Denver, CO – The Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Showdown, presented by the Denver Outlaws, INVESCO Field at Mile High Stadium and the Colorado State University Lacrosse Alumni Association, heads into its fifth edition with lots on the line for the April 26th meeting between the Colorado State Rams and Colorado Buffaloes.  This Showdown will be the third held at INVESCO Field at Mile High Stadium and will pit two of the premier MCLA programs in the state of Colorado.  In addition, this year will mark the first time a women’s collegiate lacrosse game takes place at Mile High as the CSU and CU women square off as well just before the men’s game.  There will be more than school pride on the line in both of these games, as each team comes into the Showdown needing a win.

On the men’s side of things, neither the Rams nor the Buffaloes have enjoyed the success they are accustomed to so far in 2008.  The Rams are in the midst of a 9-5 season and are ranked #7 in the MCLA while the Buffs are 3-5 and #16 in the country.  CU absolutely needs a win in the regular season finale to give them a shot at the MCLA playoffs in May.  The winner of this game will secure the #3 seed for the RMLC playoffs in Utah on May 2 and 3.

With four one-goal losses, the Colorado State men have endured their share of heartbreak in 2008.  Dropping their opening game of the season to Division III Colorado College, the Rams have found themselves on the wrong end of three overtime contests this year.  #19 Utah took the Rams down in a classic 5 overtime struggle earlier in the month and CSU lost in 2 overtimes to the #1 Michigan Wolverines as well.  But the Rams also have solid victories over #3 Minnesota-Duluth, #10 Oregon and #12 Boston College on their resume, so things haven’t been all down this year. 

The Colorado Buffaloes are in danger of missing the MCLA playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade.  With a sparse schedule, the Buffs still have a chance to get over .500 and make the playoffs if they were to win the remainder of their games, which would include the Showdown and two victories in the RMLC playoffs.  Losses to Oregon, Utah and Brigham Young have not helped the Buffs, but CU has defeated #19 Cal Poly and Arizona on the season, indicating that despite the light schedule load, there is still plenty of talent in Boulder.  Colorado is always a dangerous and well-coached team and the Showdown has been circled on their calendar for months.

CSU is led in points by sophomore Kevin Wolff, who has 42 points on 26 goals and 16 assists so far this season.  Freshman Paul Larson has 24 goals and 4 assists while senior Ryan MacDonald adds his 14 goals and 14 assists to the mix as well.  The Rams are also led by two senior goaltenders as Garrett Fitzgerald and Tyson Ehinger have shared duties in the nets so far this season.

Colorado’s leading point-getter is freshman James Blackburn.  Blackburn’s 26 points are far and away tops on a team that has only one other double digit point scorer in sophomore Ben Johns.  While the scoring has been down this year, CU still has a stingy defense led by junior goaltender Kevin Moriarty.  Moriarty is a team leader for the Buffaloes and would like nothing more than to knock off the rival Rams for the first time in his career.

The Colorado State women have been rolling right along this season, compiling an impressive 16-1 record and a #2 national ranking.  Their only loss of the season was at the hands of #1 UC-Santa Barbara in their first game of the season and the Rams have already defeated the Buffaloes 11-6 in Fort Collins last month.  With the RMWLL championships taking place a week before the Showdown, CSU and CU could very well meet the week before the event and will know all about each other by the time they face off at INVESCO.  Colorado’s women have plenty to be proud of as well in 2008.  With an 11-2 record that features losses to only the #1 and #2 teams in the country, the Buffs are having a very nice season and find themselves ranked #5.

The Showdown takes place on April 26th and kicks off with the CSU and CU women at 5:00 pm.  The men’s game is slotted for 7:00 pm, or 30 minutes after the women’s game finishes up.  A great crowd is expected and both games will be a showcase for lacrosse.  Tickets are available at TicketMaster or at the box office.  Students and families for both teams will be able to purchase tickets directly from their schools.  Please visit the Showdown website at www.lacrosseshowdown.com.