Premier Lacrosse League Announces Record-Setting Attendance From Inaugural Championship Game In Philadelphia LOS ANGELES, CA. (September 25, 2019) – The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) announced today an attendance total of 12,556 from the inaugural PLL Championship this past Saturday (Sep. 21) at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, PA. – the highest ever single attended event in league history. …
1. Rambo’s vision in pick-and-rolls
Last week, Connor Fields was stranded on Landis Island. Matt Landis locked him down for 48 minutes. While we billed Landis against Matt Rambo (3G, 3A) as the marquee matchup, the Whipsnakes had different plans.
On a wooden desk in Drew Snider’s office there’s enough hardware to fill an aisle at Home Depot. There’s three professional championship rings, two World Games medals, and an assortment of other accolades.
In any sport, the best teams are the teams that adapt to the current set of rules. This starts with roster construction and continues on the field. Rules shape the speed and style of play. But rules are also constantly changing — just ask faceoff specialists. The Premier Lacrosse League is playing with a shorter field (100 yards) and a shorter shot clock (52 seconds) than field lacrosse has ever seen. It’s no surprise then that the two teams competing for the Crown — the Redwoods and the Whipsnakes — are the two best teams at the parts of the game that these rules emphasize: transitioning from defense to offense and from offense to defense.
1. Connor Fields vs. Matt Dunn, Round 1
Tim Muller drew the Connor Fields assignment in the first two matchups between these teams. Muller won Round 1, holding Fields to 2-for-6 shooting, no assists, and four turnovers in a Whipsnakes win. Fields and the Chaos countered in Round 2 with two goals, one assist, and one between-the-legs shot attempt.
In the 30th and final game of the Premier Lacrosse League’s inaugural regular season, Archers looked to clinch a playoff berth with a win over Whipsnakes. Following an Atlas victory the night before and a dominating Redwoods performance earlier in the day, Archers would need a victory to be in the race for The Crown. Across from them, Whipsnakes had clinched a Top 2 playoff spot and were looking to continue to build momentum from their Week 9 17-4 victory over Redwoods and head into playoffs firing on all cylinders.
1. What trick did Ryder Garnsey add to his bag this week?
Every damn week Ryder Garnsey (4G, 3A) adds a new trick to his bag. Sometimes it’s a pass – a shovel, a lever, or a behind-the-back. Sometimes it’s a new shot release point. It can be a new idea entirely, like throwing the ball to a defender as the shot clock expires in hopes of causing a turnover to earn a fresh 52-second clock. Most of these tricks aren’t new for Garnsey alone – they’re new for the entire sport of lacrosse.
1. Whips midfielders dodging decisively
The Whipsnakes – excuse me, “Clinchsnakes” – midfielders are all carbon copies of each other. They can unleash shots on the run with either hand. Because of their two-handedness, they have a tendency to rollback repeatedly. Those staircase dodges work well against slow-to-go defenses like the Chrome. Against a defense that helps early like the Redwoods, those midfielders need to drive one side decisively and move the ball after drawing a slide.
After giving up 20 goals in a shocking loss to Chrome in Week 8, Whipsnakes came back with renewed focus and were locked in on clinching a playoff berth. For the Redwoods, the impact of Greg Gurenlian’s return to the faceoff X was muted by the unfortunate injuries of defensive leader Eddy Glazener and offensive stalwart Matt Kavanagh.
Early in the second meeting between the Whipsnakes and the Chrome, you’d be hard pressed to tell which team was tied for first place and which had won only one game entering this weekend.