On any given Saturday in Loudoun, youth soccer games are kind of like Starbucks -- there’s one on every corner.

But watch out soccer fans, there’s a new game in town.

Eric Madigan is on the varsity team at Broad Run and will attend Sacred Heart University on a lacrosse scholarship. (Photos courtesy Mark Madigan)

Commonly described as the “fastest game on two feet,” lacrosse is gaining popularity in the county. So much so, that a store devoted to the sport, MadLax, opened in Ashburn last month to meet consumers’ demand for sticks, pads and helmets.

“Over the past decade lacrosse has exploded out here from a club sport, to high school to the youth level -- this demographic is perfect for our store -- we’re on the doorstep of world-class lacrosse,” said MadLax store manager and long-time Loudoun resident, John Feegle.

Feegle said Circuit Court Judge Thomas D. Horne was instrumental in bringing organized lacrosse to the county.

“I regard him as the founding father of the sport in Loudoun,” he said. “Back in 1995, I went to a meeting at the Douglas Community Center for folks interested in lacrosse. Judge Horne explained the game to the 30 or so kids and adults present, and showed them how to hold the stick and throw the ball.”

At the recreational level, there are now two youth leagues in the county -- Eastern Loudoun Lacrosse and Western Loudoun Lacrosse -- and these programs are feeding the talent at the high school level, says Greg McCarthy, a board member of Western Loudoun Lacrosse who played at Radford University. He says WLL is growing 15-20 percent every year.

Ryan Madigan is on the varsity team at Broad Run.

Mark Madigan, the founder and president of Eastern Loudoun Lacrosse, has seen tremendous growth in the sport as well. “When I first got involved I had 10 to 15 kids that were driving out to Middleburg and the Loudoun Valley area to play teams -- now we’ve got about 550 boys and girls in our league.”

Madigan said lacrosse is one of the few sports that every kid in the neighborhood can play. “You don’t have to be big to excel in lacrosse,” he said.

Madigan’s two sons are on the varsity team at Broad Run High School -- his oldest, Eric, will be attending Sacred Heart University in the fall on a lacrosse scholarship. His daughter in fifth grade plays as well.

Kara Pascale, who coaches the girls’ junior varsity lacrosse team at Stone Bridge High School, agrees with Madigan that anyone can play.

Eric Madigan is on the varsity team at Broad Run and will attend Sacred Heart University on a lacrosse scholarship.

“You can parlay any sport you’re familiar with into lacrosse and the kids pick it up fast. It’s got the big-field mentality of soccer, the quickness of basketball and the throwing action of softball,” she said. Pascale’s three daughters play lacrosse -- two play varsity for Stone Bridge and her 12 year old plays rec.

All the folks who spoke with me about lacrosse in Loudoun credit the adult volunteers with the sport’s growth in the county. And now, students who are playing lacrosse at the college level are coming back to volunteer at the high school and youth level at summer camps and other programs.

To take full advantage of their return during break, Madigan has recruited some of these players and area high school coaches to help out with a fun, low-pressured program called Friday Night Lights for high-schoolers who want to play and pick up some new skills during the summer.

“It’s definitely becoming a ‘second generation experience’ here in Loudoun,” said Feegle, who also referees local high school games. “Parents who played are now passing the love of lacrosse to their children. It’s exciting to see.”