Jan. 17, 2008

from staff reports

Major League Lacrosse announced the schedule for the 2008 season, according to MLL commissioner David Gross.

The eighth season of Major League Lacrosse begins on Saturday, May 17 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 hosts 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 Barrage in the NB ZIP Championship."

The Barrage defeated the Los Angeles Riptide 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 HERE.