CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — I dare you to attend a professional lacrosse game and not be hooked on the sport by the end of the first half. I'll even triple-dog dare you.
The atmosphere at a lacrosse game is absolutely intoxicating, and if every game turns out like the one between the Major League Lacrosse (MLL) All-Stars and Team USA on Thursday, the entire nation will soon be immersed.
Team USA came back from a three-goal deficit with just over five minutes to play to beat the MLL All-Stars 13-12, including a game-winning goal from Ryan Powell with about 45 seconds left.
For Powell and the rest of Team USA, it was merely a good warm-up run before they head out to Manchester, England, for the FIL World Championship tournament.
But for the record 11,771 fans that packed into Harvard Stadium on Thursday night, it was an eye-popping experience that hopefully will spread lacrosse's popularity across New England and the rest of the country.
"[Thursday night] was a good example of how exciting lacrosse can be," Powell said. "There was a lot of scoring, but more importantly, it was a close game. That's really what you want in any sport."
The record crowd definitely got everything it could have asked for out of a lacrosse game. The first quarter presented excellent ball movement but even better defense, as both starting goaltenders — Chris Garrity for the MLL All-Stars and Brian Dougherty for Team USA — each made a couple of outstanding saves.
At the end of the first half, none of the players left the field. It was time for the skills competition, and each and every player that participated looked determined to take home a win.
Cue Paul Rabil. A local legend, the Boston Cannons star, member of Team USA and 2009 MLL MVP put on an absolute show in the fastest-shot contest. After tying U.S. teammate Max Seibald with a 111-mph blast in the opening round, Rabil launched another rocket of similar speed, beating Seibald in a one-shot playoff.
When the PA announcer belted out that Rabil had won, he threw his stick and fell to the ground. The crowd went wild.
That's the kind of showmanship that makes lacrosse such an endearing sport. And for a guy like Rabil, who defines lacrosse perhaps more than any other player in the world, the atmosphere on Thursday is what keeps him going.
"Tonight was very important for our team, partly because we played well but also because of all the support we got. I hope a lot of people enjoyed it," he said.
One man walked the sidelines with a smile on his face throughout the entire game.
Jake Steinfeld, who founded Major League Lacrosse in 1999, has seen the sport's progression from obscurity to mini-popularity since the beginning.
"Ten years ago, none of our games were on TV," Steinfeld said. "Now, thanks to all our new sponsors and marketing deals, you have every game on TV, and tonight's game was even on ESPN2. That's incredible."
Steinfeld understands that the passion that took place at Harvard Stadium on Thursday night is what will continue to drive lacrosse's popularity in America.
"We're going to be even bigger than this," Steinfeld added. "We're going to be smart about it, but the most important thing is getting the kids to play. And the players know that."
Maybe that's why after the game, each and every player on both teams went to the sidelines to sign autographs for the thousands of kids waiting with eager eyes, shouting their favorite players' names. It wasn't uncommon to see some players, like Player of the Game Brendan Mundorf, climb into the bleachers to interact with the people that are the driving force behind lacrosse's ascendant to stardom.
"Playing in front of such a huge crowd just brings an added level of excitement to the game," said Mundorf, who scored a whopping six goals in the Team USA victory. "The noise, the energy; everything about tonight's game just showed great this sport is."
Mundorf vows to keep doing everything in his power to make lacrosse accessible to the millions of kids in this country who might not even know about it yet.
"It's going to take time, but it's a long-term process," Mundorf pointed out. "Ten years ago, nobody in the South had even heard of lacrosse. Now, there's tons of high school kids playing and youth leagues are huge."
Steinfeld hasn't made a lot of money in his lacrosse endeavors just yet. The players are making anywhere from $7,000 to $10,000 a season, but according to Steinfeld, the day of prosperity will come.
"We want to be a lean horse for a long race."
