Recapping Chicago | The Scoop, Episode 20
Joe Keegan, Managing Editor for the Premier Lacrosse League, is joined by fellow PLL Writers to recap the PLL and WLL Weekend in Chicago, including updates on Utah Archers' Injured Stars and the Playoff Probabilities in the WLL.
Video Transcript
Coming up on The Scoop, the Boston Cannons pulled off the improbable, knocking off the Denver Outlaws.
Noel D'Amico joins to talk about Boston's youth movement and how they pulled off the upset.
The Utah Archers held the reigning champs to five goals.
Five, the lowest in Atlas history.
Is this a turning point for Utah and number one overall pick, Aidan McGuire?
Zach Carey breaks it down.
And should we just hand CJ Kearse the MVP award now?
I've seen enough.
It's his award to lose.
All that and more coming up on The Scoop.
On Friday night, the best in the East and the best in the West went head-to-head, and the Philadelphia Water Dogs took down the California Redwoods.
CJ Kearse scored six goals, and each one of them was more clutch than the last.
Five of the six came in the second half, and it just felt like every time Philly needed a goal, CJ Kearse delivered.
Heading into the 2025 college draft, Water Dogs head coach Bill Tierney was adamant about drafting Kearse.
He was not listening to any trade offers, he was not considering anyone else with the pick, and he was not hiding the fact that he wanted to draft Kearse.
He didn't bother with the mind games that teams holding the top pick tend to play heading into drafts.
He just showed his cards to everyone, and CJ Kearse has lived up to the expectations of a surefire number one overall pick and then some.
He's scoring at will, on ball and off ball, in every way imaginable and even in ways unimaginable.
He had a leaner so deceptive and decisive that his body language put the goalie on the ground before he released his shot, and he lobbed the shot in.
Matt Nestler nailed it, "It looked like a shot you'd take in FIFA on Xbox against an over-aggressive goalie."
He's on pace for 50 goals.
50.
5-0.
The record is 30, set by Marcus Holman in 2023.
CJ might smash that before the calendar hits August.
While the Kearse pick seemed like a no-brainer for Philly in 2025, the number one overall pick isn't always that way.
In April, the Utah Archers raised some eyebrows by selecting a short stick defensive midfielder with the number one overall pick, and after a shaky start, Aidan McGuire is showing flashes that justify the pick for the Archers.
I caught up with Zach Carey for more on another dominant defensive outing by Utah.
Zach, Utah picked up a big win this weekend, dismantling the defending champs 16-5.
Another ice cream trip for the Archers defense, another couple scoops of cookie dough for Brett Dobson and company.
The standout on that side of the field, number one overall pick Aidan McGuire contributed defensively and scoring his first career goal.
Is this a turning point for the rookie short stick D middie?
Yeah, that's what his, his teammate Piper Bond said in the, in the post-game press conference.
He said today he, tonight he showed why he was the number one overall pick.
McGuire, as you said, scored his first career goal.
He took two shots in the game.
That's as many shots as he took in his first four games as a pro, and that, and that's something that Bond highlighted is that, hey, it takes a minute to get adjusted to this league, especially at the short stick position where you're getting attacked for 48 minutes every week.
And so I think we've started to see McGuire get comfortable between the lines and also defensively.
You know, he had reps against Matt Trainer and Connor Shellenberger one-on-one, where he sustained those match-ups and, and looked like the player that, that we saw at Duke for four years.
So it's still early.
It's a one-game sample size, but it looks like McGuire is starting to get more comfortable in the Archers defense.
And, and if he's running in transition and Brett Dobson continues to save the ball at such a high clip and, and hit his shorty streaking up the field, then you're gonna see this Archers identity at the short stick position start to come into focus a little bit more.
Offensively, Utah put up 16, and last week you reported that there's no imminent timetable for Grant Amment or Tom Schreiber's return.
Both have been on the PUP list since the start of the season.
We're seeing some new faces emerge offensively.
Who have you seen step up for Utah to help get this offense going in the second half of the season?
Yeah, I mean, I think the story has been Ryan Stines, and you've seen Connor Fields get going and Mac O'Keefe and Sam King.
But Stines being the newest addition to this offense, scored a hat trick against the Atlas, scored two unassisted goals.
He's shooting 28% on it, unassisted shots, on four unassisted shots per game.
Stines has been the, the punch that Utah needed out of the box with Schreiber and Amment out of the lineup for most, if not all, of this season.
And so I think that, you know, he was, by my money, a reach at the number nine overall pick.
I had him 20th in my final mock draft.
Adam Lamberti did not have him as a first or second round pick.
Frankly, we were wrong about that.
Stines has been one of the best rookies in the league this season.
He's first in the league among rookies in points, first in goals, second in assists.
He has 17 points in seven games, and he's been really good dodging.
He's been able to get his hands free, and he has this really quick release, especially with his right hand, where he can get shots off immediately.
He dodged poles on the Atlas on Friday night.
He dodged short sticks, and he, he really has the shiftiness and, and sort of the pop that Utah likes from its midfielders as downhill dodgers.
And so no, he's not Schreiber, he's not Amment, but he's starting to give them some of the same characteristics that, that those two guys, did wh- when the Archers offense was winning championships.
Zach, don't sweat it.
Drafting is an imperfect science.
I don't think you and Adam were the only draft analysts who didn't expect this from Ryan Stines.
I don't think many GMs expected it.
He's third among rookies in points per game, only two higher than him, Joey Spallina and Chad Palumbo.
He's certainly in that Rookie of the Year conversation with both of them and will need to be for Utah to maintain this going offensively in the second half of the season.
Zach, as always, appreciate you jumping on.
Of course.
Thanks for having me.
With the win, Utah moves into the Western Conference playoff picture, and Carolina drops out after a loss to Maryland on Saturday night lacrosse Carolina's defense was missing five-time All-Pro defenseman Jack Rowlett, who was ruled out with a right quad injury.
The Chaos defense allowed a season-high 17 scores against, the most they've allowed since last year's meeting with Maryland back in June of 2025.
It was an offensive clinic by the Whipsnakes.
T.J. Malone, Adam Potrus, and Aidan Carroll, who Jim Stagnitta has challenged to take on a bigger role as the team's go-to initiator, all finished with hat tricks.
Joey Spillina finished with two goals and two assists, continuing to build his Rookie of the Year campaign.
It was a get-right game for the Whipsnakes offense that had gone through long scoreless droughts in each of its last three games.
They showed what they are capable of when they're firing on all cylinders, and they're now averaging 12.7 scores per game.
The only team better, the Boston Cannons.
I caught up with Noelle D'Amico for more on what's working for Boston offensively.
Noelle, the Cannons pulled off the upset of the weekend, potentially the season.
They came into the weekend eighth in Quint Kastic's power rankings and many others, and the Denver Outlaws came into the weekend in first.
And the Cannons shocked the world, beating Denver 15-13.
How'd they get it done?
I mean, talk about a statement win, Joe.
That was, that was an upset, like you just said.
It started off hot for them, and I think what really contributed this weekend was the rookies and the young core getting involved.
That was something that Coach Holman had been challenging those guys to really step up and be a Cannon, right?
Something that he said is they're not rookies anymore after that game, is they need them, they are valued, they are part of the team, they're there for a reason, and I think we saw that in Rignery and we saw that in Mikey Weissar and McMeeken getting his first pro goal.
And so they have a lot of young players, and they need those guys to step up, and I think we saw that, and that's how they got it done against Denver this weekend.
A lot of those young guys on the offensive end, where the Cannons are maybe quietly leading the league in scores per game, scoring 12.9 a game, with a ton of new faces surrounding Marcus Holman, one of the greatest scorers of all time.
But around Marcus, who are some of these guys who you've seen step up and, and make a name for themself in this league this year?
Obviously, one that comes to mind, Jack Rignery, and a lot about him, you know, being a D3 Tufts guy, but he scored 262 goals during his career at Tufts, so it's really no surprise that that would translate to the PLL.
He's one of them that's been making an impact for them so far, one of the last ones to join their offense after the college season.
Andrew McMeeken, only one point so far, but really getting the offense going, and we'll, we'll talk more about him.
Grayden Hogg is someone who's been a great pick guy and got a few goals this weekend.
Obviously, Colter Mackesy, Brian Kelly stepping up and just all over the place, like that ball is moving and everybody's getting a piece of that offense.
Yeah, you mentioned Andrew McMeeken, undrafted rookie out of Princeton, won a national title with the Tigers, picked up by the Cannons.
He, what he has done at the face-off position, not only is he in the conversation for the Rookie of the Year award, he should be in the conversation for the Faceoff Specialist of the W- of the Year award.
He is winning face-offs above 50%, a mark that the Cannons have not been at since 2019, and he's winning a ton of them forward.
You mentioned he scored his first goal.
He, he had an assist.
He's had an assist in every game that he's played in.
What is it about McMeeken that the Cannons love at the stripe?
Well, Coach Holman said that both Marcus and Colter love working with him, which is no surprise.
He has really changed Holman's entire view on the face-off position, truly.
Holman was someone who didn't really put too much stock in the position.
He felt like being around 50%, you know, was good enough if he could handle the ball everywhere else on the field, but he said McMeeken has completely changed his outlook on that.
He said he's impacted the team, but also himself personally, and I think what he brings to the table is just a level of preparedness and dedication at that specific spot.
You know, he's really taking care of the wing play and everything.
Holman really just kind of backs off and lets him do it, and McMeeken jokes with me that he was like, "I, I have so many ideas, like I'm happy to contribute in that way."
And you know, Colter Mackesy also said sometimes at practice there's guys being like, "Is he playing the right position?"
Because he is just so athletic and so good with the ball in every which way.
We see that in the way he connects with both Mackesy and Holman, and so it's just a really exciting spark to the offense that I think has been huge for them this season.
All right, the Cannons will carry a two-game winning streak into Fairfield next weekend, where they match up with the New York Atlas.
A huge matchup always when Boston and New York meet, but maybe even more so this year, this week, as it relates to Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Two teams that are on the cusp fighting for that third spot in the East alongside Maryland and Philly in the playoffs.
Noelle, thanks for jumping on The Scoop.
It's a pleasure.
Thanks, Joe.
In the WLL, the Maryland Charm won a 16-15 thriller against the New York Charging, thanks to the challenge of the year and potentially the challenge of the century.
Tied at 15 with less than two minutes to go, Charm midfielder Bridget Duffy appeared to hit the post.
Originally ruled a no goal, Emily Parros threw the challenge flag, and the replay showed the ball clearly crossing the plane.
First, how's your heart rate?
We like to keep it interesting, apparently.
I would, I would like a little bit more of a secure win, but a win's a win.
Who nudged you to throw the challenge flag?
Everybody.
I think fourth time's a charm at this point.
But, you know, Bridge is a great shooter.
We saw it.
We challenged it.
It's a credit to everyone who's paying attention.
That might be the challenge of the year and, proof that if you just keep throwing the challenge flag, it works, right?
Shoot your shot, man.
It was a full team effort from Maryland, led by Sam Abbruzzo's five points and rookie goalie Jenica Cuoco's nine saves.
Cuoco came into the game in the second half and shut down the charging offense, stopping 64% of shots.
With the loss, New York falls to two and two.
Their season is over, and while they're not yet eliminated, the scenarios are tricky.
They need Boston to beat either Maryland or California, but they also need them to win by enough for their score differential to surpass the others.
But they can't have Boston win both games by margins that push Boston into the title game against Maryland or California.
Pat McKeever and Mike Binkowski's playoff probability model gives New York a 31% chance to advance.
And the Charm, they head to Fairfield on Friday night with a chance to punch their ticket to the WLL Championship.
With a win over Boston, they're in.
We'll be back later this week to preview that matchup between the Charm and the Guard and the rest of the Fairfield weekend.
Thanks for tuning in to today's episode of The Scoop.
