PLL Week 12 Preview: Waterdogs Doubleheader Headlines Philly Finale
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© 2026 USA Lacrosse. All Rights Reserved.
© 2026 USA Lacrosse. All Rights Reserved.
The Premier Lacrosse League regular season culminates with three games in Philadelphia. The Waterdogs just need to win one of two games to lock up the top seed in the East and a first-round bye in the playoffs.
California looks to become the last team to punch its ticket to the playoffs with a win over Denver, but it can still sneak in with a loss as long as it’s by 11 or fewer.
Saturday 2 p.m. EST | Watch: ESPN | Betting Lines: Waterdogs -1.5/-2.5 vs. Atlas, O/U 25.5
Key storylines: With New York eliminated from playoff contention, the biggest storyline is whether Philadelphia can lock up the top seed in the East with a win. The Waterdogs are heavily favored to do so, but the Atlas only lost by a goal when these teams played a few weeks ago.
Another thing to monitor is which goalie the Waterdogs start. Matt DeLuca was activated off injured reserve this week, but rookie Sean Byrne has played so well that it’d be surprising if he didn’t make his fifth consecutive start.
Philadelphia coach Bill Tierney could also decide to have Byrne and DeLuca each start a game this weekend, especially if the Waterdogs secure the first-round bye.
From a betting perspective, this is also the first time this season that we have a team as a 2.5-point favorite on multiple sportsbooks. The Waterdogs opened as a 1.5-point favorite but quickly moved to -2.5 on all but a select few sportsbooks. The sportsbooks still offering Waterdogs -1.5 at the time of publication are bet365, Caesars and DraftKings. Will the Waterdogs win by three or more, or will New York cover the spread in their final game of 2026?
Players to watch: Philadelphia’s CJ Kirst continues to be on record watch. He’s tied with Marcus Holman for the most goals in a single season at 30, despite doing so in two fewer games than Holman did in 2023. With two more games to go, it would be more of a shock if Kirst doesn’t break the record, and he’ll have a high probability of doing it Saturday.
New York’s Bryan Costabile is also seeking to break a record after tying the two-point goals record with his seventh two weeks ago. He had a two-pointer against Philly when they last faced off, and with nothing else to play for, it wouldn’t be a surprise if we saw him take a few more two-point shots than normal in this game.
Bold prediction: New York puts up a fight early, but Philadelphia eventually pulls away to win and lock up the top seed in the East. Additionally, Kirst scores a few goals to break the single-season record, and Costabile sets the record for most two-point goals in a season with his eighth of the year.
Best Bets: Philadelphia Waterdogs -1.5 (-130 on bet365), Over 1.5 Two-Point Goals (+150 on BetMGM/FanDuel)
Sunday 1 p.m. EST | Watch: ABC | Betting Lines: Waterdogs -1.5 vs. Whipsnakes, O/U 24.5
Key storylines: If the Atlas win Saturday, the pressure to win ramps up for the Waterdogs on Sunday. The Waterdogs need to win one of their games — otherwise the Cannons beat them in a tiebreaker based on score differential.
Maryland wants to play spoiler and gain some momentum heading into the playoffs, regardless of whether the Whipsnakes face Boston or Philly in the opening round. The Whipsnakes’ overtime loss in Boston undoubtedly left a sour taste in their mouths, and they should come out motivated even with technically nothing to play for.
Players to watch: Maryland made a handful of roster moves ahead of this weekend, claiming Michael Boehm off the Redwoods roster after he was left off California’s active roster for more than three games. As a result, Boehm will make his Whipsnakes debut Sunday. He’ll likely come out of the box to start, but it will be interesting to see if he replaces Rob Pannell on the attack line for any notable minutes.
Head coach Jim Stagnitta should start Pannell, TJ Malone and Joey Spallina in the playoffs, but with little to lose or gain, we could see him tinker with his lineup Sunday.
Short-stick defensive midfielder Christian Mazur has also been activated after missing the previous 11 games due to military commitments. Maryland hopes Mazur can pick up where he left off last year and help slow down this lethal Philly offense.
Finally, Spallina is still the favorite to win rookie of the year at -165 (62-percent chance), but Boston faceoff specialist Andrew McMeekin’s performance last weekend shifted his odds from +5000 (two-percent chance) to +150 (40-percent chance) this week. Spallina is also four points away from tying Brendan Nichtern’s rookie scoring record. Can Spallina break the record and solidify his rookie of the year campaign in the season finale?
Bold prediction: We’re treated to another shootout between these teams, with Maryland winning a close one to finish .500 on the season.
Best Bet: Over 24.5 (-104 on FanDuel or -105 on BetMGM)
Sunday 3:30 p.m. EST | Watch: ESPN+ | Betting Lines: Outlaws -1.5 vs. Redwoods, O/U 23.5
Key storylines: The Redwoods’ path to the playoffs is simple: win or lose by only 11 or fewer goals. A Denver blowout victory of 12 goals or more, while highly unlikely, would get Carolina in the playoffs. A win by 12 or more would also net the Outlaws the second-overall pick in the 2027 draft since the Redwoods traded next year's first-round pick to Denver in exchange for goaltender Ryan Croddick.
Unless the Outlaws win by 12 or more, we’ll get this matchup again to start the playoffs. Will that factor into how each coach approaches the finale?
Despite a dominant win last week, Denver is still dealing with injuries. Both Pat Kavanagh and Jared Bernhardt are on injured reserve, and defenders Ben Randall and Mike Manley will also miss Sunday’s game.
Both teams have an incentive to try and score as many goals as possible. That motivation, paired with Denver’s defensive injuries, should lead to a higher scoring game on Sunday than when these teams last played.
Players to watch: Denver coach Tim Soudan said starting goalie Logan McNaney was close to 100 percent last week but that they’d continue to start Owen McElroy until McNaney was fully healthy. Will Soudan give McNaney some more time to rest, or will he want to get McNaney some reps in a low-pressure situation ahead of the playoffs?
California’s Finn Thomson had a career-high three points in his third PLL game. His 24 touches were nearly double his 13 combined touches in his first two outings. Will Thomson continue to produce for a Redwoods team that has been inconsistent on offense this season?
Bold prediction: Redwoods win a close one and finish their season on a winning note, setting up a rematch between these two teams in Minneapolis on August 29.
Best Bet: Over 23.5 (-105 on TheScore Bet or -110 on BetMGM/FanDuel)
Hutton Jackson is a Northern Virginia native who played lacrosse at DeSales University. He started contributing to USA Lacrosse in 2022 and began covering the PLL and NLL on his podcast, Pro Lacrosse Talk, in 2019. When he’s not writing about lacrosse, he can be found diving around the crease in local men’s leagues and ranting about Baltimore and D.C. sports.
