Dylan Molloy and the art of the power dodge

Early in the California Redwoods’ Homecoming Weekend matchup against Philadelphia, Dylan Molloy was engaged with Waterdogs defender Kenny Brower. Molloy was dodging from the X attack position when Brower tried to beat him to the spot upfield.

But when Brower lost his balance, Molloy felt the body weight shift and performed an inside roll, leading into an off-balance dive shot that landed him on the night’s SportsCenter Top 10.

A couple days later, teammate Romar Dennis retweeted the clip with the comment “Shaq in the paint.”

Earning a highlight on SportsCenter is just one of the accolades Molloy has earned this season, his first with the Redwoods. He’s been one of the Premier Lacrosse League’s best offensive players in 2025.

Through six games, Molloy is tied for seventh in total points, tied for second in goals and tied for first in scoring points. He was voted as a starter in the All-Star Game.

Not only is Molloy putting the ball in the back of the net, but he’s doing it – as Dennis mentioned – forcefully.

None of this is surprising to Molloy, however, nor does the 2016 Tewaaraton Award winner and top pick in the 2017 Major League Lacrosse Draft think it should be surprising to anybody else.

“It’s not like this came out of nowhere,” Molloy said. “I was available and ready to do this the last two years.”

Even if he was available and ready, Molloy said he’s been around long enough to see seasons go sideways, and he was frustrated by the past two years, during which he put up the lowest point totals of his career.

Molloy’s confidence was down, so when he got a call this offseason from a familiar voice in Joe Spallina — the new Redwoods general manager who was also his general manager with the New York Lizards in 2019 — he was ready to earn his spot on California’s 19-man gameday lineup.

“I was pretty pumped up,” he said. “Just a familiar face and knowing how talented [Spallina] is at coaching and also putting together a roster, so it was great. There was some trust there.”

He made sure to provide an immediate return on investment in the team’s victory over Denver on Opening Weekend, scoring three goals and adding an assist.

“He’s a guy no one has really given an opportunity to, and that’s something that we did,” California head coach Anthony Kelly said in the postgame press conference. “He’s been thriving on just getting some love. I know it sounds weird, but I think he feels loved in this group, and he wants to play hard, and I think we’re seeing a little bit of the Dylan Molloy of old.”

Molloy confirmed what Kelly said, emphasizing that he feels very confident in California’s starting attack unit. He said the coaching staff is giving him enough of a leash to “do what I do best.”

What he does best is a physical style of dodging that not many attackmen utilize. Molloy is so physical when he attacks the cage that longtime lacrosse journalist Kyle Devitte called him “The Human Tonka Truck” early in his pro career.

Molloy can’t pinpoint exactly when he started using a bull dodge, but he said he was a bigger kid, and in high school, he played the inside attack position, so he leaned on the strong part of his game: his literal strength.

At Brown, Molloy frequently worked with offensive coordinator Sean Kirwan, who brought out football pads for players to dodge through.

“I worked with him becoming a goal-scorer but then building off of that and becoming a feeder after the fact,” he said. “It wasn’t a struggle, but it definitely took some time to get your head up and see the doubles coming after you scored one.”

“I remember being out on one of the fields, and I just had to run into them and then get out of the double and throw it into an open net,” he added. “We definitely worked a good amount, and I give [Kirwan and head coach Lars Tiffany] credit for kind of developing my next stage there.”

Molloy’s physical style was on display in the team’s second game against the Outlaws this season, when he popped a loose ball out of a scrum into the air, collected it in his stick while taking hits from two Denver long poles, and dove and scored.

Molloy loves the challenge of taking on any defender that steps in front of him, and he specifically pointed out players like Matt Dunn, Jack Rowlett, Garrett Epple and Warren Jeffrey against whom he’s had some tough matchups.

There’s more to Molloy’s game than just playing bully ball, though.

“It’s not just hitting someone,” he said, “because then, any football player could be a great attack.”

There’s more subtlety to Molly’s attacks than just running into people.

He scored the first goal of last Friday’s game against the Carolina Chaos. When he attacked from X, he initiated contact with Rowlett, which pushed the defender back, and then, Molloy took a step back himself, creating more room to get his hands free and fire off a shot.

Later in the game against the Waterdogs, Jimmy Freehill guarded him. When Freehill lifted his stick to attempt an over-the-head check, Molloy tucked his stick to his chest, blew past him and scored.

His play caught the attention of 2025 Professional Lacrosse Hall of Fame inductee Kyle Harrison, who tweeted, “I know Molloy is a tough cover physically and ends up shooting through contact/slides … but are y’all seeing the shot placements?!? This man can’t even see the goal and he’s throwin that thing in corners, it’s crazy. The amount of skill it takes to play the way he does is off the charts.”

Molloy said feeling the defender and understanding where the leverage is and where he can get underneath comes from a lot of reps, a lot of practice and by playing a lot.

Redwoods offensive coordinator Chris Bocklet said Molloy also has a great mindset when he’s out on the field.

“He’s just not afraid. If we let him, he would take his guy every single possession, every single time he touches the ball,” Bocklet said. “He knows he’s a leader, he knows he can make the plays, and he’s the guy we need to be able to be that role and be the vocal leader. … He just goes 110%, and he’s not afraid to make contact. He’s a strong guy. When you’re strong, confident and not afraid, good things happen. It’s good to see him step up this year.”

Molloy’s goals count for one point (except for the two he had in the first game against the Chaos, the first of his career), as anyone else’s goals do, but the way he scores can fire up the team in the immediate aftermath.

He usually displays a lot of excitement and emotion after he scores, and for good reason.

“I’m working my ass off for that goal,” Molloy said. “It’s usually a pretty hard one-on-one battle. I don’t know that they’re ever that pretty or easy in any way, but yeah, I definitely get fired up. … It’s definitely different when you get up off the ground and look, and you score; you’re like, ‘Hell, yeah!’”

Molloy celebrates his teammates’ goals with just as much fervor, and he’s been a mentor for the Redwoods’ younger players. Chris Kavanagh said Molloy was influential in training camp, always asking what questions he had.

The veteran said he’s not used to being one of the oldest guys on the team and that it’s a “different vibe,” but that it’s another reason this season with the Redwoods has been so much fun.

“Going to see all these young guns is just hilarious and kind of keeps it fun and light, and that’s what I love,” Molloy said. “Being around them, it just really brings a lot of fun to our weekend.”

It’s clear to everyone watching that Molloy is enjoying his time with the Redwoods. On the Over-the-Head Podcast, co-host Kyle Hartzell said he can see the confidence Molloy is playing with, and that he’s scoring “big goals in big moments.”

Molloy is getting an opportunity to shine unlike any other year during his PLL tenure. He is running through it, and he is appreciative of the Redwoods coaching staff.

“It’s all due to my coaches seeing something in me and giving me another shot,” he said. “They knew I could still bring it.”