New York Atlas 17, Philadelphia Waterdogs 9
Paul Lamonaca: “48 Full” leads to New York domination on both ends of the field
It was the bounce-back game that the Atlas needed after carrying a two-game losing streak into Baltimore Weekend. New York never trailed against the Waterdogs en route to an eight-goal rout, evening its record at 2-2.
“For me, it’s the halftime response,” Atlas head coach Mike Pressler said. “That was a huge emphasis for us, and we scored two right away coming out in the third quarter, and I couldn’t be more proud of our effort. The team in white really wanted this one, and it showed for a full 48 minutes”
New York’s offense was backed by an eight-point Jeff Teat outing (5G, 3A) after the 2024 MVP tallied just one point in last week’s loss to the Maryland Whipsnakes. Bryan Costabile finished with six points (4G, 2T) from the midfield, and Connor Shellenberger (1G, 2A) and Matt Traynor (3A) each added three points.
Liam Entenmann racked up a career-high 22 saves against the league’s second-highest-scoring offense.
“He continuously bails us out when we need him,” Teat said. “He makes the easy saves, [and] he makes the saves that he probably shouldn’t. Every time we’re having a blimp in the game, something that we’re maybe struggling with, he always seems to stay confident.”
New York’s defense held league MVP favorite Michael Sowers to just three points on 32 touches. That group was aided by the return of top defensive midfielder Danny Logan, who missed last week’s game with an injury.
Even with Trevor Baptise winning just 52% of his faceoffs, New York still found ways to convert on the offensive end, turning in the highest-scoring performance of any PLL team this season.
Up next for New York: Friday, June 27 vs. Utah Archers (11:30 p.m. ET)
Mike Bolger: Philly offense falls flat as defense gives up most goals of Tierney era
The Waterdogs totaled 30 goals during their 2-0 start. Over their last two games, they’ve managed just 16.
The offense hasn’t looked the same, and that’s partly due to the decrease in touches Sowers has received.
Sowers recorded 80 touches over the first two games but has just 56 since, which is impacting the other pieces in the offense. That’s especially true of off-ball players like Jake Taylor and Thomas McConvey, who thrive when Sowers feeds them and creates space.
“I think with teams limiting Sowers’ touches, it makes it a little difficult for those guys to get going as well,” Kieran McArdle said.
McArdle said the offense needs to get back to playing as a well-rounded machine and not focus so much on “me-ball.”
Shot quality also wasn’t in the Waterdogs’ favor during Saturday’s loss, as they shot 20% on the evening after leading the league in that category (32.5%) coming into the game.
Defensively, head coach Bill Tierney thought the unit wasn’t playing aggressively, which created some easy Atlas looks. New York’s 17 scores were the most ever allowed by a Tierney-coached Waterdogs team.
Goalie Matt DeLuca had one of his worst statistical days in a Waterdogs uniform (seven saves, 31.8%), but Tierney said he did not consider a change in net.
“No, you’ve gotta be really careful with goalies,” Tierney said. “When it crosses your mind to replace a goalie, there’s nothing you can do about the goals that already went in.”
Despite the rough outing, there were a few silver linings.
Marcus Hudgins and Dylan Hess had career days, combining for seven caused turnovers and seven ground balls. The penalty-kill unit also kept its perfect record of not allowing any power-play goals this season.
At the stripe, Alec Stathakis went toe-to-toe with Baptiste and won 51.9% of his draws.
“Phenomenal,” Tierney said of the second-year faceoff man. “He did everything we asked him to.”
Up next for Philadelphia: Saturday, June 28 vs. California Redwoods (6 p.m. ET)
Boston Cannons 13, Maryland Whipsnakes 12
Sarah Griffin: Cannons hold on, beat Whips in nailbiter
It wasn’t a pretty win, but the Cannons didn’t seem worried about appearances.
When Asher Nolting netted his first goal of the night at the start of the fourth quarter, it gave Boston a five-goal lead – the Cannons’ largest of the night. Vibes were high, with a top-tier celly from Nolting to match.
The Cannons’ quarterback, as he’s come to be known, produced six points (1G, 5A) against Maryland in the 13-12 victory. An impressive feat, especially when matched up 1-on-1 with Matt Dunn. “Positionless lacrosse,” as he described it after the game. On this Cannons team, there are no assigned roles – and perhaps that’s what separates this Boston group from the one that fell short in the playoffs last year.
The Cannons were able to hold on to win despite just one goal from Nolting and no points from linemate Marcus Holman.
“A one-goal game from Asher and no goals from Marcus was a loss [last September],” head coach Brian Holman said.
Ultimately, the Whipsnakes had no answer for the juggernaut that is the Cannons midfield. Ryan Drenner, Matt Campbell, Connor Kirst and Mic Kelly combined for 10 points. Rookie attackman Coulter Mackesy also contributed two goals of his own.
Those contributions from all over the roster made all the difference for Boston. The Whipsnakes cut the Cannons’ five-point lead to one in the final minute. What could’ve been a complete meltdown turned into a nailbiter – but made it all the more satisfying as the final buzzer rang.
The Cannons remain at the top of the Eastern Conference standings after another hard-fought battle. Only time will tell how much this team has evolved since last September, but Holman’s squad looks like the early championship favorite.
Up next for Boston: Saturday, June 28 vs. Carolina Chaos (8:30 p.m. ET)
Miles Jordan: Once again, close but no cigar
For the second time this season, the 1-3 Whipsnakes fell short in a close game, losing by a single point to open their Homecoming Weekend.
“We can’t wait until the fourth quarter to play,” Whipsnakes attackman Rob Pannell said. “We didn’t play a full 48 minutes tonight.”
Maryland’s offensive production did have its bright spots against the Cannons.
The Whipsnakes’ offense still revolved around TJ Malone, who led all scorers with seven points (4G, 1T, 2A) and was an important part of nearly every offensive possession for Maryland.
“He is one of the top players in the league right now,” Brian Holman said. “The way we approach those guys is, can we mitigate the damage? He is a handful.”
Matt Brandau notched his first career hat trick (4G) and now has six goals in his first season with the Whipsnakes.
“If we can get that kind of production [from Brandau], it takes pressure off of TJ,” Whipsnakes head coach Jim Stagnitta said.
Outside of his impressive scoring performance, Brandau will be part of professional lacrosse history because of who assisted on his first goal of the night.
Pannell etched his name into the record books by capturing his 293rd career assist, breaking Ryan Boyle’s all-time record. He dished out two assists Saturday night — one to Aidan Carroll and another to Brandau — but had another relatively quiet shooting night (0-for-5).
Carroll (1G, 1A) found the back of the cage and assisted Malone on his second goal of the game. Brad Smith put the Whipsnakes on the board with a goal in the first quarter and fired home a two-pointer late in the third quarter to give Maryland some life.
The majority of the Whipsnakes’ touches were split between just five players: Malone (35), Smith (29), Carroll (30), Pannell (34) and Brandau (26). Colin Heacock (13), Matt Rambo (6) and Adam Poitras (18) combined for 37 touches.
Rambo, who attempted just two shots in the loss, has two points and zero goals in four appearances this season.
As a team, the Whipsnakes shot 11-for-38, with Malone, Brandau, Smith and Carroll being the only players to find the back of the cage.
Up next for Maryland: Sunday, June 22 vs. Carolina Chaos (2:30 p.m. ET)
