Boston, MA (July 10, 2004) -- The Long Island Lizards closed the gap in the American Division race with a 20-18 victory Saturday afternoon against the New Jersey Lizards in front of 4,367 fans in Mercer County Park in West Windsor, NJ. Brian Dougherty led the Lizards to victory, in the process breaking the MLL single-game record for saves by stopping 33 shots.

Dougherty was one of three goalies who shared the prior record of 31 saves. When the prior record was initially set, by Rochester Rattlers rookie netminder Tillman Johnson in Week Five, the Pride were also the victims. The following evening, two more goalies tied the mark. Dougherty made 31 saves against the Boston Cannons, and Philadelphia Barrage goalie Greg Cattrano had 31 stops while facing the Baltimore Bayhawks. Of the three record-setters, Cattrano got the short end of the stick—the Barrage lost in overtime, 19-18.

The flurry of saves records is unprecedented in Major League Lacrosse. The former record of 30 saves was set by Boston goalie Bill Daye against the Bridgeport Barrage on June 15, 2001, just the fourth game in MLL history. The record lasted for more than three years until Week Five of this season. Since then, the record has been broken, tied twice, then broken again, all in the span of three weeks.