Waterdogs Attack Shines, Ierlan Again Leads Redwoods in Quarterfinals

The Philadelphia Waterdogs’ attack line alone outscored the Maryland Whipsnakes 14-12 during Saturday’s Premier Lacrosse League quarterfinal.

MVP finalist Michael Sowers started the party, scoring four points on just six touches in the first quarter. The trio of Sowers, Kieran McArdle and CJ Kirst all had hat tricks before halftime. Despite a lightning-quick start, the Waterdogs struggled to find the back of the net in the second half — failing to score for over 17 minutes.

A two-point goal from Whipsnakes’ midfielder Brad Smith switched the game’s momentum around and tied the score at 12 with 6:44 remaining. That was the first time the matchup was tied since the second goal of the game. 

Shortly after, McArdle earned a critical ground ball after a shot deflected off Whipsnakes goalie Emmet Caroll with 3:15 left, which allowed the Waterdogs to hold possession for over 90 seconds before McArdle cashed in to regain the lead.

After a Philadelphia defensive stand, McArdle found the back of the net again with 36 seconds left — finishing with a season-high six goals and ending Maryland’s season. 

Kirst drew a slide from defender Ajax Zappitello and then found Sowers, who delivered a no-look pass to McArdle on the goal.

“It’s been a little bit of a challenge for us all year as far as being inconsistent for four quarters,” Whipsnakes head coach Jim Stagnitta said. “Good second half, still had some opportunities and didn’t take advantage of them. The Waterdogs are very opportunistic, and unfortunately, we didn’t get it done when we had our chances.”

Rookie Aidan Carroll led the Whipsnakes with five points, capping off a productive rookie year (34 points). Veteran attackman Rob Pannell also had one of his best performances of the season, finishing with four points.

Despite the group not finding the back of the net, Waterdogs head coach Bill Tierney said his midfielders had their best collective performance of the season. Philadelphia outgained Maryland 38-34 in the ground ball battle but particularly outhustled the Whips in the middle of the field during the first half. 

Kirst trailed only Zach Currier with five ground balls, while Currier led the game with seven.

“I would just say that Zach is the most competitive person I’ve ever been around,” Sowers said. “He’s just got this drive and this motor that never stops.”

That was Currier’s third game this season with at least seven ground balls. The Waterdogs’ win snapped a four-game losing skid, and Tierney earned the first playoff win of his PLL career.

They’ll face the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed, the New York Atlas, in Philadelphia on Monday, Sept. 1, at 3 p.m. Sowers, who grew up outside of Philadelphia, said the Waterdogs’ veterans did a great job of not letting the team look ahead at potentially playing the semifinals in their home city.

“We're going to need that fanbase behind us, cheering us on,” McArdle said. “We'll feed off that energy. We’ve done it before in big moments, so we're looking forward to having our fans out there.”

Redwoods complete five-goal comeback

The California Redwoods completed a roaring five-goal comeback against the Carolina Chaos to earn their second playoff win since 2019.

After staring at a 10-5 deficit with 10:16 left in the third quarter, the Redwoods posted a 9-2 run over the Chaos the rest of the way. Rookie midfielder Andrew McAdorey sparked the run with back-to-back goals before a shot from Romar Dennis bounced off Chaos defender Scott Smith and into the net. Dennis’ shot was released from beyond the two-point arc and brought Carolina’s lead down to one goal before eking out a 14-12 win.

If it wasn’t for California goalie Chayse Ierlan’s performance, the Chaos lead could’ve been too big to come back from. The second-year netminder continued his good form throughout the Redwoods’ four-game winning streak with a career-high 18 saves on a 60-percent efficiency. 

He clinched California’s playoff berth during its last game with a clutch stop as time expired and had two of his best statistical performances of the season in the weeks prior.

“I just felt good and felt happy to be out there just playing the game that I love,” Ierlan said. “As long as we keep that energy as a group and just enjoy to fight for more time, I think that’s what's going to propel us.”

Ierlan also made a show-stopping save on attackman Owen Hiltz during the third quarter that kept Carolina on a drought before Dennis scored.

“Every time we needed one, he made a big save,” Redwoods attackman Ryder Garnsey said. “That save on Hiltz in the third quarter was one of the best saves I’ve ever seen.”

The young goalie outperformed the five-time First-Team All-Pro goalie Blaze Riorden, who finished with 10 saves on a 43.5-percent efficiency. The Chaos were without one of their strongest scoring options in midfielder JJ Sillstrop and Hiltz exited the game during the fourth quarter.

Hiltz still finished as Carolina’s leading scorer with four points, while second-year midfielder Shane Knobloch finished as the Chaos’ only player with a hat trick. He scored his third goal off a dodge from X to bring California’s lead down to 13-12 with 3:59 remaining.

“It was a phenomenal group,” Chaos head coach Roy Colsey said. “I couldn’t ask for a better effort, I couldn't ask for a better group of guys and I couldn’t ask for a better locker room. I know I could speak for every guy when I say we’re disappointed that this season is over and that we only got to spend 11 weekends together.”

In Colsey’s first season, the Chaos registered at least five regular season wins for just the third time ever. Three of Carolina’s four leading scorers this season were either rookies or second-year players.

California will face the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed, the Denver Outlaws, on Monday, Sept. 1, at 12 p.m. That will be Denver’s first game since Aug. 1.