July 8, 2007

from press releases and staff reports

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Playing in front of his hometown fans, Boston Cannons midfielder Matt Poskay scored four goals, including a two-pointer, to lead the Eastern Conference All-Stars to a 19-12 victory over the Western Conference All-Stars at the 2007 Major League Lacrosse All-Star Game at Harvard Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Eastern Conference All-Stars jumped to a 7-1 lead in the first 15-plus minutes of the game, as Poskay and Washington Bayhawks midfielder (and fellow 2006 Virginia alum) Kyle Dixon each scored a pair of goals, while Rochester Rattlers attackman John Grant, Jr. added a goal with two assists during the spurt. After Los Angeles Riptide attackman Spencer Ford scored off a feed from Los Angeles teammate Graham Gill, the Eastern Conference ran off three more goals to take a commanding 10-2 advantage with 9:25 left in the third quarter.

However, the Western Conference mounted a comeback by scoring the next five goals, cutting the deficit to 10-7 just 16 seconds into the fourth quarter. Chicago Machine attackman Kevin Leveille led the West's charge by scoring two goals.

The teams traded goals three times before New Jersey Pride midfielder Kyle Harrison scored an unassisted goal to give the Eastern Conference a 15-9 lead with 9:26 left in the fourth quarter. Denver Outlaws midfielder Brian Langtry followed with an unassisted goal at the 6:53 mark before the Eastern Conference scored three consecutive goals in an 18-second span, upping its advantage to 17-10. Denver Outlaws attackman Brendan Mundorf tallied back-to-back goals to narrow the margin to five, but Boston Cannons attackman Mikey Powell - who earlier won his second consecutive freestyle award in the skills competition with flashy stuff from behind the cage - scored with 11 seconds left to secure the victory.

Poskay was one of two Eastern Conference players to score a hat trick in the victory, as Long Island midfielder Stephen Berger added three goals with an assist. Philadelphia Barrage attackman Ryan Boyle added two goals and two assists in the victory while goalkeeper Brian Dougherty made 11 saves in the first half. Washington Bayhawks goalkeeper Chris Garrity tallied a game-high 16 saves in the victory.

Mundorf led the Western Conference by scoring three goals, while fellow Denver Outlaw Geoff Snider scored two goals with an assist while winning 19 of 33 face-offs. He also had 17 ground balls. Making his first career All-Star appearance, San Francisco goalkeeper Matt Vallone had 11 saves in the first half, while Los Angeles Riptide netminder Mickey Jarboe added seven saves in the second half.

Bud Light MLL Skills Competition Results
Fastest Shot: Brian Langtry (WEST) - 104 miles per hour
Accuracy: Spencer Ford (WEST) - 46 points
Freestyle: Mikey Powell (EAST)