Lauren Merola, Author at Premier Lacrosse League

Lauren Merola

Author

Film study: Atlas defense’s indecision, lack of two-way midfielders detrimental in transition

By Lauren Merola | August 18, 2023

By Through the PLL’s Denver weekend, Atlas turned the ball over league second-worst 158 times, only one turnover less than the league-worst Redwoods (159). To make matters worse, opponents score on the Bulls a league-worst 42.9 percent of the time in transition. Watching plays like these, it’s not hard to see why. Atlas needs to…

Often imitated, never replicated: Ryan Powell’s unforgettable resume

By Lauren Merola | August 3, 2023

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…

Atlas Finds Much-Needed Momentum Against Chrome in Playoff Push

By Lauren Merola | July 31, 2023

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…

How Xander Dickson, the ‘Slim Reaper,’ claimed the 2023 All-Star Freestyle Competition win

By Lauren Merola | July 27, 2023

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,…

What You Probably Didn’t Know About Each Atlas All-Star

By Lauren Merola | July 22, 2023

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…

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

By Lauren Merola | July 18, 2023

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…

What’s Going On With the Atlas Defense?

By Lauren Merola | July 11, 2023

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…

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

By Lauren Merola | July 7, 2023

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…

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

By Lauren Merola | June 28, 2023

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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