Philadelphia Waterdogs
Field lacrosse team in the PLL
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The Philadelphia Waterdogs are a professional field lacrosse team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area that competes in the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). The Waterdogs were the first PLL expansion team, beginning with the 2020 season.[1] Players were selected through an expansion draft, new entry draft, and the college draft over the first few months of 2020.[2] Andy Copelan was announced as the Club's first head coach on January 2, 2020.[3] Owners of the club include Pardon My Take hosts, Dan "Big Cat" Katz & PFT Commenter. The Waterdogs won their first championship in 2022 against the Chaos. In March 2024 the Waterdogs hired Bill Tierney as Head Coach.
| |
| Full name | Philadelphia Waterdogs |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2020 |
| League | Premier Lacrosse League |
| Based in | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Stadium | Subaru Park |
| Colors | |
Head coach | Bill Tierney |
| General manager | Dave Cottle |
| Championships | 1 (2022) |
| Website | Philadelphia Waterdogs |
Current coaching staff
- Head coach – Bill Tierney
- Assistant coach – Dylan Sheridan
- Assistant coach – Louie Dedonatis
Roster
| 2025 Philadelphia Waterdogs | |||||||||||
| # | Name | Nationality | Position | Shot | Height | Weight | College | Grad Year | High School | Hometown | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt DeLuca |  |
Goalie | Right | 6 ft 6 in | 215 lbs | Delaware | 2020 | Farmingdale | Farmingdale, New York | [4] |
| 2 | Casey Wilson |  |
Midfield | Right | 6 ft 1 in | 205 lbs | Denver | 2025 | Claremont | Victoria, British Columbia | [5] |
| 3 | Jack Hannah |  |
Midfield | Right | 6 ft 1 in | 205 lbs | Denver | 2022 | Milford | Milford, Ohio | [6] |
| 4 | Ben Wayer | |
LSM | Right | 6 ft 3 in | 215 lbs | Virginia | 2025 | St. Stephen's & St. Agnes | Alexandria, Virginia | [7] |
| 5 | Jimmy Freehill | |
Defense | Right | 6 ft 0 in | 190 lbs | Denver | 2025 | St. Sebastian's | Newton, Massachusetts | [8] |
| 6 | Kieran McArdle (C) | |
Attack | L/R | 6 ft 2 in | 185 lbs | St. John's | 2014 | Connetquot | Ronkonkoma, New York | [9] |
| 7 | Kyle Lewis | |
Midfield | Right | 5 ft 11 in | 200 lbs | Adelphi | 2026 | Carey | Franklin Square, New York | [10] |
| 8 | Dylan Hess** | |
SSDM | Right | 6 ft 0 in | 215 lbs | Florida | 2025 | Ponte Vedra | Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida | [11] |
| 10 | Josh Yago | |
Midfield | Right | 6 ft 3 in | 210 lbs | Notre Dame | 2026 | Arvada West | Denver, Colorado | [12] |
| 11 | Marcus Hudgins | |
Defense | Right | 6 ft 1 in | 215 lbs | Ohio State | 2024 | West Genesee | Syracuse, New York | [13] |
| 15 | CJ Kirst | |
Attack | Left | 6 ft 2 in | 210 lbs | Cornell | 2025 | Delbarton | Bernardsville, New Jersey | [14] |
| 16 | Matt Collison | |
Attack | Left | 6 ft 4 in | 225 lbs | Johns Hopkins | 2026 | St. Michael's | Scarborough, Ontario | [15] |
| 18 | Silas Richmond | |
Attack | Right | 6 ft 4 in | 220 lbs | Albany | 2026 | Delta | Delta, British Columbia | [16] |
| 22 | Michael Sowers | |
Attack | R/L | 5 ft 9 in | 180 lbs | Duke | 2021 | Upper Dublin | Dresher, Pennsylvania | [17] |
| 23 | Charlie Hayes | |
SSDM | Right | 5 ft 11 in | 187 lbs | Detroit Mercy | 2018 | Eisenhower | Shelby Township, Michigan | [18] |
| 24 | Nakeie Montgomery | |
SSDM | Right | 5 ft 11 in | 200 lbs | Duke | 2022 | Episcopal School of Dallas | Dallas, Texas | [19] |
| 29 | Kenny Brower | |
Defense | Left | 6 ft 2 in | 215 lbs | Duke | 2024 | Massapequa | Massapequa, New York | [20] |
| 32 | Brendan Staub | |
LSM | Right | 6 ft 1 in | 205 lbs | Cornell | 2026 | Garden City | Garden City, New York | [21] |
| 33 | Matt Whitcher | |
SSDM | Right | 6 ft 3 in | 200 lbs | York | 2018 | Huntington | Huntington, New York | [22] |
| 40 | Connor Kelly | |
Midfield | R/L | 6 ft 0 in | 200 lbs | Maryland | 2018 | Avon Old Farms | Easton, Connecticut | [23] |
| 41 | Connor Farrell | |
Faceoff | Right | 6 ft 2 in | 240 lbs | LIU Post | 2019 | Sachem East | Holtsville, New York | [24] |
| 42 | Tim Troutner | |
Goalie | Left | 6 ft 1 in | 205 lbs | High Point | 2019 | St. Mary's | Annapolis, Maryland | [25] |
| 73 | Alec Stathakis | |
Faceoff | Right | 5 ft 11 in | 220 lbs | Denver | 2024 | Culver Academy | Northville, Michigan | [26] |
| 77 | Zach Currier | |
Midfield | Left | 6 ft 0 in | 180 lbs | Princeton | 2017 | Culver Academy | Peterborough, Ontario | [27] |
| 97 | Gavin Adler | |
Defense | Left | 5 ft 8 in | 190 lbs | Cornell | 2023 | Hewlett | Hewlett, New York | [28] |
| 99 | Sean Byrne | |
Goalie | Right | 6 ft 3 in | 200 lbs | Army | 2026 | Allatoona | Acworth, Georgia | [29] |
*Indicates member of Unavailable to Travel list[30]
**Indicates player is on injured list[31][32][33]
(C) indicates captain
Draft history
2020 Expansion Draft
| Pick # | Player | Pos. | PLL Team | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connor Kelly | Midfield | Whipsnakes | Maryland |
| 2 | Christian Cuccinello | Attack | Archers | Villanova |
| 3 | Brodie Merrill | Defense | Chaos | Georgetown |
| 4 | Charlie Cipriano | Goalie | Chaos | Fairfield |
| 5 | Ben Reeves | Attack | Whipsnakes | Yale |
| 6 | Kyle McClancy | Midfield | Chaos | SUNY Albany |
| 7 | Kieran McArdle | Attack | Atlas | St. John's |
| 8 | Brian Karalunas | Defense | Redwoods | Villanova |
| 9 | Ben McIntosh | Midfield | Archers | Drexel |
| 10 | Drew Snider | Midfield | Whipsnakes | Maryland |
| 11 | Ryan Drenner | Attack | Whipsnakes | Towson |
| 12 | Noah Richard | Long Stick Midfield | Atlas | Marquette |
| 13 | Steven DeNapoli | Midfield | Atlas | Hofstra |
| 14 | Wes Berg | Midfield | Redwoods | Denver |
| 15 | Chris Sabia | Defense | Chrome | Penn State |
| 16 | Ryan Conrad | Midfield | Atlas | Virginia |
| 17 | Dan Eipp | Midfield | Archers | Harvard |
| 18 | Drew Simoneau | Faceoff | Chrome | Nazareth College |
Source:[36]
2020 Player Pool Acquisitions
On March 21, Waterdogs announced they had signed the following players from the player pool:
| Name | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| BJ Grill | Defense | Marquette |
| Patrick Foley | Defense | Johns Hopkins |
| Dylan Johnson | Defense | Denver |
| Tate Boyce | Goalie | Providence |
| Reed Junkin | Goalie | Penn |
Source:[37]
All time Draft Selections
The 2020 player entry draft occurred on March 16 for teams to select players arriving from rival Major League Lacrosse. On March 4, Paul Burmeister and NBCSN hosted an entry draft lottery for selection order.[38] Out of 100 balls to select from, Waterdogs had 40, Chrome had 25, Atlas had 15, Archers had 10, Chaos had 6, Redwoods had 3, and the champion Whipsnakes had 1.
Rob Pannell was announced to be transferring to the PLL on March 9,[39] followed by 15 other players the following day, which comprised the selection pool for the entry draft. A total of 14 players were selected in the entry draft with remaining new players entering the league player pool.
| Rnd. | Pick # | Player | Pos. | College | Previous MLL Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Zach Currier | Midfield | Princeton | Denver Outlaws |
| 2 | 8 | Ryland Rees | Long Stick Midfield | Stony Brook | Boston Cannons |
| Rnd. | Pick # | Player | Pos. | College | Previous MLL Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Liam Byrnes | Defense | Marquette | Philadelphia Barrage |
| 2 | 12 | Mikie Schlosser | Midfield | Michigan | New York Lizards |
| 3 | 20 | Ben Randall | Defense | Ohio State | Denver Outlaws |
| Rnd. | Pick # | Player | Pos. | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Michael Sowers | Attack | Duke |
| 4 | 27 | Ethan Walker | Attack | Denver |
| Rnd. | Pick # | Player | Pos. | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 14 | Jack Hannah | Midfield | Denver |
| 3 | 22 | Jake Higgins | Defensive Midfield | Maryland |
| 4 | 30 | Jason Reynolds | Long Stick Midfield | Notre Dame |
| Rnd. | Pick # | Player | Pos. | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Thomas McConvey | Midfield | Virginia |
| 2 | 16 | Alex Mazzone | Defense | Johns Hopkins |
| 3 | 24 | Chris Fake | Defense | Notre Dame |
| 4 | 32 | James Reilly | Faceoff | Georgetown |
| Rnd. | Pick # | Player | Pos. | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Matt Brandau | Attack | Yale |
| 2 | 15 | Kenny Brower | Defense | Duke |
| 3 | 23 | Marcus Hudgins | Defense | Ohio State |
| 4 | 31 | Michael Boehm | Attack | Michigan |
2026 College Draft
| Rnd. | Pick # | Player | Pos. | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Silas Richmond | Attack | Albany |
| 2 | 13 | Matt Collison | Midfield | Johns Hopkins |
| 3 | 21 | Josh Yago | Attack | Notre Dame |
| 3 | 23 | Brendan Staub | LSM | Cornell |
| 4 | 29 | Kyle Lewis | Midfield | Adelphi |
Season results
| Game | Location | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Herriman, Utah | July 26, 2020 | Atlas | L 10–11 |
| 2 | Herriman, Utah | July 28, 2020 | Archers | L 7–9 |
| 3 | Herriman, Utah | July 31, 2020 | Chrome | L 12–13 |
| 4 | Herriman, Utah | August 1, 2020 | Chaos | W 10–9 |
| 5 (Elimination) | Herriman, Utah | August 4, 2020 | Redwoods | L 8–11 |
| Game | Location | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Foxborough, Massachusetts | June 6, 2021 | Cannons | L 7–13 |
| 2 | Kennesaw, Georgia | June 11, 2021 | Chaos | W 14–12 |
| 3 | Kennesaw, Georgia | June 13, 2021 | Chrome | W 14–9 |
| 4 | Baltimore, Maryland | June 26, 2021 | Archers | L 8–17 |
| 5 | Hempstead, New York | July 3, 2021 | Redwoods | L 16–19 |
| 6 | Eagan, Minnesota | July 9, 2021 | Cannons | W 19–7 |
| 7 | Eagan, Minnesota | July 11, 2021 | Chrome | W 12–6 |
| 8 | Colorado Springs, Colorado | July 31, 2021 | Whipsnakes | W 11–6 |
| 9 | Albany, New York | August 14, 2021 | Atlas | W 10–9 |
| 10 (Semifinal) | Chester, Pennsylvania | September 5, 2021 | Whipsnakes | L 10–14 |
| Game | Location | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albany, New York | June 5, 2022 | Cannons | L 10–16 |
| 2 | Charlotte, North Carolina | June 11, 2022 | Whipsnakes | L 11–12 |
| 3 | Hempstead, New York | June 17, 2022 | Chrome | L 14–17 |
| 4 | Baltimore, Maryland | June 24, 2022 | Chaos | W 18–9 |
| 5 | Eagan, Minnesota | July 2, 2022 | Whipsnakes | W 11–10 |
| 6 | Fairfield, Connecticut | July 24, 2022 | Chrome | W 11–10 |
| 7 | Frisco, Texas | July 31, 2022 | Cannons | W 15–14 |
| 8 | Denver, Colorado | August 6, 2022 | Atlas | W 16–15 |
| 9 | Herriman, Utah | August 12, 2022 | Redwoods | L 12–14 |
| 10 | Tacoma, Washington | August 20, 2022 | Archers | L 12–16 |
| 11 (Quarterfinal) | Foxborough, Massachusetts | September 3, 2022 | Atlas | W 19–14 |
| 12 (Semifinal) | Washington D.C. | September 11, 2022 | Whipsnakes | W 11–10 |
| 13 (Championship) | Chester, Pennsylvania | September 18, 2022 | Chaos | W 11–9 |
| Game | Location | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albany, New York | June 4 | Chaos | W 8–7 (OT) |
| 2 | Charlotte, North Carolina | June 9 | Redwoods | L 9–10 |
| 3 | Columbus, Ohio | June 16 | Atlas | W 19–18 |
| 4 | Eagan, Minnesota | July 8 | Chrome | W 10–7 |
| 5 | Fairfield, Connecticut | July 14 | Whipsnakes | W 16–13 |
| 6 | Frisco, Texas | July 30 | Archers | L 18–19 |
| 7 | Baltimore, Maryland | August 6 | Cannons | L 8–12 |
| 8 | Denver, Colorado | August 12 | Atlas | W 14–11 |
| 9 | Tacoma, Washington | August 19 | Chaos | W 13–8 |
| 10 | Herriman, Utah | August 25 | Archers | W 14–13 |
| 11 (Quarterfinal) | Foxborough, Massachusetts | September 4 | Whipsnakes | W 15–12 |
| 12 (Semifinal) | Uniondale, New York | September 10 | Cannons | W 17–6 |
| 13 (Championship) | Chester, Pennsylvania | September 24 | Archers | L 14–15 |
| Game | Location | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Springfield, VA | February 15 | Archers | W 21–18 |
| 2 | Springfield, VA | February 16 | Redwoods | W 20–14 |
| 3 | Springfield, VA | February 17 | Cannons | W 22–12 |
| 4 (Semifinals) | Springfield, VA | February 18 | Archers | W 27–21 |
| 5 (Championship) | Springfield, VA | February 19 | Cannons | L 22–23 (OT) |
| Game | Location | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albany, New York | June 1 | Archers | L 11–12 |
| 2 | Villanova, Pennsylvania | June 15 | Cannons | L 11–12 (OT) |
| 3 | Villanova, Pennsylvania | June 16 | Whipsnakes | L 14–15 (OT) |
| 4 | Eagan, Minnesota | June 29 | Chaos | W 10–6 |
| 5 | Cambridge, Massachusetts | July 6 | Cannons | W 14–11 |
| 6 | Fairfield, Connecticut | July 19 | Outlaws | L 13–15 |
| 7 | San Diego, California | July 28 | Atlas | L 11–12 |
| 8 | Baltimore, Maryland | August 3 | Whipsnakes | L 6–12 |
| 9 | Denver, Colorado | August 9 | Redwoods | L 12–13 |
| 10 | Herriman, Utah | August 17 | Atlas | W 13–12 |
| Game | Location | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charlotte, North Carolina | June 6 | Whipsnakes | W 16–11 |
| 2 | Villanova, Pennsylvania | June 13 | Cannons | W 14–11 |
| 3 | Villanova, Pennsylvania | June 14 | Outlaws | L 7–9 |
| 4 | Baltimore, Maryland | June 21 | Chaos | L 9–17 |
| 5 | San Diego, California | June 28 | Redwoods | W 12–9 |
| 6 | Evanston, Illinois | July 11 | Archers | W 16–11 |
| 7 | Fairfield, Connecticut | July 19 | Whipsnakes | L 7–10 |
| 8 | Herriman, Utah | July 26 | Chaos | L 14–15 (OT) |
| 9 | Denver, Colorado | August 1 | Cannons | L 10–13 |
| 10 | Cambridge, Massachusetts | August 9 | Atlas | L 19–20 |
| 11 (Quarterfinal) | Eagan, Minnesota | August 23 | Whipsnakes | W 14–12 |
| 12 (Semifinal) | Chester, Pennsylvania | September 1 | Atlas | L 11–13 |
PLL Award Winners
Gait Brothers Midfielder of the Year
- Zach Currier: 2021
Dick Edell Coach of the Year
- Andy Copelan: 2021
Head coaches
| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Notes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | Pct | GP | W | L | Pct | ||||
| 1 | Andy Copelan | 2020-2023 | 33 | 19 | 14 | .576 | 7 | 5 | 2 | .714 | Participated in the 2024 Championship Series, resigned prior to the 2024 regular season[40] |
| 2 | Bill Tierney | 2024 - Current | 20 | 7 | 13 | .350 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | Hired on March 28, 2024 |