LOWELL, MA--American Idol finalist and local favorite Ayla Brown will be a special guest of the Riptide on Wednesday July 5. Ayla, a Massachusetts native, will be on hand to sign autographs and sing the National Anthem before the contest between the Riptide and the Philadelphia Force. Game time is 7:05pm.

Ayla, who tried out for the American Idol show in Boston, was selected to be in the final group of 12 female performers. She made it all the way to the last round with this group, getting voted out just before the final 12 performers were selected.

In addition to her singing ability, the multi-talented Ayla Brown is also a superb athlete. She plans to play basketball for Boston College in the fall, and she is also a softball player.

Tickets to the July 5 game, and any other game, may be purchased on the RIPTIDE website (see Tickets page), by phone 866-474-7843, or at the gate.