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The Premier Lacrosse League’s weeklong Championship Series is back for another go at The St. James in Springfield, Va., but this time, the PLL brought along some new friends.
Tuesday night marks the debut of the Women’s Lacrosse League, with the New York Charging and Maryland Charm kicking off the fledgling league at 7 p.m. Eastern on ESPN+.
There’s so much to know about the PLL and WLL Championship Series’, so we’ve got you 100 percent covered in this “Everything You Need to Know” primer.
WHEN: Feb. 11-17
WHERE: The St. James in Springfield, Va.
WATCH: All on ESPN+; Semifinals and championships also on ESPN2
The St. James, a 20-acre, 450,000-square-foot multi-purpose sports complex in Springfield, Va., has continuously drawn rave reviews from players, coaches and spectators. It is the official training center of Major League Soccer’s D.C. United.
All times Eastern; All games on ESPN+ unless otherwise noted
Tuesday, Feb. 11
7 p.m.: Maryland Charm vs. New York Charging
9 p.m.: Maryland Whipsnakes vs. New York Atlas
Wednesday, Feb. 12
7 p.m.: Boston Cannons vs. Utah Archers
9 p.m.: Boston Guard vs. California Palms
Thursday, Feb. 13
7 p.m.: Maryland Whipsnakes vs. Boston Cannons
9 p.m.: Maryland Charm vs. Boston Guard
Friday, Feb. 14
7 p.m.: California Palms vs. New York Charging
9 p.m.: New York Atlas vs. Utah Archers
Saturday, Feb. 15
12:30 p.m.: Maryland Charm vs. California Palms
2:30 p.m.: New York Charging vs. Boston Guard
6 p.m.: New York Atlas vs. Boston Cannons
8 p.m.: Maryland Whipsnakes vs. Utah Archers
Sunday, Feb. 16
10:30 a.m., ESPN2: WLL No. 2 seed vs. WLL No. 3 seed
6 p.m., ESPN2: PLL No. 2 seed vs. PLL No. 3 seed
Monday, Feb. 17
11 a.m., ESPN2: WLL No. 2/3 seed vs. WLL No. 1 seed
1:30 p.m., ESPN2: PLL No. 2/3 seed vs. PLL No. 1 seed
Lacrosse’s appearance in the 2028 Olympics will be in the Sixes format, a 6-v-6 discipline in which players must play both offense and defense. Every player carries a short stick and essentially play like midfielders. The field is 70-by-36 meters.
There are three distinct features in traditional Sixes that make the discipline compelling.
Firstly, possession is supreme. If a shot goes out of bounds, it is a turnover — unlike the field game. Secondly, there is a 30-second shot clock — the fastest in the sport. And finally, there are no faceoffs after goals. There is essentially an inbound pass like in basketball, with the goalie picking up the ball out of the cage and starting the next play.
The PLL and WLL Championship Series’ are round-robin regular-season tournaments that determine seeding for the semifinals. Unlike past years when each team made the playoffs, now the No. 1 seed earns a bye, and the No. 4 seed is eliminated outright.
Rules were altered after last year to eliminate the sudden victory overtime period. Now, there will be a four-minute overtime to determine a winner in such an instance. After a four-minute period, if it’s still tied, then there will be sudden victory.
There is also now a 10-second clearing clock as opposed to a 20-second clearing clock, encouraging teams to cross the midfield line quicker. Will this encourage more full-court presses like in basketball?
The WLL will follow many of the same rules. The inclusion of the two-point line in the Championship Series makes for an interesting offshoot of Olympic sixes, which does not emphasize distance shooting.
Boston Cannons
Marcus Holman
Alexander Vardaro
Matt Campbell
Asher Nolting
Ryan Drenner
JJ Sillstrop
Jeff Trainor
Ethan Rall
Bubba Fairman
Carter Parlette
Chris Aslanian
Colin Kirst (G)
Adam Ghitelman (G)
Maryland Whipsnakes
Ryan Conrad
Roman Puglise
Dylan Pallonetti
Tate Gallagher
Jack Koras
Colin Heacock
TJ Malone
Jacob Angelus
Matt Rambo
Wheaton Jackoboice
Brad Smith
Brendan Krebs (G)
Will Mark (G)
New York Atlas
Dylan Molloy
Ronan Jacoby
Tyler Carpenter
Payton Rezanka
Chet Comizio
Keegan Khan
Xander Dickson
Koby Smith
Bryan Costabile
Myles Jones
Christian Mule
Liam Entenmann (G)
JC Higginbotham (G)
Utah Archers
Jack Runkel (G)
Connor Maher
Piper Bond
Matt Moore
Ryan Aughavin
Jackson Morrill
Cole Williams
Nick Washuta (G)
Ryan Ambler
Beau Pedereson
Jack VanOverbeke
Mason Woodward
Mac O’Keefe
Boston Guard
Madison Ahern
Andie Aldave
Dempsey Arsenault
Kasey Choma
Marge Donovan
Hannah Dorney
Charlotte North
Courtney Taylor
Cassidy Weeks
Jackie Wolak
Kady Glynn (G)
Rachel Hall (G)
California Palms
Erin Bakes
Maggie Bill
Sam Geiersbach
Maggi Hall
Ally Mastroianni
Emily Nalls
Isabella Peterson
Sammy Jo Tracy
Kayla Wood
Caitlyn Wurzburger
Kait Devir (G)
Taylor Moreno (G)
Maryland Charm
Alex Aust Holman
Sydni Black
Abby Bosco
Katia Carnevale
Lizzie Colson
Aurora Cordingley
Megan Douty
Grace Griffin
Megan Whittle
Jillian Wilson
Paulina DiFatta (G)
Caylee Waters (G)
New York Charging
Meg Carney
Erin Coykendall
Lauren Gilbert
Kendall Halpern
Emily Hawryschuk
Kylie Ohlmiller
Izzy Scane
Belle Smith
Meg Tyrrell
Emma Tyrrell
Madison Doucette (G)
Molly Laliberty (G)
This will be the third PLL Championship Series. A quick look at the previous winners:
2023: Chrome LC
2024: Boston Cannons
IT’S THEIR TIME
Yes, the most obvious storyline is the debut of the WLL, which was announced in November. As Phil Shore wrote later that month, it took months of planning and secret meetings to get the league off the ground.
The product should be electric, with some of the best women’s athletes in the sport descending on The St. James for the league’s debut.
GOLDEN ROSTER
While many players involved in the USA Lacrosse Women’s Sixes training team are sprinkled throughout the league’s four rosters, could the California Palms have the inherent edge in the tournament given their box backgrounds?
U.S. Women’s Box National Team head coach Ginny Capicchioni is the Palms’ assistant coach. There are also four players — Erin Bakes, Ally Mastroianni, Kayla Wood and Taylor Moreno — on the Palms’ roster. That’s the most U.S. Women’s Box players of any of the four rosters. (Maryland has three players.)
REPEAT READY
The Boston Cannons were the 2024 Championship Series winners, coming into the title game as the perceived underdog against the undefeated Philadelphia Waterdogs.
Can they repeat? Much of the roster returns, with headliners like Marcus Holman and Asher Nolting orchestrating things on the offensive end.
Title odds via DraftKings as of Monday, Feb. 11, at 1 p.m. Eastern
Archers +260
Atlas +260
Cannons +270
Whipsnakes +300
Guard +250
Charm +270
Charging +270
Palms +300
Kenny DeJohn has been the Digital Content Editor at USA Lacrosse since 2019. First introduced to lacrosse in 2016 as a Newsday Sports reporter on Long Island (yes, ON Long Island), DeJohn specializes in women's game coverage. His search for New York quality pizza in Baltimore is ongoing.
