Kieran McArdle joins the 500-point club

On Friday night, under the lights and pressure of a Utah Archers comeback, Kieran McArdle did what he’s done for over a decade: deliver.

In the third quarter of Philadelphia’s 16-11 win in Chicago, the Waterdogs captain recorded his 500th career point with a no-look assist to Jack Hannah.

“When you reach a milestone like that and look at the other names on the list, it’s pretty surreal,” McArdle said. “My wife has been there from point one to point 500, so without her support, none of this is possible.”

“See how much he’s learned? Anybody who thanks their wife is a smart man,” head coach Bill Tierney joked.

It was a fitting way for McArdle, one of the Premier Lacrosse League’s most consistent and criminally underrated players, to reach the milestone — another heady play from the 33-year-old, who’s quietly climbed into the sport’s all-time elite.

With that assist, McArdle became just the seventh player in professional lacrosse history to cross the 500-point mark.

He now sits at 501 career points (seventh all-time), 315 career goals (sixth all-time), 185 assists (ninth all-time) and with a career shooting percentage of 32.8% across 130 games, his efficiency is undeniable.

Yet somehow, he remains overlooked.

“The most famous overlooked guy in the league is Kieran McArdle,” Tierney said.

“Kieran McArdle is a legend of the game of lacrosse. Nobody talks about it,” Hannah said.

McArdle’s career has never been about fanfare. From his early days with the Florida Launch in 2014 when he won Rookie of the Year to leading the Waterdogs in career points, his production has always flown under the radar.

A three-time MLL All-Star, McArdle has never been selected to a PLL All-Star Game, despite three seasons with well above 30 points since 2020. In Year 12, he’s on pace for 30 points by the end of the regular season but was left out of the ASG.

“If being in an All-Star Game is a reward, I think at some point he should have been rewarded,” Tierney said. “But I don’t think that becomes a high priority for him. He just plays. He just cares.”

His absence from All-Star consideration again this season was yet another head-scratcher for many in the Waterdogs locker room.

“I’ve been roommates with him for the past four years, indoor and outdoor,” Connor Kelly said. “I’d get behind him any day of the week.”

Friday night’s performance helped the Waterdogs secure their fourth win of the season, doubling their total from 2024. McArdle’s leadership and clutch play have been critical to that turnaround.

“He was hurting inside last year, and it bothered him a lot,” Tierney said. “But he also doesn’t pat himself on the back when he gets to these kinds of milestones. I’ve been blessed with a lot of great leaders; Kieran is right up there.”

A graduate of St. John’s University, McArdle was a three-time All-American and two-time Big East Player of the Year in college. He’s carried that pedigree into the pro ranks without skipping a beat.

McArdle is the only player to be the all-time leading point-scorer of two different organizations: 276 points with the Launch and 198 points with the Waterdogs, per PLL Stats.

When the Waterdogs selected him seventh overall in the 2020 PLL Expansion Draft, they didn’t just get a scorer, but a longtime leader and example.

Five years later, Philly has a living legend.

Smart, gritty and as underrated as they come, McArdle’s journey is a blueprint for long-term excellence. He earns each milestone one quiet and clutch moment at a time.

“He’s 33 years old,” Tierney said. “He’s got a wife and two kids and yet, he comes ready to go every day.”