The Philadelphia Waterdogs are once again champions! The Waterdogs secured their second PLL title with a dominating performance, demolishing the Denver Outlaws by a score of 14-4 last Sunday in North Jersey. It’s the 11th professional lacrosse title (field and box combined) won by the city of Philadelphia since 1989. The win caps off an amazing run in which the Waterdogs won 10 of their last 11 games after starting the season 1-2, including a 19-5 drubbing at the hands of the Boston Cannons early in the season. It’s also the first title at the professional level for Waterdogs head coach Bill Tierney, and his eighth championship overall (college and professional combined). He is the first coach to win a title at both the collegiate and professional level.
Waterdogs machine rolls on, even in the pouring rain
Waterdogs attackman CJ Kirst showed exactly why he’s the PLL’s Most Valuable Player in 2026. Kirst put up a hat trick in the first quarter, finishing the game with 5 goals 2 assists. His 7-point effort set a new PLL Championship Game record, and earned him Championship Game MVP honors. 2026 Attackman of the Year Michael Sowers and 2026 Midfielder of the Year Zach Currier each added a pair of goals for the Waterdogs in the victory. Currier put his typical “do it all” skills on display, picking up 9 ground balls and going 2-for-2 on faceoffs. Philly had eight different goal scorers in this game, with several goals coming quickly in transition, even on a rain-slicked field.
The Waterdogs defense gave Denver’s vaunted offense fits all afternoon. Denver’s four Tewaaraton Award winners – Pat Kavanagh, Brennan O’Neill, Logan Wisnauskas, and Jared Bernhardt – were held to a combined three points in this game. O’Neill’s goal with 1:28 remaining in the first half was the only shot the Outlaws registered in the second quarter, and ultimately ended up being the last goal Denver scored in the game. Rookie goalie Sean Byrne stopped 12 out of 16 shots in net for the Waterdogs, and held the Outlaws scoreless in the second half. Byrne finished the season a perfect 7-0 as the starter after taking over for an injured Matt DeLuca in Week 9 of the regular season. With a good young core of players already reaching the pinnacle, the Philadelphia Waterdogs now look toward 2027, and a chance to become the new dynasty in professional field lacrosse.
While Waterdogs look primed, questions abound for Outlaws
For the second straight year, the Denver Outlaws reached the Championship game only to come up empty. However, the pain of falling short against the Waterdogs may hit harder for the Outlaws as the offseason begins. A number of marquee names on Denver’s roster have their contracts expiring, chief among them Kavanagh and Bernhardt. Other Outlaws that may potentially become free agents include defensemen JT Giles-Harris and Mike Manley, SSDM’s Ryan Terefenko and Zach Geddes, long stick midfielder Jake Piseno, midfielder Graham Bundy Jr., and faceoff specialist Luke Wierman. Outlaws head coach Tim Soudan has his work cut out for him to rebuild for 2027 and try to make a third straight run to the finals. Only one team in PLL history has ever accomplished the feat: the Maryland Whipsnakes (2019/2020/2021).
