Machine looks for first road win this weekend
Although they are still looking for their first road win of the season, Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Riptide proved the Chicago Machine can compete with, and beat, any team in Major League Lacrosse.
After being down as many as 4 goals in the first half, the Chicago Machine went on a 6-1 third quarter run to enter the final period leading by a goal. The rally lost steam and the Riptide ultimately prevailed 18-16.
The Machine, however, had some reasons to celebrate. Chicago's rookies scored 10 of the 16 goals, including four by all-star Steven Brooks, and a hat trick by Brendan Cannon.
The Machine (2-6) will travel to San Francisco on Saturday to play the San Francisco Dragons (1-6) for the final game of a three-game series. The 9 p.m. contest at Spartan Stadium in San Jose can be seen on a live Webcast at ESPN360.com, and on tape delay on Comcast SportsNet at 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
Both teams have won a game in their series, with Chicago defeating the Dragons 10-9 at the Machine's home opener on May 18 and San Francisco beating the Machine 15-14 at Spartan Stadium in overtime.
Over the past three years, the Dragons have the upper hand in the rivalry, winning 6 out of 8 games against the Machine. This year, the Dragons are struggling to create goals while the Machine is still working on sustaining the lead for the win.
San Francisco has scored only 79 goals after seven games this season, the worst in the league, and is coming off a 10-9 loss to Denver.
Keys to the game: With both teams vying for a win, Chicago team leaders Kevin Leveille and Doug Shanahan will need to control the tempo of the game against the Dragons. In the Machine loss to the San Francisco, Chicago's rookies were just joining the team. They're much more experienced and the offense is stronger as a result. Look for more hustle from the Machine defenders as they relish creating tension for the Dragon's offense. There are plenty of incentives for Chicago to win this game. A win would equal the franchise's previous season win total (3), win the season series with San Francisco, and notch the franchise's first road win.
Upcoming games: The Chicago Machine returns home to face the Los Angeles Riptide on Sunday, July 20, at Toyota Park in Bridgeview. Bring your electronic waste to Toyota Park to recycle, courtesy of Cartridge World, and receive a free game ticket and coupon for a free ink cartridge. After a trip to Denver to face the Outlaws on Saturday, July 26, and following a bye, the Machine will play their final home game on Sunday, Aug. 10, against the Rochester Rattlers. Tickets and more information are available at (312) 255-1522 and www.chicagomachine.com.