In a playoff game that marked a new chapter for the Philadelphia Waterdogs under head coach Bill Tierney, it was Matt DeLuca, making his first playoff start in five years, who helped deliver the club’s first postseason win of the Tierney era.
The goalie position had been a looming question mark for the Waterdogs all season. With veteran Dillon Ward and the 6-foot-6 DeLuca rotating starts throughout the year, Tierney faced a difficult decision heading into the do-or-die matchup against the Maryland Whipsnakes.
“Despite going back and forth all year long, the fact that [DeLuca] played very well against the Whipsnakes in the last game … I felt like he knew them, and he’s confident against them,” Tierney said. “The bottom line was we felt good about the way that he had played against them in the past and went with that gut feeling.”
DeLuca had shown promise in the regular season against Maryland, averaging 15.5 saves and 11 scores allowed in their two meetings — including a season-best 16-save performance on July 19.
That history, along with his growing poise and familiarity with the Whipsnakes’ shooters, earned him the nod.
“Getting the phone call that I was going back in the cage is always a positive phone call to get,” DeLuca said. “I was excited to show what I could do in the postseason.”
Tierney kept the message simple over the phone: Just be yourself.
“My only feedback to Matt before the game was just continue to be the person you are off the field,” Tierney said. “Be positive. They’re going to score goals. Our defense is going to break down once in a while. Continue to be encouraging of the defense and hang in there yourself.”
Early on, DeLuca showed some rust, but once the defense settled and he started seeing shots, his confidence clicked into place.
“I felt settled in right away after they took a couple shots wide,” DeLuca said. “My first save of the game was right off the forehead, and that wakes you up a little bit, gets you into a groove and then you go from there.”
He didn’t dominate statistically, finishing with 10 saves, but his poise in the fourth quarter made the difference. With the Waterdogs holding a narrow lead and Maryland surging, DeLuca came up with multiple stops in the final minutes with the sun in his face to halt the Whipsnakes’ momentum. Philadelphia pulled away late to win 14-12.
“He made a couple of really big saves in that fourth quarter,” Tierney said. “It was a good, steady, typical DeLuca game.”
“I think we did such a good job defensively, of extending our ball pressure and following the game plan that we had set,” DeLuca said. “There’s definitely a comfortability or a natural level of my ability to settle in and not feel as much pressure, being like I went against these guys twice.”
Even though he’d only started in the playoffs once before, during his 2020 rookie campaign, DeLuca looked like a seasoned veteran when it mattered most. According to Tierney, he’s evolving into the goalie the Waterdogs need.
“What I encouraged him to do … was to try to be Matt DeLuca. Not somebody else in the goal,” Tierney said. “As a goalie, he is really good. But as a person, I think he turned a corner as crazy as it sounds to continue to be the Matt DeLuca we all know off the field.”
For DeLuca, it was about staying consistent and embracing the moment.
“Let’s just go out there and not try to overdo anything or overthink anything,” DeLuca said. “Just go out there and do what I did against the Whips.”
With DeLuca stepping into the spotlight, the Waterdogs now head into the semifinals against the New York Atlas in Philadelphia on Labor Day with momentum and a goalie who’s proving he belongs.
