The Philadelphia Waterdogs No. 1 overall pick CJ Kirst has been moved to the physically unable to perform list and is expected to miss the first month of the season.
Kirst played through a right hand injury for most of his senior season at Cornell.
“I broke my hand in the middle of the year this spring and I was able to play through it,” Kirst said. “I’m going to get surgery later this week and then be out and doing PT for three to four weeks and hopefully be back as soon as possible.”
The rookie is fresh off a NCAA championship run with Cornell, its first in 48 years, that ended with him winning the Tewaarton Award. In the championship game against Maryland, Kirst scored six goals with tape wrapped around his hand.
During the middle of the season, Kirst started to feel something was off when he was shooting during practice. That’s when he was given the unfortunate news.
“I knew that I didn’t want to get surgery and miss out on a game this year, so I had to miss a couple of practices early on,” Kirst said. “I had to learn how to play with a little bit of a cast taped my hand to protect it from checks and then give me a little bit of brace while catching and throwing.”
“The reality is, I think the season he put up, playing through what he’s playing through. It gives you a pretty good indication of the heart of that young man,” Cornell head coach Connor Buczek said.
The Waterdogs rookie fought through the injury to become the NCAA’s all-time goal scorer and an Ivy League and national champion. Kirst played in all 19 games for the Big Red and tallied 115 points (82G, 33A) despite having to adjust his game.
“Luckily enough, I was able to figure out comfortable ways to play with my top hand a little bit more dominating when I catch, throw and shoot,” Kirst said. “Thank God for my trainers for everything. A lot of late nights trying to figure out the right plastic and write the right tape job and whatnot just to make sure I could play.”
Buczek raved about Kirst’s ability to maintain his elite level of play while he dealt with his injury.
“He honors the Cornell tradition and how we play in the toughness and physicality, and you never once heard him complain,” Buczek said. “He worked hard on the rehab, got himself on the field, and obviously the results are what they are.”
Kirst met with doctors on Tuesday and is scheduled to have surgery on his hand later in the week.
Waterdogs head coach Bill Tierney is excited about the boost Kirst will provide once he is fully healed and back on the field.
“He’s just such an excellent player and person to have with us,” Tierney said. “It’s a matter of how quickly he heals and can get back to playing at the hard level that he’s used to.”
With No. 15 out for the foreseeable future, fellow rookie attackman Jake Taylor is expected to take on an even larger role in the offense alongside Michael Sowers and Kieran McArdle. Taylor, who starred at Notre Dame, made headlines during training camp as he settled into Philly’s offensive carousel.
Veterans Jack Hannah, Connor Kelly and Zach Currier are set to hold down the first midfield line as the Waterdogs open their season this Friday against the Maryland Whipsnakes (8:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+).
