The Waterdogs return to Philly for pro lacrosse league’s semifinals
The Waterdogs Philly s association in the traveling Premier Lacrosse League are back in town for a playoff semifinal against the New York Atlas at Chester s Subaru Park on Monday The group heads into the Labor Day competition as an underdog having made it into the playoffs with a - record They defeated the Maryland Whipsnakes also - in the quarterfinals and now prepare to face the Atlas - who have beaten Philly twice this season Even so Waterdogs head coach Bill Tierney had a simple message for his organization ahead of the Maryland challenge We re in the playoffs fellas Why not us Players on the Philadelphia Waterdogs celebrate during a challenge Courtesy of Premier Lacrosse League On any given day Underdog has often been a familiar status for Philly sports teams over the years but not so much just now Kyle Schwarber has the National League East-leading Phillies in euphoria the Union could be the first Major League Soccer squad to book a postseason spot if it wins against Cincinnati on Sunday and the Eagles kick off the NFL season as defending champions on Thursday It s a status that Tierney the majority of thriving coach in college lacrosse with a world championship has been unfamiliar with during his -plus years of coaching But that s where he has revealed himself in his two years coaching a pro crew This is my nd year of coaching lacrosse and you think you ve seen it all until I got into the PLL and I ve learned so much in the last two years he revealed The best part of it all is just the relationships with these guys and I think that has more to do with the improvement in our relationship them understanding me me understanding them and the pro meeting Philadelphia Waterdogs head coach Bill Tierney Courtesy of Premier Lacrosse League The Waterdogs were chosen to represent Philly in when the field lacrosse league released it was assigning its eight teams to cities around the country The first season under Tierney didn t go great though the association s first-ever homecoming weekend at Villanova was entertaining Having finished in last place in the organization got the first pick in the league s draft and selected Cornell University attacker CJ Kirst Philadelphia Waterdogs rookie attacker CJ Kirst Courtesy of Premier Lacrosse League Tierney revealed they started the season as an unknown and it has been a rollercoaster Kirst sat out the start of the season after wrist surgery the association started - lost its remaining four regular season games then squeaked into the postseason based on a points differential tiebreaker That s not great but the band has been here before When the Waterdogs won their first championship in at Subaru Park the group was - going into the playoffs Tierney reported the prospective to beat any gang on a given day remains Though the gang lost to New York twice they narrowed the margin from an eight-goal loss in June to just one goal two weeks ago This league is so tight he stated I mean yes we re the underdogs But the truth of the matter is we had a -to- event with the Atlas a couple weeks ago So there s the old cliche on any given day and that s why you don t feel like you re an overwhelming underdog especially with the way our offense is playing right now Leveraging homefield advantage Tierney commented the key to defeating New York is keeping their offense in check If Philly can play consistent defense and ride the positive wave that its offense has been on lately the upset is realizable Despite the PLL being a traveling league the Waterdogs have a strong local fanbase Much of that is thanks to star and MVP finalist Michael Sowers a Dresher native who played for Princeton Philadelphia Waterdogs star attacker and Dresher Pa native Michael Sowers Courtesy of Premier Lacrosse League As Kirst has settled in with the offense Tierney disclosed Sowers has adapted his championship to accommodate an attacking system that best suits playing with the rookie and three-time all-star Kieran McArdle I love plenty of things about Michael but one of the things I love about him is he refuses to accept how good he is Tierney reported He s dependably on a journey to improve His role hasn t changed he s still our preponderance impactful competitor but his ability to be flexible and give CJ his opportunities still look for Kieran when he s dodging has just enhanced his play And he certainly is the face of the Waterdogs in Philadelphia Philadelphia Waterdogs attackers Michael Sowers CJ Kirst and Kieran McArdle talk during a event Courtesy of Premier Lacrosse League Tickets are still available for Monday which features a tripleheader of games starting with the Waterdogs-Atlas at noon The second semifinal between the California Redwoods and the Denver Outlaws begins at p m followed by the Stars Stripes Classic exhibition contest between Green Beret and Navy SEAL veterans at p m Tickets are available for all three games and are free for active-duty military and veterans All three games are also streaming on ESPN with the p m semifinal also on ESPN and the p m exhibition on ABC The semifinalist winners will face off at the Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison N J on Sept The post The Waterdogs return to Philly for pro lacrosse league s semifinals appeared first on Billy Penn at WHYY