Although the 2024 PLL season didn’t end the way the Whipsnakes wanted, Maryland now has a chance to start 2025 exactly where they finished last season with a rematch against the Utah Archers.

The two-time defending champion Archers topped the Whipsnakes 12-8 in the 2024 Cash App Championship, rallying from a 4-1 deficit early in the second quarter to claim their second straight title. This Saturday afternoon, the two teams will meet again in Albany in one of the most anticipated matchups of Opening Weekend.

“They’re a well-coached, well-balanced team, and I have a ton of respect for them,” Whipsnakes head coach Jim Stagnitta said.

After Matt Rambo, TJ Malone, Adam Poitras and Joe Nardella helped push the Whips to a three-goal lead in the 2024 title game, disaster struck as Alex Mazzone found the cage but lost the head of his stick on the shot. 

The goal – which would have extended the Whips' lead to four – was disallowed due to an equipment violation, which caused outrage from Maryland’s sideline and gave Utah a flash of hope. 

The Archers capitalized on the opportunity, and defenseman Mason Woodward incited the turning point in the contest, firing a two-pointer past Brendan Krebs to spark a four-point swing and that helped tie the game entering halftime.

Mazzone’s goal being wiped away, paired with Woodward’s two-bomb, flipped the momentum from Maryland to Utah, something Stagnitta still vividly recalls. 

“I can still see us with a couple-goal lead. We were in the zone, and then [Mazzone’s] head falls off the stick,” Stagnitta recalled. “If we didn’t have any bad luck, we wouldn't have any good luck, but it ended up being a four-point turnaround. They come back and get a two, and Mason [Woodward] makes a great play in the open field.”

After Malone knotted the game at 5-5 to end the second quarter, the Archers flipped a switch in the second half, outscoring the Whips 7-3 in a runaway victory. 

“We got better from that [loss], and we learned from it,” Stagnitta said. “I welcome having an opportunity to open up [the season] against something like that because we are going to find out exactly what we are and what we need to do.”

However, this is not the same Maryland team that fell short in the title game last season. During the offseason, Stagnitta and his coaching staff acquired a few key pieces to enhance the Whips' already dangerous roster and fill the roles of several vacant positions left by retired players. 

Midfielder Mike Chanenchuk, short-stick defensive midfielder Wheaton Jackoboice and goalie Kyle Bernlohr all retired during the offseason, leaving space for new additions in all three phases of the field. 

Veteran attackman Rob Pannell signed with Maryland in the offseason, and Stagnitta drafted Aidan Carroll, an attackman out of Georgetown who has already earned the respect of the veteran during training camp. 

“[Carroll] already earned the trust of us veterans and the other guys on the team that when he has the ball, he has the green light,” Pannell said.

“That is true,” Stagnitta echoed in the Whips’ post-training camp press conference. 

Zed Williams, the Whips' leading goal-scorer from 2024, was traded to the Waterdogs in December in return for Matt Brandau and the 17th overall pick in the 2025 College Draft, which helped Maryland land defenseman Scott Smith out of Johns Hopkins. 

The Whips drafted goalie Emmet Carroll from Penn and SSDM Christian Mazur out of West Point to seemingly fill the roles of Bernlohr and Jackoboice. They also signed defenseman John DeFazio out of Salsbury to add depth on defense. 

“Emmet's been really good. To come through the door and play at the level that he has played coming right from college, it's impressive,” Stagnitta said. “Mazur stepped right in; he's been impressive. [DeFazio] can do a lot of things. He can play close; he can play pole. Both DeFazio and Scott Smith give us that guy who can play close and play at the pole and both be disruptive.”

For the returning players, this matchup is about redemption from 2024. For the newcomers, it is a chance to knock off the reigning champions and begin the season with a winning record. 

While Maryland’s roster may look a little different than it did back in September of 2024, what hasn't changed is the mutual respect between the two clubs. 

“I kind of see a little bit of us in them,” Stagnitta said. “They share the ball, play good team defense, they’re a well-balanced team. The history between the two of us is always good games, always competitive, a lot of respect on both sides, and I don't expect anything different. I think that we'll be prepared for that game just as they will be.”

The opening faceoff is set for Saturday, May 31 at 1 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN+.