The Philadelphia Waterdogs and Maryland Whipsnakes will square off on Saturday Night Lacrosse during Indigenous Heritage Weekend in Fairfield.
The Waterdogs (4-2) are vying for the top spot in the Eastern Conference while the Whipsnakes (2-4) are looking to stay alive in the PLL playoff race.
Tune in at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Joe Nardella vs. Alec Stathakis rematch at the stripe
Joe Nardella is second in the league in faceoff percentage (61.7%), only behind New York Atlas star Trevor Baptiste (64.7%), and will match up against the third-most successful specialist, Alec Stathakis (58.2%), for the second time this season on Saturday night in Fairfield.
Nardella dominated Stathakis at the stripe in their first matchup in Charlotte, winning 62.1% of his faceoffs and scooping up nine ground balls.
Stathakis went 40% from the stripe (10-for-25) against Nardella and picked up six ground balls, but he was no match for the 2020 Faceoff Specialist of the Year.
However, that was his worst performance of the season, and his faceoff percentage has steadily increased over the Waterdogs’ past five games, culminating in winning 81.5% of his matchups (22-for-27) against the Utah Archers last Friday in Chicago.
Yet, Maryland has proved this season that winning faceoffs does not necessarily translate into successful offensive possessions in the 32-second shot clock.
In the Whipsnakes’ Opening Weekend championship rematch against the Archers, Nardella was a menace at the stripe, winning 73% of his faceoff attempts (13 of 17) against Mike Sisselberger, yet the Whipsnakes failed to capitalize on any of those faceoff wins.
If Nardella plays his typical game, the Whipsnakes should have plenty of opportunities to score in the 32-second clock, but that means their offense needs to quickly win matchups, which is something they struggled with against the Outlaws on Saturday.
“Maryland’s got too many guys that can’t win a matchup,” ESPN broadcaster Quint Kessenich said mid-game about the Whipsnakes’ offensive struggles in their 13-6 loss to Denver.
Since returning from his second ACL tear in his 12-year career early last season, Nardella has yet to dip below 50% per game at the stripe, and I wouldn’t expect much different against Stathakis. However, the Waterdogs’ specialist has proven over the past few weeks that he can be a force to be reckoned with. – Miles Jordan
Ajax Zappitello vs. Michael Sowers, Round 2
It is safe to say that Michael Sowers (1G, 7A) got the best of Ajax Zappitello (three caused turnovers, three ground balls) in the Whipsnakes and Waterdogs’ first meeting in Charlotte in a performance that helped kickstart Sowers’ 2025 MVP campaign.
In the teams’ previous matchups in the 2024 season, Zappitello held Sowers to below-average performances, which resulted in the Whipsnakes’ first season sweep of the Waterdogs in club history.
Before Zappitello was drafted No. 3 overall in 2024, Sowers consistently produced against the Whipsnakes, averaging 4.2 points per game, with 2.5 goals and 1.7 assists on 39.5% shooting.
But in the two games last season, those numbers dropped as Zappitello began covering him.
Sowers still totaled five goals across the two matchups, but he didn’t record a single assist, and his shooting percentage fell to 31.3%.
“One of the things I’ve always said is we need someone that can cover Michael Sowers because I’m not sure anyone really can,” Maryland head coach Jim Stagnitta said after the Whipsnakes defeated the Waterdogs in overtime last June. “I thought Ajax did as good a job as you can today.”
Yet, it is clear that Sowers flipped a switch in the Waterdogs’ opening game against Zappitello and the Whipsnakes, and had some kind of telekinetic connection with Kieran McArdle (4G, 2A), assisting on all four of McArdle’s goals.
Even if the Whipsnakes have been preparing ways to contain Sowers’ feeding ability, the Waterdogs will throw another curveball at Maryland’s defense this week.
The Whips will now also have to worry about 2025 Tewaaraton Award winner and No. 1 overall pick CJ Kirst, who was activated to the Waterdogs’ 25-man roster after missing Philadelphia’s first six games with a hand injury he sustained during Cornell’s national championship run. – Miles Jordan
Kirst’s debut adds another layer to Waterdogs’ offense
The Waterdogs are heating up at just the right time, and the return of Kirst might be exactly what they need to make a deep postseason run.
“Only CJ will determine how he’s played,” head coach and general manager Bill Tierney said. “How we play him, where we play him and how it fits right into what the team looks like right now.”
How should Philly utilize Kirst’s rare talents? My take: run him out of the box.
Kirst’s physicality, IQ, and versatility make him a perfect fit for a midfield rotation already buzzing with talent. Jack Hannah, Zach Currier, Thomas McConvey and Connor Kelly have formed one of the PLL’s most dynamic groups. Inserting Kirst won’t disrupt chemistry; it’ll enhance it.
Kirst’s rehab focused on speed and lower-body strength, which should translate to explosive dodging and transition threats. Starting him in the midfield also would allow the team to manage his minutes while he ramps up post-injury.
Meanwhile, the starting attack trio of Sowers, McArdle and breakout rookie Jake Taylor remains untouchable — the top unit in shooting percentage and second in goals league-wide.
As matchups stretch thin, Kirst becomes a mismatch nightmare. Add in the Waterdogs’ unselfish system under Dylan Sheridan, and Kirst’s impact could be enormous, right when it matters most. – Mike Bolger
Philly’s beyond-the-arc improvement
The Waterdogs’ journey from two-point woes to sudden success has been one of the more intriguing storylines in the second half of their season.
It all began in their season opener against the Whipsnakes, where there was a glaring weakness. Despite matching Maryland in goals, Philly found itself down by three at the half thanks to three two-point strikes from the Whipsnakes.
The Waterdogs tightened up in the second half, surrendering just one goal in the final 24 minutes. Since then, their struggles from beyond the arc have persisted on both ends. Entering their recent showdown with the Archers, Philly had given up more two-point goals than any other team in the league and had yet to score one themselves.
That changed last week in a much-needed statement win when Kelly and Ben Wayer each connected from deep, giving the Waterdogs their first two-pointers of the season. Even more impressively, the defense completely shut down Utah’s long-range threats, holding them to zero two-point goals.
The timing couldn’t be better as the Waterdogs prepare for a rematch against the very team that exposed their long-range vulnerabilities in Week 2. Maryland ranks last in two-point attempts but leads the league with a 27.8% conversion rate.
For the Waterdogs, this next game could be a turning point. Was their performance against Utah a fluke or a sign of a team figuring things out? – Mike Bolger
