June 22, 2006

The United States men's lacrosse team begins its preparations for the 2006 International Lacrosse Federation World Championship with a game against Ireland this Sunday, June 25, at 4 p.m. at Radnor (Pa.) High School. This is the first of three exhibitions the U.S. will play before the world championships begin on July 13 in Canada.

The U.S. has won six straight world championships and has won 32 consecutive games in international competition since losing the 1978 final to Canada. In the most recent ILF world championship, the U.S. defeated Canada 18-15 for the gold medal in Perth, Australia in 2002.

The U.S. team is coached by Syracuse head coach John Desko and there are five former Syracuse players on the U.S. team, including the Powell brothers (Casey, Michael and Ryan), who combined for 881 career points in their college careers. Other notable players for the U.S. include Kyle Harrison, the 2005 winner of the Tewaaraton Trophy after leading Johns Hopkins to the national championship, and Doug Shanahan, the MVP of the 2002 ILF championship. Twenty-one of the 23 players on the U.S. roster are currently playing for Major League Lacrosse teams.

Ireland, led by legendary Cornell coach Richie Moran, participated in ILF play for the first time in 2002 and went 5-0 in the Green Division for developing lacrosse nations. This year, Ireland will compete in the Red Division with Hong Kong, Italy, Scotland and Wales. A total of 21 teams will compete in this year's world championship.

Admission to Sunday's exhibition game is $7 for those 21 and above and $5 for those 20 and below. Tickets will be available at the gate.

The U.S. continues exhibition play on July 3 against a Syracuse area all-star team at Syracuse University's Coyne Field and then plays the MLL All-Stars on July 6 at Boston University's Nickerson Field.

US Lacrosse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the national governing body for men's and women's lacrosse. To learn more about the organization, please visit www.uslacrosse.org. STX is the official exclusive equipment supplier to the U.S. Men's National Teams program. To learn more about the company and its product offerings, visit www.stxlacrosse.com.