Philadelphia Waterdogs

Last updated
Philadelphia Waterdogs
Philadelphia Waterdogs.jpg
Full namePhiladelphia Waterdogs
Founded 2020
League Premier Lacrosse League
Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Stadium Villanova Stadium
Colors   
Head coach Bill Tierney
Championships1 (2022)
Website Philadelphia Waterdogs

The Philadelphia Waterdogs are a professional field lacrosse team based in the Greater Philadelphia 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, Barstool Big Cat & PFT Commenter. The Waterdogs won their first championship in 2022 against the Chaos. In March 2024 the Waterdogs hired Bill Tierney as Head Coach.

Contents

Current coaching staff

Roster

2025 Philadelphia Waterdogs
#NameNationalityPositionShotHeightWeightCollegeGrad YearHigh SchoolHometownRef
1Matt DeLuca Flag of Italy.svg GoalieRight6 ft 6 in215 lbs Delaware 2020 Farmingdale Farmingdale, New York [4]
3Jack Hannah Flag of the United States.svg MidfieldRight6 ft 1 in205 lbs Denver 2022 Milford Milford, Ohio [5]
4Ben Wayer Flag of the United States.svg LSMRight6 ft 3 in215 lbs Virginia 2025 St. Stephen's & St. Agnes Alexandria, Virginia [6]
5Jimmy Freehill Flag of the United States.svg DefenseRight6 ft 0 in190 lbs Denver 2025 St. Sebastian's Newton, Massachusetts [7]
6Kieran McArdle (C) Flag of the United States.svg AttackL/R6 ft 2 in185 lbs St. John's 2014 Connetquot Ronkonkoma, New York [8]
7Michael Lampert Flag of the United States.svg AttackR/L5 ft 6 in170 lbs Denver 2024 Wayland Wayland, Massachusetts [9]
8Dylan Hess Flag of the United States.svg SSDMRight6 ft 0 in215 lbs Florida 2025 Ponte Vedra Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida [10]
10Jake Taylor Flag of the United States.svg AttackRight6 ft 2 in215 lbs Notre Dame 2025 Regis Jesuit Denver, Colorado [11]
11Marcus Hudgins Flag of the United States.svg LSMRight6 ft 1 in215 lbs Ohio State 2024 West Genesee Syracuse, New York [12]
12Thomas McConvey Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg MidfieldRight6 ft 4 in210 lbs Virginia 2023 St. Michael's Toronto, Ontario [13]
15 CJ Kirst Flag of the United States.svg AttackLeft6 ft 2 in210 lbs Cornell 2025 Delbarton Bernardsville, New Jersey [14]
21Liam Byrnes (C) Injury icon 2.svg Flag of the United States.svg DefenseRight6 ft 3 in215 lbs Marquette 2016 West Islip West Islip, New York [15]
22Michael Sowers Flag of the United States.svg AttackR/L5 ft 9 in180 lbs Duke 2021 Upper Dublin Dresher, Pennsylvania [16]
23Charlie Hayes Injury icon 2.svg Flag of the United States.svg SSDMRight5 ft 11 in187 lbs Detroit Mercy 2018 Eisenhower Shelby Township, Michigan [17]
25Eli Gobrecht Flag of the United States.svg SSDMRight6 ft 0 in200 lbs Ithaca 2016 Ithaca Ithaca, New York [18]
28Zed Williams Injury icon 2.svg Flag of the Iroquois Confederacy.svg AttackRight6 ft 2 in250 lbs Virginia 2017 Silver Creek Irving, New York [19]
29Kenny Brower Flag of the United States.svg DefenseLeft6 ft 2 in215 lbs Duke 2024 Massapequa Massapequa, New York [20]
31Jack DiBenedetto Flag of the United States.svg DefenseRight6 ft 1 in210 lbs Denver 2024 Nichols Buffalo, New York [21]
33Matt Whitcher Flag of the United States.svg SSDMRight6 ft 3 in200 lbs York 2018 Huntington Huntington, New York [22]
37 Dillon Ward (C) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg GoalieRight6 ft 5 in220 lbs Bellarmine 2013 The Hill Academy Orangeville, Ontario [23]
40Connor Kelly Flag of the United States.svg MidfieldR/L6 ft 0 in200 lbs Maryland 2018 Avon Old Farms Easton, Connecticut [24]
44Ben Randall Flag of the United States.svg DefenseRight6 ft 3 in215 lbs Ohio State 2018 Mason Mason, Ohio [25]
50Christian Scarpello Injury icon 2.svg Flag of England.svg SSDMLeft5 ft 11 in200 lbs Rutgers 2018 Madison Madison, New Jersey [26]
59Mikie Schlosser Flag of the United States.svg MidfieldR/L6 ft 2 in190 lbs Michigan 2017 Davis Davis, California [27]
73Alec Stathakis Flag of the United States.svg FaceoffRight5 ft 11 in220 lbs Denver 2024 Culver Academy Northville, Michigan [28]
77 Zach Currier Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg MidfieldLeft6 ft 0 in180 lbs Princeton 2017 Culver Academy Peterborough, Ontario [29]
91Michael Boehm Flag of the United States.svg AttackRight5 ft 10 in170 lbs Michigan 2024 St. Ignatius Rocky River, Ohio [30]

*Indicates member of Holdout list [31]

**Indicates player is on PUP list [32] [33] [34]

(C) indicates captain

(R) indicates rookie [35]

Source: [36] [37]

Draft history

2020 Expansion Draft

Pick #PlayerPos.PLL TeamCollege
1Connor KellyMidfieldWhipsnakesMaryland
2Christian CuccinelloAttackArchersVillanova
3Brodie MerrillDefenseChaosGeorgetown
4Charlie CiprianoGoalieChaosFairfield
5Ben ReevesAttackWhipsnakesSt.Als
6Kyle McClancyMidfieldChaosSUNY Albany
7Kieran McArdleAttackAtlasSt. John's
8Brian KaralunasDefenseRedwoodsVillanova
9Ben McIntoshMidfieldArchersDrexel
10Drew SniderMidfieldWhipsnakesMaryland
11Ryan DrennerAttackWhipsnakesTowson
12Noah RichardLong Stick MidfieldAtlasMarquette
13Steven DeNapoliMidfieldAtlasHofstra
14Wes BergMidfieldRedwoodsDenver
15Chris SabiaDefenseChromePenn State
16Ryan ConradMidfieldAtlasVirginia
17Dan EippMidfieldArchersHarvard
18Drew SimoneauFaceoffChromeNazareth College

Source: [38]

2020 Player Pool Acquisitions

On March 21, Waterdogs announced they had signed the following players from the player pool:

NamePositionCollege
BJ GrillDefenseMarquette
Patrick FoleyDefenseJohns Hopkins
Dylan JohnsonDefenseDenver
Tate BoyceGoalieProvidence
Reed JunkinGoaliePenn

Source: [39]

All time Draft Selections

2020 Entry Draft

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. [40] 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, [41] 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.

Draft results
Rnd.Pick #PlayerPos.CollegePrevious MLL Team
11 Zach Currier Midfield Princeton Denver Outlaws
28Ryland ReesLong Stick Midfield Stony Brook Boston Cannons

2020 College Draft

Rnd.Pick #PlayerPos.College
13Michael KrausAttack Virginia
28Matt DeLucaGoalie Delaware

2021 Entry Draft

Draft results
Rnd.Pick #PlayerPos.CollegePrevious MLL Team
14Liam ByrnesDefense Marquette Philadelphia Barrage
212Mikie SchlosserMidfield Michigan New York Lizards
320Ben RandallDefense Ohio State Denver Outlaws

2021 College Draft

Rnd.Pick #PlayerPos.College
12Michael SowersAttack Duke
427 Ethan Walker Attack Denver

2022 College Draft

Rnd.Pick #PlayerPos.College
214Jack HannahMidfield Denver
322Jake HigginsDefensive Midfield Maryland
430Jason ReynoldsLong Stick Midfield Notre Dame

2023 College Draft

Rnd.Pick #PlayerPos.College
18Thomas McConveyMidfield Virginia
216Alex MazzoneDefense Johns Hopkins
324Chris FakeDefense Notre Dame
432James ReillyFaceoff Georgetown

2024 College Draft

Rnd.Pick #PlayerPos.College
17Matt BrandauAttack Yale
215Kenny BrowerDefense Duke
323Marcus HudginsDefense Ohio State
431Michael BoehmAttack Michigan

2025 College Draft

Rnd.Pick #PlayerPos.College
11 CJ Kirst Attack Cornell
29Jake TaylorAttack Notre Dame
215Dylan HessDefensive Midfield Florida
323Ben WayerLong Stick Midfield Virginia
425Jimmy FreehillDefense Denver

Season results

2020
GameLocationDateOpponentResult
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
2021
GameLocationDateOpponentResult
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
2022
GameLocationDateOpponentResult
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
2023
GameLocationDateOpponentResult
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
2024 Championship Series
GameLocationDateOpponentResult
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)
2024
GameLocationDateOpponentResult
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

PLL Award Winners

Gait Brothers Midfielder of the Year

Dick Edell Coach of the Year

Head coaches

#NameTermRegular SeasonPlayoffsNotes
GPWLPctGPWLPct
1 Andy Copelan 2020-2023 331914.576752.714Participated in the 2024 Championship Series, resigned prior to the 2024 regular season [42]
2 Bill Tierney 2024 - Current1037.300000–Hired on March 28, 2024

All-time record vs. PLL Clubs

OpponentWonLostPercentageStreak
Archers 16.143Lost 2
Atlas 62.750Won 1
Cannons 44.500Won 1
Chaos 701.000Won 7
Outlaws 43.571Lost 1
Redwoods 03.000Lost 5
Whipsnakes 54.556Lost 2
Totals2721.563

References

  1. ↑ "Premier Lacrosse League Announces Waterdogs LC as Seventh Team Name". InsideLacrosse.com.
  2. ↑ "How the PLL Developed Its First Expansion Team, Waterdogs Lacrosse Club". Sports Illustrated.
  3. ↑ "Andy Copelan Named As Head Coach of Waterdogs LC". Premier Lacrosse League.
  4. ↑ "Matt DeLuca". Premier Lacrosse League Stats. 2025-06-06.
  5. ↑ "Jack Hannah". Premier Lacrosse League. 2025-06-06.
  6. ↑ "Ben Wayer". Premier Lacrosse League. 2025-06-06.
  7. ↑ "Jimmy Freehill". Premier Lacrosse League. 2025-06-06.
  8. ↑ "Kieran McArdle". Premier Lacrosse League Stats. 2025-06-06.
  9. ↑ "Michael Lampert". Premier Lacrosse League. 2025-06-06.
  10. ↑ "Dylan Hess". Premier Lacrosse League. 2025-06-06.
  11. ↑ "Jake Taylor". Premier Lacrosse League. 2025-06-06.
  12. ↑ "Marcus Hudgins". Premier Lacrosse League. 2025-06-06.
  13. ↑ "Thomas McConvey". Premier Lacrosse League. 2025-06-06.
  14. ↑ "CJ Kirst". Premier Lacrosse League. 2025-06-06.
  15. ↑ "Liam Byrnes". Premier Lacrosse League. 2025-06-06.
  16. ↑ "Michael Sowers". Premier Lacrosse League. 2025-06-06.
  17. ↑ "Charlie Hayes". Premier Lacrosse League. 2025-06-06.
  18. ↑ "Eli Gobrecht". Premier Lacrosse League. 2025-06-06.
  19. ↑ "Zed Williams". Premier Lacrosse League. 2025-06-06.
  20. ↑ "Kenny Brower". Premier Lacrosse League. 2025-06-06.
  21. ↑ "Jack DiBenedetto". Premier Lacrosse League. 2025-06-06.
  22. ↑ "Matt Whitcher". Premier Lacrosse League. 2025-06-06.
  23. ↑ "Dillon Ward". Premier Lacrosse League. 2025-05-06.
  24. ↑ "Connor Kelly". Premier Lacrosse League Stats. 2025-05-06.
  25. ↑ "Ben Randall". Premier Lacrosse League. 2025-06-06.
  26. ↑ "Christian Scarpello". Premier Lacrosse League. 2025-06-06.
  27. ↑ "Mikie Schlosser". Premier Lacrosse League. 2025-06-06.
  28. ↑ "Alec Stathakis". Premier Lacrosse League. 2025-06-06.
  29. ↑ "Zach Currier". Premier Lacrosse League Stats. 2025-06-06.
  30. ↑ "Michael Boehm". Premier Lacrosse League. 2025-06-06.
  31. ↑ Philadelphia Waterdogs [@PLLWaterdogs] (April 20, 2023). "Roster Update: Jake Withers has been moved to the Holdout List" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  32. ↑ Philadelphia Waterdogs [@PLLWaterdogs] (May 12, 2023). "Defenseman Chris Sabia and Long Stick Midfield Matthew Hossack have been placed on the PUP List" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  33. ↑ Philadelphia Waterdogs [@PLLWaterdogs] (May 31, 2023). "we have moved midfielder Thomas McConvey to the unavailable to travel list. we have also moved attackman Jack Traynor and defensemen Eli Gobrecht to the PUP List" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  34. ↑ Philadelphia Waterdogs [@PLLWaterdogs] (June 6, 2023). "roster update: we have moved defenseman Chris Fake to the Holdout List. we have also moved midfielder Jack Hannah to the PUP List" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  35. ↑ "2025 Draft". May 6, 2025.
  36. ↑ "Waterdogs Roster". Premier Lacrosse League. 2021-07-06.
  37. ↑ Philadelphia Waterdogs [@PLLWaterdogs] (May 15, 2023). "bringing these pups to albany 🐶👏 our 2023 training camp roster" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  38. ↑ "2020 Expansion Draft Results". Premier Lacrosse League. 2020-02-13. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13.
  39. ↑ Waterdogs Lacrosse Club [@PLLWaterdogs] (2020-03-21). "Welcome these dawgs to the squad!! 🌊🐶 https://t.co/rvU9Av7ZF2" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 2020-03-21 – via Twitter.
  40. ↑ King, Peter (2020-04-13). "FMIA: 2020 Draft Rounds Into Focus; NFL People Show Lives in Quarantine". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  41. ↑ "Rob Pannell Archives". Premier Lacrosse League. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  42. ↑ Miller, Wyatt (2024-03-15). "Andy Copelan steps down, what's next for the Waterdogs". Premier Lacrosse League. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
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