Lauren Merola

Author

Pro Lacrosse Hall of Fame

What’s it like to sit next to a Pro Lacrosse Hall of Famer? Conversations from induction weekend

By In Midtown Baltimore, where East Biddle Street turns into West Biddle Street, rests Sammy’s Trattoria. It’s a large Italian restaurant, the inside coated in a dark, damp red to match the awning – the eatery’s principle marker with which its name is embossed in white – out front. On any given day, there’s dozens…
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Often imitated, never replicated: Ryan Powell’s unforgettable resume

By | Young waves of talent are constantly crashing lineups and stealing starting spots in professional lacrosse. Veterans are dethroned yearly by rookies who excel at what older players could once do best. Turnover is natural, and often accepted. Unless you’re Ryan Powell. Powell, a 2023 Professional Lacrosse Hall of Fame inductee, adapted his game…
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Atlas Finds Much-Needed Momentum Against Chrome in Playoff Push

By Atlas’ playoff push starts now. Well, technically, it started Saturday, when Atlas, who was tied with Chrome in the gutter of the league at 1-4 coming out of All-Star Weekend, ousted Chrome 11-9 to improve to 2-4 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. Heading into the matchup, Atlas had a 75 percent chance to make…
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How Xander Dickson, the ‘Slim Reaper,’ claimed the 2023 All-Star Freestyle Competition win

By He’s skinny, one of the best shooters in the league, has become a regular on SportsCenter Top 10 and goes by “Slim Reaper.” And he’s not Kevin Durant. Xander Dickson was dubbed “Slim Reaper” his sophomore season at Virginia, after a friend drew the comparison between the 6-foot-1, 160-pound Dickson and the lanky Durant,…
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What You Probably Didn’t Know About Each Atlas All-Star

By | Atlas LC boasts seven original All-Star selections, the most of any club. Trevor Baptiste, Jeff Teat, Chris Gray, Bryan Costabile, Danny Logan, Gavin Adler and Brett Makar were the original 2023 All-Star selections from Atlas. Baptiste, Gray and Logan will sit out the weekend due to injuries, meaning Xander Dickson and Romar Dennis…
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Mark Cockerton Atlas

Mark Cockerton re-joins Atlas LC on one-year deal

By Atlas has signed veteran attacker Mark Cockerton from the player pool to a one-year deal, the team announced Tuesday. The move reunites Cockerton with his former team, who he played for during the 2021 Premier Lacrosse League season. In his first year in the PLL and ninth as a pro, Cockerton had nine goals…
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Brett Makar Atlas

What’s Going On With the Atlas Defense?

By You don’t need 20/20 vision to see that the Atlas defense has been, for lack of a better term, bad. Through Week 4, the Bulls have given up a league-worst average of 15.5 goals per game, letting in 19 goals the last two contests. They also sit in the gutter of the league with…
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Justin Guterding Atlas Debut

‘He’s a Utility Knife’: Justin Guterding’s Role in Atlas Debut

By Justin Guterding‘s first game as an Atlas Bull has been a long time coming. After February’s 2023 Championship Series, Guterding took his free-agency fate into his own hands and reached out to Atlas coach Mike Pressler and offensive coordinator Steven Brooks. The Atlas coaches considered signing the 28-year-old midfielder, but decided to wait on…
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Trevor Baptiste vs Petey LaSalla

Fate of the FOGO: How the New Shot Clock Rule Affects the Faceoff

By Win the clamp, scoop up the ground ball, safely get it to an attackman, sprint back to the box. Breathe. Repeat. Those were once the main responsibilities of a faceoff athlete – or a faceoff, get off athlete (FOGO) – as it was appropriately named. But the days of the FOGO are dwindling. As…
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Clamp for a Cause: The goal behind Trevor Baptiste’s faceoff wins and new PLL record

By This season, victory comes at a price, and it’s one Trevor Baptiste is willing to pay. For every win at the stripe, the Atlas faceoff specialist will donate a portion of his salary to support lacrosse programs in inner cities. In Week 3 against the Waterdogs, Baptiste won 31 of 36 faceoffs – posting…
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