cannons W 13-9
June 2 vs. Rochester Rattlers W 21-17
June 9 vs. Boston Cannons W 16-13
June 16 at Long Island Lizards L 16-11
June 23 at Rochester Rattlers L 16-11
June 30 vs. Long Island Lizards W 14-13 OT
July 6 vs. San Francisco Dragons W 14-9
July 12 at New Jersey Pride W 12-7
July 21 at Denver Outlaws L 15-13
July 26 vs. New Jersey Pride W 12-11 OT
August 4 at Washington Bayhawks W 21-11
August 11 vs. Washington Bayhawks W 22-7
Bolded games = Home Games All games are Eastern Standard Time
About the Philadelphia Barrage
The Philadelphia Barrage is a member of Major League Lacrosse, a ten-team professional outdoor lacrosse league. The Barrage moved to Philadelphia prior to the 2004 MLL season and proceeded to win the organization's first MLL Championship at the 2004 New Balance Major League Lacrosse Championship Game. In 2006, the Barrage defeated the Denver Outlaws in the MLL championship game to be crowned the Major League Lacrosse Champions for the second time in two years. The Barrage plays its home games at United Sports Training Center in Downingtown, Pa. Additional information on the Barrage can be found at www.philadelphiabarrage.com.
About Major League Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse, a ten-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.
About United Sports Training Center
United Sports Training Center is an indoor/outdoor sports facility, located in Downingtown, Pa. United Sports plays host to numerous sporting events such as tournaments, high school games and practices for both lacrosse and soccer, special events that range from high school after prom parties to political campaigns. The outdoor facility consists of 11 fields: 10 natural grass and one artificial turf, plus two lighted fields. The indoor facility includes a Mondo Surface clear span field house, two Crystaplex Boarded Sportcourt Surfaces and four 30-foot climbing surfaces. More information about United Sports can be found on their website at www.go2ustc.com.
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Major League Lacrosse Stories from August 23, 2007
- LA Riptide to Host Viewing Party at Sharkeez in Manhattan Beach - Los Angeles Riptide
- LA Riptide Semifinal Preview - Los Angeles Riptide
- Outlaws Semi-Final Game to be Broadcast Live on Comcast - Denver Outlaws
- Comcast SportsNet Will Air Barrage Semi Final Game Saturday - Philadelphia Barrage
- The Battle Begins: Philadelphia v. Denver in Semi Finals - Philadelphia Barrage
- MLL Semifinals To Air On ESPN360.com - MLL
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