CARSON, CALIFORNIA – Saturday, June 30, 2007 – Bud Light MVP/attackman Terry Riordan (Hopkins ‘95) collected a franchise-high seven goals, and Spencer Ford (Towson '99) and Graham Gill (Navy '05) finished with four assists each, as the Los Angeles Riptide defeated the San Francisco Dragons, 16-12, before a crowd of 3,114 at The Home Depot Center on Saturday night.
With the win, the Riptide improved to 3-0 on their home field this season and 5-2 overall. They hold sole possession of first place in the Western Conference and they are 6-0 in six all-time meetings with San Francisco. With the loss, the Dragons dropped to 2-4 in MLL action this season. Riordan's seven goals in the contest set a new Riptide franchise record for goals in a game.
"I'm the guy who just puts it in," said Riordan. "Gill, Lindsay, Ford, Watson – those guys create the goals. I just happen to be last guy who touches it, and that's just the way it is. It's a big win. We are 5-2 now and everyone has to chase us. We are getting better and that's the best thing about it."
The Dragons struck first in the opening quarter, but the Riptide quickly collected goals from attackman Wes Green (Adelphi '06), Riordan and the team's goal-scoring leader, attackman Michael Watson (Virginia '97), to take a 3-1 lead. The Dragons tried to gain momentum, but the Riptide held on to a 5-3 lead at the end of the quarter with the help from two more goals from Riordan at 11:19 and 12:05, giving him a total of three in the first quarter.
The Riptide wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in the second quarter with Watson's goal just six seconds into the frame. The Dragons countered with a tally of their own, but after a disallowed goal by the Dragons, Riordan found the net again for his fourth goal of the game at 3:47. Riptide midfielder Matt Casey (Ithaca '05) beat Dragons goalie Matt Vallone for his first goal as a member of the Riptide at 12:05, and despite a two-point goal by the Dragons late in the quarter, the Riptide kept an 8-6 lead at the end of the half.
Riptide defenseman Greg Bice (Ohio State '04) got things going for the Riptide in the third quarter with his tally at 24 seconds and Riordan netted his fifth goal of the game at 7:02. The team also added goals from Watson (11:06) and Lindsay (12:16) to give the Riptide a 12-7 lead after three quarters of play.
In the fourth quarter, the Dragons did their best to cut down the Riptide's lead and get themselves back into the game, however thanks to Riordan's sixth (4:19) and seventh (5:50) goals of the game, their efforts were unsuccessful. Ford (6:28) and Watson (11:41) also added goals in the final segment to complete the scoring and give the Riptide a 16-12 victory over the Dragons.
Riptide goalie Mickey Jarboe (Navy 00') finished with 17 saves on 28 shots in the contest.
The Riptide's next game is set for Saturday, July 14 versus the Denver Outlaws at The Home Depot Center, with the game scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m.
Line Score 1 2 3 4 TOTAL
San Francisco 3 3 2 4 12
Los Angeles 5 3 4 4 16
1st Quarter
San Francisco - Gary Rosyski (Ryan Powell) 1:18
Los Angeles - Wes Green (unassisted) 4:08
Los Angeles - Terry Riordan (Spencer Ford) 5:50
Los Angeles - Michael Watson (Spencer Ford) 7:00
San Francisco - Chris Rotelli (unassisted) 9:01
Los Angeles - Terry Riordan (Spencer Ford) 11:19
Los Angeles - Terry Riordan (powerplay) (Spencer Ford) 12:05
San Francisco - Eric Martin (unassisted) 14:49
2nd Quarter
Los Angeles - Michael Watson (Anthony Kelly) 0:06
San Francisco - Matt Alrich (Ryan Powell) 2:45
Los Angeles - Terry Riordan (Graham Gill) 3:47
Los Angeles - Matt Casey (Greg Downing) 12:05
San Francisco - Jake Byrne (2pt)(Jarett Park) 12:51
3rd Quarter
Los Angeles - Greg Bice (unassisted) 0:24
San Francisco - Jake Byrne (powerplay) (unassisted) 1:30
Los Angeles - Terry Riordan (Graham Gill) 7:02
Los Angeles - Michael Watson (unassisted) 11:06
Los Angeles - Sean Lindsay (unassisted) 12:16
San Francisco - Chris Rotelli (unassisted) 13:26
4th Quarter
Los Angeles - Terry Riordan (Graham Gill) 4:19
San Francisco - Chris Rotelli (unassisted) 5:28
Los Angeles - Terry Riordan (Graham Gill) 5:50
Los Angeles - Spencer Ford (powerplay) (unassisted) 6:28
San Francisco - Jake Byrne (powerplay) (Tom Zummo) 10:19
San Francisco - Jarett Park (unassisted) 11:26
Los Angeles - Michael Watson (Sean Lindsay) 11:41
San Francisco - Chris Rotelli (unassisted) 12:40
Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 7:42 am