PLL Week 12 Recap: Kirst Sets Single-Season Goals Record as Waterdogs Sweep Philly Doubleheader

The 2026 Premier Lacrosse League regular season concluded with the Waterdogs sweeping their doubleheader at home. Philadelphia defeated New York and Maryland to finish the season with the league’s best record at 9-3 and claim a first-round bye in the playoffs. They’ll face the winner of the Whipsnakes vs. Cannons in the Eastern Conference final.

The Redwoods took care of business against a shorthanded Denver by blowing out the Outlaws and punching their ticket to the playoffs. The quarterfinals will feature a rematch between these two teams, with the winner facing the Archers in the Western Conference final.

WATERDOGS DOMINATE ATLAS TO CLAIM TOP SPOT IN THE EAST

Score: Philadelphia Waterdogs 18, New York Atlas 10

Stat of the Game: CJ Kirst entered the weekend needing just one more goal to beak the single-season goals record held by Marcus Holman. He set the new record late in the first quarter on a sweep from the left wing and eventually tallied three more during the weekend to set the new record at 34 goals in a single season.

Recap: Philadelphia needed just one more win to cement its place at the top of the standings and did so in a dominant 18-10 victory over New York. The Atlas took an early two-goal lead thanks to a goal and assist from newcomer Cole Williams in his first game with the Bulls. However, Michael Sowers quickly answered with a pair of goals and Kirst capped the three-goal run off with his record-breaking 31st goal of the season. Kirst’s record-breaking tally was one of a trio of goals and gave him his seventh hat trick of the season and 10th hat trick in just 16 career games. Kirst talked about the moment after the game.

“Honestly, I didn’t think too much of it heading into the game or tried not to, at least," he said. "It really hit me when everyone came on to the field and was able to celebrate with every guy. That was pretty special and definitely something I’m going to carry with me from that moment.”

New York held a 5-4 lead entering the second quarter, but a 6-2 run by Philly to end the first half made the score 10-7 and gave the Waterdogs a lead that they never relinquished. Sowers led the charge with four goals and an assist and rookie Josh Yago notched his first career hat trick and had an assist as well.

“Absolute steal of the draft — [Yago] can do everything. He can beat a long pole, he can beat a short stick, he can work in the two-man game, he can nail step-downs, he can play off-ball. His versatility is unbelievable,” Kieran McArdle said. “He’s such an unselfish player… He goes out there, does his job and does it damn well.”

For Atlas, the loss dropped the team to 3-9 on the year in what was a forgettable season plagued by injuries. When asked to evaluate the season, Atlas coach Mike Pressler said he’d take some time before addressing the positives and the negatives of the 2026 season.

“You have to take the emotion out of it. Let a week go by, then start thinking about it a little more and you evaluate everything… from the pros and cons, the coaches and the players,” Pressler said. “Like I said last year after we won [the championship], the team we had in ‘25 will never be assembled again, and it wasn’t. The team in ‘26 will never be assembled again. It will always be a different team, regardless of whether you win or lose. So, we’ll have a big eval and deep dive.”

WATERDOGS OUTLAST WHIPSNAKES FOR Ninth WIN

Score: Philadelphia Waterdogs 11, Maryland Whipsnakes 9

Stat of the Game: On Sunday, rookie goaltender Sean Byrne made 20 saves, breaking the PLL’s rookie saves record of 19 set by Byrne himself just 24 hours earlier. It also tied the Waterdogs’ single-game record set by Matt DeLuca earlier in the year.

Recap: While the game was inconsequential when it came to the playoffs, it was hard to tell from the way both Philadelphia and Maryland battled. Both teams traded blows, with the Waterdogs ultimately hanging on and winning, 11-9.

“These guys are special… They didn't have to win today, they didn’t have to play today, they didn’t have to care today, and yet they did it even more,” Philadelphia coach Bill Tierney said. “The effort, the care and [Sean Byrne] saving our butt more times than I care to remember made for a special day.”

Since becoming the starter, Byrne is 5-0 with a 66.1% save percentage and is allowing an average of just 8.5 scores per game. Byrne, who is a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army and currently spending his summer as an athletic intern at West Point, talked about how grateful he’s been for the opportunity to continue to play lacrosse. He explained that after his internship ends in December, he’ll attend his basic officer leadership course and then report to his duty station.

“I don’t really know what lies ahead. I’m honestly just really grateful to be here this year,” Byrne said. “At the time when we lost to Penn State, I thought that was my last guaranteed game. So, just being able to put on pads and a jersey and go run around and be a kid has meant the world.”

Offensively, it was another strong outing for Sowers, who had another five-point game and became just the second player to pass the 50-point mark in a single season, joining Jeff Teat, who had 64 points in 2024.

Sowers and Kirst finished the season as the second-highest scoring duo in a single PLL season with 90 combined points. Only Teat and Xander Dickson had more, with 94 combined in 2024. With the regular season now over, the 2026 MVP discussion will be a fascinating one.

Sowers’ 51 points and 4.3 points per game edge out Kirst’s 39 and 3.9, but there’s an argument to be made that the attention that Kirst demands of opposing defenses has allowed Sowers to thrive.

There’s not a lot of precedent to go off as it relates to two teammates being such close favorites to win the award. Cannons teammates Asher Nolting and Marcus Holman had a similar season as Sowers and Kirst in 2023, with Nolting notching 21 goals and 20 assists through 10 games and Holman recording 44 points while setting the single-season goals record at the time with 30. However, neither player won the award as Archers midfielder Tom Schreiber took hom MVP that year.

Schreiber’s 37 points were seven shy of Holman and two shy of his teammate Connor Fields, but he tied his own PLL record for most points by a midfielder and had a couple of memorable “MVP moments” during the season, including an overtime game-winner against Atlas.

It will be fascinating to see how voters view Sowers and Kirst’s respective seasons this year, but one of the two will undoubtedly be taking home some hardware this offseason. However, if you asked either of them, they’re more concerned about winning a championship trophy.

Despite the loss, the Whipsnakes had a couple of bright spots. Faceoff specialist Jake Knapp won 56% of his draws in his PLL debut, and short-stick defensive midfielder Christian Mazur played well defensively and had a goal in his first game action of 2026. Maryland coach Jim Stagnitta applauded both players’ contributions and the team’s effort as a whole.

“I’m pleased with the effort. I’ve said to this group in the locker room all year that they’re capable of being great if we can be consistent and compete a little bit harder,” Stagnitta said. “I thought we competed hard today. We just have to do the little things consistently well.”

REDWOODS BLOW OUT SHORTHANDED OUTLAWS

Score: California Redwoods 18, Denver Outlaws 11

Stat of the Game: Rookie Finn Thomson had three goals and an assist, bringing his season point total to nine in just four games, while averaging just 13.8 touches per game.

Recap: California only needed to not lose by 12 or more to secure a playoff spot, but ended the season on a high note with an 18-11 win over Denver. Redwoods coach Anthony Kelly was happy the team could secure a win and some positive momentum heading into the postseason.

“We earned our way in. We didn’t want to lose our way into the playoffs,” Kelly said. “The playoffs are a new season. Today feels good, but we’ll put it behind us and move on to Minnesota.”

Garnsey and Andrew McAdorey led the way for the Redwoods with five points each. Thomson was close behind with four points, which included his first career hat trick and a beautiful behind-the-back assist on a Dylan Molloy behind-the-back goal that claimed the top spot on SportsCenter’s Top 10.

“Finn’s incredibly tough. Catches everything, finishes everything. When you have that presence on the inside, guys are a little slower to slide off of him and get to our dodgers and our shooters,” Garnsey said. “You see the hands and the finishing ability, but you probably don’t see the gravity he has.”

With little to play for, the Outlaws rested five starters, including Pat Kavanagh and Jared Bernhardt. Denver coach Tim Soudan implied that both Kavanagh and Bernhardt are expected back for the playoffs, saying “offensively we should be whole by the time we get back."

He was less clear on whether all three starting close defenders Ben Randall, JT Hiles-Harris and Mike Manley would be fully healthy in two weeks.

“Defensively, they were still a little banged up this week. We’ll get some updates on them as the week goes on,” Soudan said regarding his three starting defenders.

The Outlaws were able to get starting goalie Logan McNaney some live game action after he missed the last game and a half due to injury. McNaney started the first half and Owen McElroy came in for the second, as Soudan said was planned.

“Logan felt really good this week, but we didn’t want to press it too much. I thought Logan played great in the first half,” Soudan said. “We know McNaney’s our guy.”

California and Denver will meet again in the opening matchup of the postseason on August 29. Soudan said he felt both teams probably played things close to the vest with a rematch on the horizon.

“Neither team probably wanted to show a whole lot. I think that’s the nuance of coaching this game and knowing we’re going to play them the next game,” Soudan said. “Getting those guys woven back into the offense really quickly, and getting those D guys back, we're going to be ready to roll.”

2026 REGULAR SEASON PICKS RESULTS

The best bets I gave out in my regular season previews finished with a record of 32-26. If you bet $10 on bets with plus odds (i.e. $10 to win $12 at +120) and bet to win $10 on bets with minus odds (i.e. $12 to win $10 at -120), you’d have made $74.50 this season with an ROI of +11.88%.