Dialed In: Your Lacrosse Fix for Wednesday, Feb. 22

Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:

1. The Premier Lacrosse League Championship Series starts today at The St. James in Springfield, Va.

Four PLL teams — Archers, Atlas, Chrome and Whipsnakes — will compete in a five-day Sixes tournament. The round robin runs Wednesday-Friday, with semifinals Saturday and a championship game Sunday.

Our own Phil Shore checked in with 10 storylines to watch, PLL co-founder Paul Rabil gave a primer on the rules (including a 2-point arc) and the league unveiled uniforms designed for speed.

The @PremierLacrosse Championship Series starts tomorrow on @espn & @ESPNPlus — the fastest game on two feet, high scoring, Olympic format sixes ball pic.twitter.com/ObhfaxNGaX

— Paul Rabil (@PaulRabil) February 21, 2023

Atlas plays Whipsnakes (sans PLL Goalie of the Year Kyle Bernlohr) at 5:30 p.m. EST (ESPN2), followed by Archers vs. Chrome (7:30 p.m. EST, ESPN+).

2. Manhattan’s early-season magic ran out at Princeton. The Jaspers led the third-ranked Tigers 5-4 at halftime, but Princeton scored eight third-quarter goals en route to a 14-9 win. Manhattan goalie Joseph Persico continued his hot start with 17 saves in the defeat.

Tuesday’s scores:

No. 15 Army 20, Wagner 6
Brown 13, Providence 7
Drexel 16, Lafayette 14
Hofstra 13, LIU 7
Michigan 19, Canisius 8
Monmouth 14, NJIT 9
No. 3 Princeton 14, Manhattan 9
Robert Morris 15, St. Bonaventure 6
VMI 20, Hampton 10

3. Libby May and Hannah Leubecker combined for 10 goals as No. 6 Maryland defeated Drexel 15-9 in Philadelphia. The Terps scored the first five goals, led 7-1 after the first quarter and never looked back.

Tuesday’s scores:

Brown 10, Hofstra 7
Cornell 16, Colgate 8
No. 6 Maryland 15, Drexel 9
Penn State 19, Duquesne 5

4. A signature win for Tampa women’s lacrosse. The ninth-ranked Spartans defeated second-ranked Adelphi, a nine-time national champion, 14-9 in the teams’ first-ever matchup Tuesday in Florida,

Tampa led from start to finish, pulling away in the fourth-quarter on a pair of late goals by Allie Peebles. Sarah Hinkle scored a game-high four goals.

WHAT WE’RE READING

• Beth Ann Mayer’s compelling feature on Elon’s Sammy Fisher, a survivor of the 2018 school shooting at Stoneman Douglas (Fla.).

• An early look at the 2023 PLL draft class by Inside Lacrosse’s Kevin Brown.

• The State Press on rookie offensive coordinator Haley Warden’s emergence as a rising star in the coaching ranks. Arizona State heads east for a pair of games at Penn State and Towson this weekend.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

Our friends at Maverik Lacrosse caught UMBC’s Allen Hockenberry converting a one-handed catch into a backhanded spin-o-rama. We give that a 10. Hockenberry finished with two goals and two assists in the Retrievers’ 12-7 win at Drexel on Saturday.

How. Did. He. Do this@UMBC_MLax pic.twitter.com/9Qu3yYVFMQ

— Maverik Lacrosse (@MaverikLacrosse) February 21, 2023

And for good measure, here’s a 52-yard bomb by Monmouth’s Matt Karsian from the Hawks’ 14-9 win over NJIT on Tuesday.

@MattKarsian are you serious?!?!#FlyHawks pic.twitter.com/pSxeFEgrM1

— Monmouth Men’s Lacrosse (@MonmouthMLAX) February 21, 2023

WHAT’S ON TAP

• PLL Championship Series coverage.

• A fresh set of rankings from college club men’s and women’s lacrosse.

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