Barrage Tame Lizards in Texas

[Sonny]

3942 fans? And I'm starting at QB for the Cowboys next year.....

They had less fans then we did for our final game (Michigan/Chapman) at Texas Stadium on Sunday night. I watched most of the game on ESPN360.com.

The Barrage win again, this time defeating the Long Island Lizards at Texas Stadium 18-12. The game was witnessed by 3,942 fans. Jed Prossner was named Bud Light MVP for his six point performance (2G,4A).

Defenseman Kyle Sweeney scored his second goal of the season for the Barrage to start off the first quarter of play. However, the Barrage allowed the Lizards to score four goals in a row to take the lead by three. Then attackman, Michael Springer, started off a seven goal run by the Barrage giving them a four goal lead. Greg Adams and Tim Goettelmann scored for the Lizards to bring the deficit down to only two goals heading into halftime.

Jed Prossner, tonight's Bud Light MVP, scored the first goal of the second half. The Lizards, Frank Resetarits, answered back trying to keep his team in the game. Seth Goldberg and Prossner scored two giving the Barrage another four goal lead. Ending the third quarter, the Lizards were still alive, only training by four. Philadelphia had other plans and ran away with the game early in the fourth quarter, scoring three in a row, pushing their lead up to seven. The Lizards fell short only scoring three more goals, ending the game with the final score, Philadelphia 18, Lizards 12.

High scorers for Philadelphia were Goldberg (4G), Striebel (4G,1A), Springer (4G,1A), Prossner (2G,4A), Ryan Boyle (1G, 4A) and Justin Smith (2G). High scorers for the Lizards were Frank Resetarits (3G), Goettelmann (3G), Adams (1G, 2A), Stephen Berger (3G) and Keith Cromwell (2G).

The Barrage take the field again on Saturday, May 31 when the take on the undefeated Rochester Rattlers at PAETEC Park in Rochester, NY. Face of it set for 7:30 PM Eastern Time. Tickets are available by visiting www.majorleaguelacrosse.com.

[PigPen]

I thought Dallas would have know that they were on the stage-How does the St. Louis Barrage sound?

I could see Houston dropping the ball on such an event as everyone would have used the beach on a holiday weekend excuse-but Dallas!?

The rich kids probably had their parents take them to Foxboro.

I guess they are not as lacrosse crazy as everyone thought. But then again the Bayhawks bombed in Baltimore too.

[JW]

While i am dissapointed in the numbers, I also Understand that it takes time, and 3492 isn't bad for a memorial day weekend game. Imagine how many people were at the lake, out of town. Not bad.

[OAKS]

Granted it was a very bad weekend for a game, what with the holiday & the NCAA Championships, but if you take a look at the MCLA tournament (with actual teams from Texas in it) the past 3 years, we've had virtually no fans from Dallas show up. I don't know if this is due to a lack of marketing & getting the word out, or that Dallas just isn't that developed lacrosse-wise, but you're going to need 5,000 plus at every game just for the team to break even (I think that was close the number I saw in laxpower or IL or lacrosse magazine somewhere - I might be wrong though).

What is the youth & high school scene like in Dallas?

[Sonny]

While i am dissapointed in the numbers, I also Understand that it takes time, and 3492 isn't bad for a memorial day weekend game. Imagine how many people were at the lake, out of town. Not bad.

I wasn't commenting on the lacrosse community in Dallas. The point is that the MLL inflated the attendance figure in Dallas, but a very large number.

[byualum]

I wasn't commenting on the lacrosse community in Dallas. The point is that the MLL inflated the attendance figure in Dallas, but a very large number.

Inflated like..."Fletch is 6' 5", with the afro 6' 9"..."

[Troy Hood]

I'm down with the "St. Louis Barrage"!! No problem with me at all.

Let's wait until after the weekend of June 14th before we baptize the Gateway City with an MLL franchise. I'm working on the "host committee" as well as doing the color for the TV broadcast for this event. I hope it translates into a better turnout than Dallas had.

We'll have the advantage of having the event at the AB Center (a much more intimate venue), support from a primary MLL sponsor (Bud Light), an opponent from Chicago, and all of the younger fans on summer vacation. The only thing that may stand in our way is a late afternoon Cardinal game at Busch Stadium. Otherwise, we just have to get butts in the seats.

I'd encourage anyone within reasonable driving distance to come out to the AB Center. It will be a great event.

[PigPen]

Dallas probably has the best "lacrosse scene" in TX. the coaching and youth programs there are light years past Austin and Houston. I was pretty disappointed in the turnout. It was a holiday weekend but that shouldn't be an excuse. I mean really-what other major attraction was going on in the Metroplex to discourage the lax community from coming out it full force? With that showing I don't think the Lone Star state can support a MLL or NLL franchise.

To answer the question-Dallas has always seemed to me to have more dedicated players, where as the Houston area seems to take it mostly as a novelty, recreational activity. Austin just doesn't have the numbers in sheer population and thus players to rank up with Dallas and Houston. San Antonio has had some great HS teams but nothing consistent and it has even less in terms of participatory numbers than Austin.

[Tyler Baumann]

Portland is going to smash that attendance (Dallas). I remember seeing the Bayhawks up in Seattle 3 years ago and they hit 10k. Portland has no pro teams except the Blazers, so there won't be a lot of competition and lax is big in the high school scene in Oregon.

[crimejust]

Also, there was basically no marketing in the DFW area. It was mostly know just through out the lacrosse community. The half time game with the little kids was pretty cool. I know I saw some highland park and one SFA sticker. I know Sam Houston was holding it down by tailgating. They also offered a free clinic to the youth and high school players before the game and did autographs after the game. I hope they give Dallas another shot and market it better next time.