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New York Atlas midfielder Logan McGovern

Mike Pressler ‘not surprised at all’ by Atlas midfielder Logan McGovern’s stellar PLL debut

By Lauren Merola | Jul 26, 2024

It’s a cool story. Logan McGovern’s first PLL goal came in his first pro game, as the first score of the game, playing for his college coach, in his home state.

There’s a cooler story: McGovern was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis as a teenager but refused to put down his stick. It led to New York Atlas coach and general manager Mike Pressler recruiting McGovern to Bryant, where Pressler coached from 2006 to 2022, and McGovern’s tenure as a Bulldog concluding with 130 points (54G, 76A) in 35 games, all of which he started. 

He then transferred to North Carolina to play out his final two years of eligibility. (He redshirted his freshman year at Bryant and had an additional year from COVID-19.) There, he met another now-familiar face: Atlas defensive coordinator Kevin Unterstein, also the DC of the Tar Heels.

In his first season in Carolina blue in 2023, McGovern led the team with 34 goals, 24 assists and 58 points before leading in assists (29) again and tying for the team high in points (54) the following season.

So to walk into Fairfield and open up the scoring against the Boston Cannons – the best defense in the league – on a diving, low-angle rip?

Pressler was “not surprised at all,” he said postgame.

McGovern was an early facilitator for the Atlas, scoring his second goal near the end of the first quarter to give New York a one-point pad. Faking left from behind the crease, McGovern got a step on Cannons midfielder Connor Kirst, drove right and shoveled in a shot from goal line extended to beat goalie Colin Kirst. 

“He gave us a great boost early on in his first PLL game of his career,” Pressler said. “Just a warm spot in my heart to see him succeed today.”

The Atlas eventually fell to the Cannons 17-12. Boston’s defense clouded the middle of the field, taking away close-range driving opportunities for Jeff Teat and Connor Shellenberger and off-ball scoring chances for Xander Dickson. With the attention on Teat and the rest of the Atlas’ mainstay attackmen and midfielders, McGovern capitalized on the Cannons’ scouting report, surprising many in the league. 

Many except Pressler.

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