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ESPN staffJul 25, 2025, 09:00 AM ET
Week 9 of the 2025 Premier Lacrosse League season is here, and the two-time defending champion Utah Archers are backmost successful their location state.
Four games are connected the docket Friday and Saturday successful Salt Lake City, with the Archers playing 1 crippled each day.
Read connected for details connected each game, including however to watch, storylines and cardinal stats courtesy of the PLL.
Power Rankings
PLL home | Standings
California Redwoods (2-5) vs. Utah Archers (3-4)
Friday, 8 p.m. ET | ESPN+
Injury report:
Redwoods: SSDM Chris Merle IR (ACL), SSDM Brian Tevlin questionable (left hamstring), G Jack Kelly retired (PUP), M Sam English retired (left ankle), SSDM Marquez White retired (PUP), A Wes Berg retired (PUP)
Archers: A Mac O'Keefe questionable (left hand), A Matt Moore IR (right hip), FO Mike Sisselberger IR (right hand), A Devon McLane retired (PUP)
This is California's past Western Conference crippled of the season. With a loss, the Redwoods would person little than a 25% accidental of making the playoffs, per PLL's projections. Here are the afloat playoff projections from this game:
California with a win: 78.8% accidental to marque playoffs
California with a loss: 21.8% accidental to marque playoffs
Utah with a win: 97.5% accidental to marque playoffs
Utah with a loss: 59.6% accidental to marque playoffs
Redwoods
The Redwoods person struggled to decorativeness games this season, with a minus-12 extremity differential successful the 4th quarter.
Across the league, they person the worst shooting percent (21.4%) and second-worst shooting percent against (38.7%) successful the last period. The squad is presently connected a five-game losing streak.
Archers
Rookie Sam King leads the Archers successful scoring with 9 goals and 8 assists this season. He's been a spark for Utah's discourtesy arsenic Matt Moore sits connected the IR.
Overall, the Archers are inactive successful unsmooth signifier offensively with a league-low 9.9 goals per game. They person had scoring droughts longer than 11 minutes successful each crippled this season.
Maryland Whipsnakes (2-3) vs. New York Atlas (5-2)
Friday, 10:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+
Injury report:
Whipsnakes: M Ryan Conrad retired (PUP), M Tucker Dordevic IR (jaw), A TJ Malone questionable (medical)
Atlas: None
The Atlas volition clinch the playoffs with a win, but determination are besides large ramifications for the No. 1 effect successful the Eastern Conference based connected what happens.
According to projections by the PLL, present are the No. 1 effect chances for each squad based connected scenario:
Maryland's chances with a win: 19.9%
Maryland's chances with a loss: 0.0%
New York's chances with a win: 86.8%
New York's chances with a loss: 50.5%
Whipsnakes
The Whipsnakes are allowing their fewest scores against per crippled since 2022, erstwhile existent goalie Kyle Bernlohr won the Oren Lyons Goalie of the Year Award.
Maryland has ne'er mislaid to New York with Joe Nardella astatine the faceoff position, though Nardella has a little triumph percent (47.4%) against the Atlas' Trevor Baptiste (52.6%) successful their head-to-head matchups since 2019.
Atlas
Connor Shellenberger is present the MVP favourite aft an awesome show against the Redwoods past weekend. He became conscionable the seventh subordinate since 2001 to grounds 7 assists successful a game.
Against the Whipsnakes, Shellenberger volition person to get past defenseman Ajax Zappitello, who was taken 1 spot up of him successful the 2024 draft. In their rookie season, Zappitello held Shellenberger to 0-for-4 shooting arsenic the closest defender successful the PLL semifinals. In Philadelphia this year, Shellenberger bounced backmost with 7 points versus Maryland, shooting 2-for-4 against Zappitello.
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Maryland Whipsnakes vs. Philadelphia Waterdogs: Game Highlights
Maryland Whipsnakes vs. Philadelphia Waterdogs: Game Highlights
Philadelphia Waterdogs (4-3) vs. Carolina Chaos (3-4)
Saturday, 6:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+
Injury report:
Waterdogs: D Kenny Brower retired (right hamstring), M Zach Currier questionable (right foot), A CJ Kirst questionable (right hand), A Zed Williams retired (PUP), D Liam Byrnes retired (PUP)
Chaos: M Shane Knobloch IR (right hamstring), M Chris Aslanian retired (torso)
The Chaos person ne'er beaten the Waterdogs successful PLL history. The Waterdogs won their archetypal crippled arsenic an enactment implicit the Chaos successful 2020, arsenic good arsenic their archetypal title successful 2022.
Both squads are squarely successful the playoff contention this year, but each team's chances amended greatly with a win. Per the PLL, present are immoderate probability projections arsenic of Friday:
Philadelphia with a win: 93.8% accidental to marque playoffs
Philadelphia with a loss: 70.3% accidental to marque playoffs
Carolina with a win: 88.2% accidental to marque playoffs
Carolina with a loss: 59.6% accidental to marque playoffs
Waterdogs
After missing the archetypal six games of the season, No. 1 prime CJ Kirst played some midfield and onslaught successful his pro debut against the Whipsnakes. He finished 0-for-5 shooting with 2 turnovers connected 14 touches.
Meanwhile, chap rookie Jake Taylor is connected gait to acceptable the Waterdogs' single-season records for points and goals by a first-year player. He's 1 constituent and 1 extremity away, respectively, from tying some records.
Chaos
Carolina has its ain young sensation successful Owen Hiltz, who is connected gait to acceptable the Chaos' rookie single-season records for points, goals and assists.
Brian Minicus' 2023 run leads successful each 3 categories aft 24 points, 14 goals and 9 assists -- Ross Scott matched his 14 goals past season. Hiltz is presently astatine 17 points, 12 goals and 5 assists.
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Michael Sowers connected occurrence with his 4th extremity of game
Michael Sowers scores the game's archetypal 4 goals to gait the Waterdogs.
Denver Outlaws (5-2) vs. Utah Archers (3-4)
Saturday, 9 p.m. ET | ESPN2/ESPN+
Injury report:
Outlaws: SSDM Alex Smith retired (right hamstring), A Pat Kavanagh doubtful (left shoulder)
Archers: A Mac O'Keefe questionable (left hand), A Matt Moore IR (right hip), FO Mike Sisselberger IR (right hand), A Devon McLane retired (PUP)
The Outlaws are presently connected a five-game winning streak and could clinch the No. 1 effect successful the Western Conference this weekend. If the Chaos suffer to the Waterdogs earlier Saturday, the Outlaws clinch the No. 1 effect with a win.
Outlaws
Jake Piseno is amid 1 of the champion violative campaigns ever by a agelong pole, signaling 3 goals and 3 assists truthful acold successful 2025.
With 3 games left, helium has a accidental to articulation Michael Ehrhardt (2019) and Jarrod Neumann (2019) arsenic the lone agelong poles with 10 oregon much points successful a azygous PLL season.
Archers
Utah's stalwart defenseman Graeme Hossack is the lone subordinate to clasp Denver's Brennan O'Neill scoreless connected five-plus shots. In 2 seasons, O'Neill is 0-for-13 connected shots erstwhile Hossack is the closest defender connected him.
