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PLL All-Star Rob Pannell

Top 5 Highlights from the 2026 PLL, WLL All-Star Games

July 6, 2026
Hutton Jackson
Premier Lacrosse League

Annapolis was home to the 2026 Premier Lacrosse League and Women’s Lacrosse League All-Star Games, with the West’s PLL All-Stars securing a 12-9 victory over the East, and Team Izzy’s WLL All-Stars winning a 16-15 thriller over Team Humphrey.

With Fourth of July weekend as the setting, players sported star-spangled uniforms. Brennan O’Neill and Rob Pannell took the patriotism a step further, wearing numbers “10” and “40” in honor of former Duke player Jimmy Regan and former Navy player Brendan Looney, respectively.

Regan was an Army Ranger who was killed in action in 2007 during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Looney was a Navy SEAL who died in 2010 during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

On the field, the Western Conference All-Stars erased an 8-3 deficit in the second half thanks to All-Star MVP Brett Dobson’s 11 saves. The WLL All-Star Game was closer down the stretch, with All-Star MVP Marie McCool breaking the 15-15 tie and giving Team Izzy the win with 45 seconds left.

It was fitting that the games were held on Independence Day weekend because both featured plenty of fireworks. Let’s take a look at the top plays from All-Star weekend.

5. Rob Pannell’s One-Handed Assist to Aidan Carroll

Pannell only needed one hand on a spot feed to Whipsnakes teammate Aidan Carroll.

 

 

4. Chad Palumbo’s Behind-the-Back Fake

We’ve seen Carolina’s Chad Palumbo go behind-the-back several times this year, but on Sunday, he pulled off a fake behind-the-back shot before scoring.

Later, Palumbo actually did go behind-the-back on a nifty feed on an Andrew McAdorey goal.

 

 

3. Sam King’s Bar-Down Backhand Goal

Archers attackman Sam King scored on a backhanded shot that went bar down and extended the West’s lead to 11-8.

 

 

2. Kavanagh Brothers’ Behind-the-Back Connection on Go-Ahead Goal

Pat Kavanagh went behind-the-back on a pass to his younger brother Chris, who caught it one-handed before burying the go-ahead goal and eventual winner for the West.

 

 

1. Marie McCool Backhand Game-Winner

With less than a minute left, Marie McCool backed down defender Sam Smith and got off a backhanded twizzler on the crease. The goal gave Team Izzy a 16-15 lead and the win.

 

 

It wasn’t the only time McCool scored on a backhand shot, as she buried a feed from Madison Ahern earlier in the game.

PLL/WLL Accuracy Challenge

Joey Spallina took home the PLL accuracy challenge crown, hitting the chain-linked targets eight times within the allotted 32 seconds to defeat Chris Kavanagh, CJ Kirst and Marcus Holman.

He faced Rachel Clark, the winner of the WLL accuracy challenge, in the final and bested his first effort by hitting the target nine times to defeat her. His skills challenge victory came 15 years after his “first” All-Star appearance when 8-year-old Spallina showed off some trick shots during the 2011 MLL All-Star Game freestyle competition.

 

 

PLL All-Star Fastest Shot Competition

Mason Woodward was a late addition to the fastest shot competition on Sunday but made the most of the opportunity. The Archers defender defeated Brennan O’Neill, Jake Piseno, Shane Knobloch and Troy Reh with a shot that clocked in at 115 MPH.  It wasn’t enough to top the record of 123 MPH set by Graeme Hossack last year, but it gave Utah the fastest shot competition winners in back-to-back All-Star games.

 

 

Written By

Hutton Jackson

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.

Hutton Jackson.

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