Previewing the WLL Championship + Philadelphia Weekend | The Scoop, Episode 29
Previewing the WLL Championship + Philadelphia Weekend | The Scoop, Episode 29
Video Transcript
Coming up on The Scoop, the ELL Championship is finally here.
The California Palms and the Maryland Charm will face off on Saturday at 5:00 Eastern on ESPN.
Kylie Ohlmiller Reese joins us to break it down.
And the New York Atlas are on the clock.
The reigning champs will pick first in 2027. Who should they have their eye on?
Who is even eligible with all the five and five fogginess?
Adam Lamberti joins us to provide some clarity and discuss the top prospects, plus he previews the upcoming PLL weekend.
All that and more coming up on The Scoop.
Welcome back to The Scoop.
I am joined by PLL analyst Adam Lamberti, and Adam, the New York Atlas are on the clock.
The reigning champs have been eliminated from the playoffs and will pick first in the 2027 college draft.
You put out your way too early mock draft.
Now that some of the draft order is set and you have Ohio State defender Bobby Van Buren going number one overall to New York, what does Van Buren bring to that team?
Yeah, that's right, Joe.
So first off, New York, one of the worst defense in the league this past season, allowing an average of 14 scores a game.
Brett Makar has been really good for that unit, but overall just not great.
So Van Buren brings, a lefty to complement the righty Makar, really good on ball, very strong lower body, really good footwork, great athleticism, just a very good on ball cover guy that, if you remember, New York lost when Gavin Adler went to Philadelphia, this season.
Yeah, you mentioned Gavin Adler.
Only two defenders ever to go number one overall in the college draft.
It was Ryan Mollet in 2001, Gavin Adler in 2023.
The Adler pick obviously one that New York did not shy away from, one that paid off in 2025 when Adler went on to win defensive player of the year, lead them to a title.
If anybody's gonna pick a defender first overall, this New York front office we can expect would be one of those teams.
So could be a product of need, could also be a product of where this draft class sits.
Talk to me a bit, explain for, some of the fans still trying to get a grasp of what five and five, the fi- the NCAA's five and five ruling, what the implications are for this draft and beyond.
Yeah.
So the, the new ruling, the, the five and five rule, as it's known, is now players get five years of college eligibility, starting after high school, so it's a continuous five-year window.
So this, you know, affects like red shirt years, where it's like if you use a red shirt year, like that burns a year of eligibility.
Same with injuries, so you get f- a five-year continuous window.
So how it affects this draft, you know, players like Torton winner Sean Light, could return to Notre Dame for his, or wherever he wants to go, could return somewhere for, his fifth year of eligibility and, the assumption of a lot of people is that a lot of these top players will, you know, take that, extra year to try to compete for an NCAA championship and, that just kind of s- narrows down the group that can enter this class and, you know, could de- have a ripple effect down classes.
So the mock is operating based on the assumption that, these guys are the guys who will be available.
Bobby Van Buren has used his red shirt year.
He will have exhausted his fifth year come spring 2027.
Same for Dom Petramala, et cetera, all the players' names who you see in this draft class.
That's not to say that those are the only guys who are going to be available.
It's not unprecedented for a player to go to the pros before exhausting all of their college and s- NCAA eligibility.
We've seen it before.
Chad Palumbo could have used an extra year in college, didn't, went to the pros.
Brett Dobson, same situation.
Grant Ehman, same situation in 2020.
Opted to go for the pros rather than take another year of college.
It, it, it can start to get tricky with finding a master's program, especially at the Ivy League schools.
A lot of those players need to find, another program to transfer into.
So we could see players like Light, Duffy, some of those others who are initially pegged for this 2027 class make their way in, but for right now, this is the class that we can, we can bank on being there, in 2027.
Let's talk about the top offensive player on your board, Dom Petramala.
You had him number one on your big board.
You had him falling in this mock draft to number three overall to the Outlaws.
Do the Outlaws need more offensive weapons?
So right now they might not, but if you think about what's coming up, whose contracts are expiring, Pat Kavanagh and Jared Bernhardt, and you know, those are interesting players in that, like, I don't know if it's a guarantee that they're playing for Denver, when the draft rolls around next year, so you kind of need to think about, okay, like, let's have a plan, you know, if those guys aren't there.
And the other thing too is Dom Petramala, kind of reminds me of Brennan O'Neill in that, like, very good on the run shooter with his left hand, and you think about a Denver team that is struggling, with its secondary scoring.
Even if Bernhardt and Kavanagh remain Outlaws, Petramala could add that, you know, midfield scoring pop, with his outside shot on the run, on the run shot with that left hand that Denver has missed, you know, in the past two to three years.
The other interesting thing to note about that pick is that it's not Denver's pick necessarily.
If the season were to end today based on standings, the number three overall pick would be California's.
California traded that pick back in June to Denver For Princeton goalie Ryan Krodyk, who went undrafted this spring, was picked up off waivers by Denver.
Savvy move by Denver to pick him, and field trade offers, and the best offer that they received was from California, who made a move, betting, betting two things.
One, that this 2027 class was going to be weaker than expected because of the five and five ruling, and two, that while Dylan Ward had played exceptionally well in May, Krodyk was going to be their goalie of the future.
The future may be starting sooner than anticipated.
We saw Ryan Krodyk get some time in Boston last week against the Cannons.
Who knows who they'll turn to next week.
This California team has struggled in the second half of the year.
I actually think goalie is probably w- one of their most solidified spots.
They have two solid options in Ward and Krodyk.
What do you make of the rest of this California team as they, as they head into a, a presumed playoff run, as long as they're able to squeak out a win or, or lose by 11 or less in this weekend?
Yeah, you look at this Redwoods team and, and I think the theme this season is inconsistency.
Obviously, you've seen the really high moments, you know, 21 scores, a regular season record, against New York where their offense is clicking on all cylinders.
Their midfielders are winning their matchups.
Dylan Malloy, Chris Cavanaugh, and Ryder Garnsey at the attacker finishing their chances.
But it hasn't happened every single game.
Sometimes their midfielders struggle to win matchups and, their attack men are turning the ball over and not finishing their chances.
So, you kind of never really know what you're gonna get for the Redwoods.
It's also still a young team, you know, Chris Cavanaugh, Aidan Denenza, Andrew MacInory, all in their second years.
Yes, you have veterans like Ryder Garnsey and Malloy, but, you know, it's a team that hasn't really played, together in a ton of playoff games.
So the biggest question is can they find that consistency, especially on the offensive end moving into the playoffs?
Playoffs come early for them.
They've got an opportunity to play their way into it, and earn a rematch with Denver for the second time in as many weeks.
On the other side, the Eastern Conference, the Maryland Whipsnakes are locked into the number three seed.
They picked up Mikey Baime from the California Redwoods inactive lineup this week.
Baime had a strong start to the year before Ryder Garnsey came back into the lineup and pushed him out.
What does he bring to this Whipsnakes offense?
Mikey Baime brings vision and IQ to this Whipsnakes offense.
He has eight assists on the season with the Redwoods, which would still be second in the Redwoods if he was still playing for them.
And he stopped playing in June for the Redwoods.
So, he's-- he brings a lefty attack element, to this team and, and he's really good off the feed.
He can dodge anywhere on that side.
And I think for a Whipsnakes team, you know, they have some dodgers like Matt Brandau, Aidan Carroll, and Adam Patra, and some IQ guys like Spillina, Pannell, Malone that can finish their chances and dodge around the net.
And Baime kind of connects those units together, whether it's, you know, just transferring the ball to the backside or, you know, Aidan Carroll dodges, moves it forward to Mikey Baime.
Now Baime's looking, surveying the field, trying to find an open cutter, like Spillina or Patra, and just moving the ball quickly.
So his vision and IQ, I think will be very helpful to this Whips team, just kind of connecting those units and being, I guess you could say a glorified glue guy that, just makes the right decisions and makes them quick.
Glorified glue guy is an incredible tagline, and one that, that, that any player would embrace.
Where does he fit in positionally?
Is Baime a, i- is Baime a midfielder who inverts the same that we've seen from Aidan Carroll and Adam Patras from time to time, and even Matt Brandau too?
Is, is he a fourth inverting mid- midfielder on this team?
Is there a chance we see him on this attack line?
Yeah.
I think I see him as a midfielder, you know, kind of playing in a role that was occupied by guys like Truett Sunderland, you know, as kind of, a former attack man that's comfortable b- attacking behind the cage with a short stick and playing in those two main games.
But, you know, as you know, it's never, it's never bad to have another option at attack, especially on that left side with, injuries, you know, that just happened.
So I think there's a chance that we could see him at attack, but, I think, with the Whipsnakes being kind of solidified with Malone, Spillina, and Pannell, I think that midfield makes the most sense for him.
Agreed.
Looking forward to seeing it play out on the field.
Mikey Baime will be in the lineup this week as an inactive roster claim, the third of its kind this year.
We've seen Jake Taylor go from the Waterdogs inactive roster to the Denver Outlaws, and we saw Matt Rambo go from these Whipsnakes inactive roster to the New York Atlas.
We'll get our first look at Baime on Sunday against the Waterdogs in the season finale for the Whipsnakes and Waterdogs.
Adam, appreciate you jumping on, breaking this down for us.
Yeah.
Thanks for having me.
On Saturday, the first ever WLL champion will be crowned.
The California Palms carry the league's best offense and the league's best defense into a title game against the only team to beat them, the Maryland Charm.
Last time these two teams met, we had three goals in the final minute.
Emma Lapinto tied the game with 55 seconds left, then Ally Kennedy scored what appeared to be the game-winning goal.
But Marie McCool said, "Not so fast, my friend," and sent the game to overtime with five seconds left off a full field sprint.
20 seconds into overtime, Cassidy Spillas buried the dagger.
It was an incredible start to the season, and a rematch just feels right.
I caught up with WLL legend Kylie Ohmiller-Reese to break down what to expect in round two.
This is the matchup we've been waiting for.
These two teams met in the first game of the season, and at risk of sounding like the LeBron meme saying that I predicted it, you kind of got a sense when these two teams went back and forth, the 18-17 overtime win for Maryland in front of that home crowd, that these two teams were gonna be here, when it was all said and done.
What have you seen from Maryland and California that separated themselves from the rest of the league?
Yeah, I think we saw it in that first game, but then it continued to prove itself against the rest of the league throughout the summer.
But both of these teams just have so much depth across the board.
So yes, we think about, you know, the Palms midfield and how fast and speedy they are.
We also think about the Charms attack unit and how it's a three-headed monster with Humphrey, Apuzzo, and Black.
But when you look at the depth overall all across the field, defense to offense for both units, I think that's why we saw such a back and forth battle that, you know, one team would go up by three and the other team would claw right back in that first game, and I think we're gonna see it again, this weekend.
I hope so at least.
But yeah, it's just the depth.
No matter who comes out of the box for either team, you know that they're going to be able to make an impact, and I think that's, that's a huge standout marker.
That first matchup was California's one and only loss of the year, and their theme coming out of that game was, an increased emphasis on scouting, opponent tendencies, and trends around the league as teams are getting acclimated to the 10 v 10 format.
And, after their huge win in San Diego, all the players and staff were, were raving about the scout, the scout, the scout.
You look at that Maryland attack line, you have the feeder you mentioned in Ashley Humphrey, you have the scorer in Sydney Black, and you have the do it all, probably still up there as one of the best players in the world in Sam Apuzzo.
If you're California, how do you match up with this attack line, both in terms of personnel and schematically?
Yeah.
I think when you look at it, it's the perfect balance of what you want in an attack unit.
The only thing they're missing is a lefty, but they've made up for it in a great amount of ways.
Like you said, Sydney Black, an elusive dodger.
Whoever's matched up on her defensively has got to be ready for the dodge, most likely will be pressing out as well to kind of deny her the ball, limit the amount of touches that they get.
Sam Apuzzo as well, she's another player that you're probably going to want to limit the amount of touches she gets.
We've seen her best play in championship games.
She's like the ultimate competitor, ultimate teammate, ultimate leader, and she knows how to put the ball in the back of the net when she has the ball on her stick at the end of a tie game in a championship.
So with that kind, kind of experience, it's kind of scary and you definitely want to make sure you're paying attention to her.
And then A- Ashley Humphrey, I don't think she's had the best season of her career, but that means that she's ready for a standout performance on her side.
So, I think with the amount of midfielders that she has to work with, the other two attackers that she's playing with there in Black and Apuzzo, she's gonna be looking to get some, some nice feeds and some shifty finishes around the crease as well.
If I'm the Palms, I got to make sure that I'm pressing out, getting in their hands early once they touch the ball, and trying to limit as many of their touches as possible.
For California, their midfield has been their strength all throughout the season.
They call them the horses.
They are deep.
They can run both ways.
Mm-hmm.
If any team can match up with them from the midfield standpoint, it is Maryland with world games MVP Ally Kennedy, like you mentioned, and sensational rookie Bridget Duffy.
But on the California side, these four midfielders, what makes them so dominant and such, such a, a game-changer?
Yeah, I think, you know, the first thing you think of when you think of Ally Mastriani, Marie McCool, Ellie Masera, Anna Brandt, even Emma Munchenick getting in the mix, is speed and their ability to play on both sides of the ball.
These players are legit and true two-way midfielders, which can be kind of rare in the game these days.
So to see them being on both sides of the ball, being bought into kind of that Palms defensive pressure that we see, it's specific around the draw control.
So if you're, if we see the Charms start to, you know, take away possessions on the draw control and start to gain momentum on that side, you're gonna see the Palms midfield crashing on that right away, trying to take away transition opportunities, really buying into that extra pressure on the defensive end.
But then when you look at what they can do on the offensive end too, it's unreal.
So it's really cool to see, you know, especially if you're a young player watching and you're trying to choose, do I like offense or do I like defense better, watch some of these players on the Palms.
You could do it all.
This inaugural WLL season, the shift to 10 v 10, has had a few rule changes.
There are no eight meters, the nets are a lot closer together, there are 10 players on the field, probably some that I'm missing.
The- nets being closer together feels like it has, it, the California is the team that has adjusted to it.
W- is that the most impactful rule change in your mind or, um- or, or what is?
Yeah, good question.
I think honestly, this has been the most fun version and rules of women's lacrosse that we've seen, especially in the last couple of years.
Obviously we're watching some of the most talented players in the world- That helps get after it out there, but that does help.
But they're putting on a great example under these rules.
So I think, yeah, the, the shortening of the field and nets being closer together, yes, it does showcase what we were talking about, and the speed and the talent of the midfielders, and being able to do a little bit of everything all over the field really showcases that.
And then I think, too, it just showcases when we talk about, you know, no eight meter, no three seconds, no shooting space, none of a lot of those things that might stop the game that we see at other levels, there's no stoppage of play.
It's just a lot of free play, a lot of creative movement, and a lot of making sure that these professional athletes can, like, do what they do best offensively, defensively, allowing the freedom to really kind of buy in to what has made them the best lacrosse players in the world.
It's a very fast game.
No two teams play faster than these two.
Hopefully we get another overtime.
Hopefully we get 35 more goals.
Kylie, any predictions for the weekend?
Ooh, I'm just hoping for another overtime thriller that's above 15 goals on both sides.
I mean, I remember watching that game at the beginning of the season, like, right here on my couch, and I just, I'm usually in bed by 9:00 PM, but it was like midnight and I was like, "Let's go."
I was so fired up.
So yeah, I'm just hoping for an entertaining matchup.
I think we're gonna see the best of the best from these two teams and all the individuals on it.
There are so many players on both teams that just came off winning a gold medal with Team USA who are gonna want another trophy.
So, yeah, I think it's gonna be some motivated lacrosse out there.
Looking forward to it.
As always, thanks for jumping on, Kylie.
Tune in on Saturday, 5:00, Charm and Palms, the first ever WLL champion will be crowned.
It's hard to believe that this time next week, the PLL regular season will be in the rear view mirror.
Seeding will be locked in, and we'll be back here on The Scoop to preview the whole PLL playoff picture.
Enjoy the games in Philly this weekend.
We'll talk to you next week.
