PLL Week 7 Recap: CJ Kirst’s MVP Campaign Continues

The Premier Lacrosse League’s trip to Chicago saw Eastern Conference teams win three of four inter-conference matchups. The parity of the PLL remains prevalent with all eight teams owning three or four wins through seven weeks.

Let’s take a look at how this log jam in the standings came to be.

CJ KIRST SCORES 6 AS WATERDOGS OUTLAST REDWOODS

Score: Philadelphia Waterdogs 15, Redwoods 13

Stat of the Game: Kirst’s six-goal performance marks the seventh time the second-year pro has had five points or more in only 10 career games. It was Kirst’s third “sock trick” since joining the PLL and seventh game with a hat trick or better. He’s also scored a goal on a league-leading 14 percent of his touches this season.

Recap: Kirst cemented himself as the MVP favorite. Kirst now leads the league with 20 goals and is on pace to score 50 despite missing Philadelphia’s first two games.

“We had a slow start but made our adjustments at halftime: get the ball to CJ and get out of the way,” Josh Yago said.

Kirst commanded all the headlines, but it was a group effort from Philadelphia’s offense. Michael Sowers had five points, and Kieran McArdle had three points, including his 200th career assist that gave him sole possession of eighth place all-time. Rookies Yago, Silas Richmond and Matt Collision also recorded at least a point. Even two-way midfielders Zach Currier and Matt Whichter played critical roles in the comeback.

It was a classic stat line for Currier, featuring seven ground balls, three points and a caused turnover. Currier’s two assists and goal came in the third quarter at the peak of the Waterdogs’ rally. Meanwhile, Whitcher set a strong pick to set up Kirst’s third goal and then assisted on Kirst’s fourth near the end of the third quarter.

“We have so many threats … the selfless lacrosse that we’re playing is huge,” Kirst said. “It starts in practice … talking through sets on film. When gametime comes, it’s second nature at that point.”

The game was as back-and-forth as could be, featuring a lead of more than two goals only once and five ties in the second half alone. The Redwoods reclaimed a two-goal lead early in the fourth quarter, but Sowers and Kirst fueled another Waterdogs comeback and connected on a goal late to give Philadelphia a 13-12 lead.

After Ryder Garnsey scored his fourth goal to answer, Sowers and Kirst put the game on ice with unassisted goals.

“These guys are coming together. I don’t think we’re there yet, but we take giant steps each game. Sometimes it’s two steps forward, one step back, but we’re getting there,” Philadelphia coach Bill Tierney said. “The most important thing is they believe in each other.”

Despite the loss, California remains in first place in the West at 4-3 with a plus-2 score differential.

“We have to be better in a lot of areas. We knew this one was going to be a close one. We knew that the margin of error was going to be very small,” California coach Anthony Kelly said. “We can’t afford to make some of the mistakes we made.”

ARCHERS ANNIHILATE ATLAS

Score: Utah Archers 16, New York Atlas 5

Stat of the Game: The Archers defense allowed single-digit goals for the fifth time in seven games and is allowing an average of nine goals per game this year.

Recap: The Archers held the defending champs to just five goals in a 16-5 win over the Atlas. Utah’s defense notoriously earns ice cream on defensive coordinator Tony Resch’s dime after every game it allows fewer than 10 goals, and he’s had to treat his defense five times already this season.

“Defensively, we were on point. We were physical. Our shorties were really good. Our close guys were good. They gave [Brett Dobson] a relatively easy night,” Utah coach Chris Bates said.

The Archers offense also deserves plenty of credit. After last game, Bates lamented not getting “enough guys involved,” but that wasn’t the case Friday. Nine Utah players recorded a point, including 2026 first-overall pick Aidan Maguire, who scored his first career goal.

“Tonight, he showed why he was the number one pick,” Piper Bond said. “He was dominant all over the field defensively. Great finish [on his goal]. He had another really good take early in the second quarter. I think that’ll be great for his confidence.”

It was the second-largest margin of victory by a team so far this season and lowest single-game total scored by the Atlas in team history. New York defender Brett Makar didn’t mince words when discussing his team’s effort in the loss.

“We weren’t ready to go from the start. That’s kind of been the thorn in our side the last few weeks. We were able to escape with a couple wins, but it’s been a recurring theme,” Makar said. “Super frustrated … We’ve got to be better, and we’ll find a way to be better. But right now, talk is cheap. We’ve got to find some way to get this thing going, and it takes action, no lip.”

YOUTHFUL CANNONS SECURE SECOND STRAIGHT UPSET

Score: Boston Cannons 15, Denver Outlaws 13

Stat of the Game: Rookie faceoff specialist Andrew McMeekin won 64.3 percent (18-for-28) of his faceoffs and had a goal and an assist in the Boston win. McMeekin has won 64 percent or more of his faceoffs in three of four career games.

Recap: Boston’s first- and second-year players continue to be the story and were the difference-makers in the Cannons’ 15-13 win over the Outlaws. All but two of Boston’s goals were scored by a player with less than three years of pro experience, with Coulter Mackesy and Brian Kelly leading the way with five and four points, respectively. Jack Regnery, Mikey Weisshaar and Graydon Hogg each had a pair of goals.

"They're not rookies anymore, right? We talked about that a couple of weeks ago, and I think that kind of unlocked them a little bit,” Boston coach Brian Holman said. “I’ve seen tremendous growth out of all of them and our whole team in general … First half [of the season] we learned a lot and we grew a lot. Now, we want to continue to grow and get better.”

Marcus Holman, the grizzly veteran of the group, also had two goals, including a two-pointer early in the second quarter that gave Boston an 8-2 lead. Despite a Denver rally, the Cannons never relinquished their lead in the second half.

Former Boston attackman Pat Kavanagh scored with around two minutes left to pull the Outlaws within a goal at 14-13, but Kelly answered for the Cannons 30 seconds later. Shortly after, Boston defender Ethan Rall sealed the win with a well-timed check on Jared Bernhardt. Rall recovered the ground ball and ran out the clock.

“To be successful in those situations, you have to want to be in those situations … Ethan said, ‘I got this. I want this.’ It’s in his face. It’s in his eyes,” Brian Holman said. “That confidence comes from his preparation and how hard he works. Great players want to be in those big-time situations.”

In a postgame interview with ESPN sideline reporter Sheehan Stanwick Burch, an emotional Brian Holman highlighted the team’s “guts, hard work and belief.”

“They believe in each other when a whole lot of people don’t, and that’s the beauty of sports, right?” Holman said. “It doesn’t matter what people say; it's what you believe and who you are in that locker room, so I’m just really proud.”

WHIPSNAKES SCORE 17 FOR SECOND TIME THIS YEAR

Score: Maryland Whipsnakes 17, Carolina Chaos 10

Stat of the Game: TJ Malone recorded six points on three goals and three assists. Malone also had zero turnovers and shot 37.5 percent in a winning effort.

Recap: The Whipsnakes snapped a two-game losing streak, scoring 17 goals for the second time this season in their win over the Chaos. Maryland dominated thanks to a combination of winning their matchups with Carolina’s short-stick defenders and crisp ball movement off the dodge. It was a great outing for an offense that had struggled to score in settled situations in recent weeks.

“Offensively, we’ve had three games in a row where we really underperformed. Today was a big step in the right direction,” Malone said. “We were a lot more aggressive from the start, had a great game plan and stuck to it.”

In addition to Malone, Joey Spallina and Aidan Carroll each had four points, and Rob Pannell moved to within three points of tying Paul Rabil’s record with a goal and an assist.

“We felt like we needed to get the attack more involved, and if the attack was more involved, it would pull the defense down a bit,” Maryland coach Jim Stagnitta said. “It was a great team effort and a much-needed win … Hopefully, it gives the guys a little insight into what they're capable of.”

Richie Connell also had success in his Whipsnakes debut, scoring two goals and setting up his teammates with effective screens.

“He did exactly what I had hoped he could’ve done … He showed up and had two goals, two great picks and a couple of great looks,” Stagnitta said. “I think he’s only going to get better.”

The loss was Carolina’s second straight, dropping the Chaos to last in the West at 3-4 and securing the second-worst score differential (minus-13) in the league.

“[The Whipsnakes] came out and pushed pace … They were getting strong hand, strong pipe finishes and dunks on the doorstep,” Jarrod Neumann said. “Whenever you’re giving that up, it’s an effort thing.”

On the offensive end, Carolina coach Steven Brooks experimented with some roster adjustments, opting to start Eric Spanos and Ross Scott at attack, run Jackson Eicher at midfield and leave Brendan Nichtern out of the lineup.

“It’s never easy to put a new offense in 24 hours before a game, but I thought we had a lot of positives,” Brooks said. “The biggest thing we need to do is be consistent offensively.”