Fairfield University graduate Greg Downing scored his first career hat trick, and added one assist, as his LA Riptide fell just short, 16-13, of the Philadelphia Barrage in the NB ZIP MLL Championship Game in Rochester, N.Y. on Sunday. The championship game appearances of the Riptide was the franchise's first, in just its second year in the MLL.

Downing, a rookie, was the 6th pick in the 2007 MLL Collegiate Draft and made an immediate impact. He was named the MLL Rookie of the Week on July 30, for his one-goal, three-assist effort in the Riptide's win over San Francisco. Playing in only nine regular season games, Downing was 10th on the team in points, with 14, coming on seven goals and seven assists.

Downing was a three-time All-America Honorable Mention as a player for Fairfield, the program's only multiple selection for that honor. He led Fairfield to the 2005 NCAA Tournament, with a Great West Lacrosse League title. He finished fourth in the program's history with 101 goals, scoring 20 or more in each of his four seasons. He totalled 141 points and 40 assists in his four seasons, both numbers ranking in the top-10 of the progam's history.