The First 4

{{Short description|Annual college lacrosse event held in California}}

{{for|the First Four of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|First Four}}

The First 4 men's lacrosse invitational was an annual college lacrosse event held in California with the feature event being a double-header involving four NCAA Division I men's lacrosse teams. The event is representative of the recent expansion of the sport far afield from its traditional strongholds of Maryland and New York.[http://media.www.dailyorange.com/media/storage/paper522/news/2005/03/08/Lax2005/Slowly.But.Surely.Lacrosse.Is.Expanding.West-888113.shtml Slowly, but surely, lacrosse is expanding west] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080606044331/http://media.www.dailyorange.com/media/storage/paper522/news/2005/03/08/Lax2005/Slowly.But.Surely.Lacrosse.Is.Expanding.West-888113.shtml |date=2008-06-06 }}, The Daily Orange, March 8, 2005. The inaugural event took place at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California on March 12, 2005.[http://www.thefirst4.com/history/ History of The First 4] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070302141409/http://www.thefirst4.com/history/ |date=2007-03-02 }}, The First 4, retrieved May 14, 2009. It drew a crowd of 7,182 spectators.[http://www.aegworldwide.co.uk/news/aeg_news_050312.html Georgetown and Notre Dame come away from the Home Depot Center as "First 4" winners], AEG, March 12, 2005. An event was planned for 2009, but cancelled due to a scheduling conflict and never resumed.[http://thefirst4.com/index.html Welcome to the First 4] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516101919/http://www.thefirst4.com/index.html |date=2008-05-16 }}, The First 4, retrieved May 14, 2009.