Waterdogs will face the Denver Outlaws Sept. 20 at Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey on ABC in pursuit of their second league title
Philadelphia will face the Denver Outlaws on Sunday, Sept. 20, at 12:30 p.m. ET at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J., less than 90 miles from Philadelphia, and the game will be televised nationally on ABC. The Waterdogs are seeking their second PLL championship after winning the franchise’s first title in 2022.
The Waterdogs’ roster features three players with hometown roots in the Philadelphia area and New Jersey. Michael Sowers is a native of Dresher, Pa., and attended Upper Dublin High School. CJ Kirst is from Bernardsville, N.J., and attended Delbarton School. Midfielder Dox Aitken is from Villanova, Pa., and attended Haverford High School.
Sowers and Kirst, both finalists for the PLL’s MVP award, led the way against Boston by combining for nine points on five goals and four assists. Sowers recorded a career-high 51 points this season, while Kirst set a PLL single-season record with 34 goals.
The Waterdogs also received major contributions from a rookie class making its postseason debut. Six Waterdogs rookies combined for seven of the team’s 13 goals, led by a hat trick from Kyle Lewis. Josh Yago added two goals and an assist, while Matt Collison and Silas Richmond each scored once.
Undrafted rookie goalie Sean Byrne made 14 saves in his first PLL playoff appearance and earned his sixth consecutive win since taking over as Philadelphia’s starter. After Boston scored twice early, the Cannons missed 18 of their final 19 shots of the first half and went 19 minutes without a goal.
Kirst scored just 34 seconds into the game and had two goals and two assists in the first half as the Waterdogs built a 7-3 halftime lead. Boston mounted a four-goal run late in the game before Kirst scored with 1:58 remaining to seal Philadelphia’s place in the championship.
The Sept. 20 matchup will mark the Waterdogs’ third PLL Championship appearance in five seasons and their first since Bill Tierney took over as head coach in 2025.
2026 PLL U.S. BANK CHAMPIONSHIP
WHO: Philadelphia Waterdogs vs. Denver Outlaws
WHEN: Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, at 12:30 p.m. ET
WHERE: Sports Illustrated Stadium, Harrison, N.J.
TV: ABC
About the Premier Lacrosse League
The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) powered by Ticketmaster is a men’s professional lacrosse league in North America, composed of eight teams rostered by the best players in the world. Co-founded by lacrosse superstar, philanthropist, and investor Paul Rabil and his brother, serial entrepreneur and investor, Mike Rabil, the PLL is backed by an investment group composed of Joe Tsai Sports, The Chernin Group, Arctos, Brett Jefferson Holdings, The Raine Group, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), The Kraft Group, Bolt Capital and other top investors in sports and media. The PLL is distributed through an exclusive media rights agreement with ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN+. The PLL was named 2023 Best Place to Work in Sports, and 2020 Sports Breakthrough by the Sports Business Journal, and recognized as a 2021 Best Employer in Sports by Front Office Sports. For more on the league, visit www.premierlacrosseleague.com and follow on social media: Instagram (@PLL), Twitter (@PremierLacrosse), Facebook (@PremierLacrosseLeague), YouTube (YouTube.com/PLL) and TikTok (@pll).