Cannons, Waterdogs to Meet in Monday's PLL Championship Series Title Game

The Philadelphia Waterdogs had waited three games for this type of performance of Jake Carraway.

Philly essentially cruised through the round robin portion of the Premier Lacrosse League Championship Series, leaning on Kieran McArdle, Michael Sowers and Ryan Conrad to shoulder the scoring load while Carraway — one of the breakout stars of last year’s Championship Series — figured it out.

He did just that in Sunday’s semifinal against the fourth-seeded Archers, depositing three two-point goals to go with three one-point goals and an assist in the 27-21 win. His 10 points and three deep balls paced the top-seeded team, which will face the third-seeded Cannons in Monday’s championship game.

Opening draw is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Eastern on ESPN2.

It was a fascinating matchup against the Archers, the 2023 regular-season champion that was winless in the tournament. They entered as the only team not to score 20 goals in a game, exemplifying their offensive struggles. But they also entered with Nick Washuta standing on his head in the cage, averaging 11 saves per game.

The Waterdogs ultimately got the best of Washuta while the Archers offense came alive to score 20-plus for the first time. It was all for naught as the Waterdogs scored seven two-pointers and never trailed after Carraway scored the game’s first goal.

The Archers kept it within reach largely because of Tommy Palasek, an injury replacement for Matt Moore who arrived at The St. James in Springfield, Va., at 4:30 a.m. on Sunday. His was the only jersey on the field without a nameplate. The nameless veteran didn’t play like a no-name player, as he led the Archers with seven points on six goals and one assist.

Much like the Waterdogs, the Cannons never trailed against the second-seeded California Redwoods. Asher Nolting scored the game’s first goal, and Matt Kavanagh followed with a two-pointer, setting the tone for Boston in a 23-15 win.

Nolting did a little bit of everything on offense with 11 points on three goals, two two-point goals and four assists.

Colin Kirst made 17 saves in his first full game of action. Adam Ghitelman had started each of the three round robin games and played the first half. That cadence changed Saturday when Ghitelman was relieved after one quarter for Kirst.