Week 9 of the 2025 Premier Lacrosse League season is here, and the two-time defending champion Utah Archers are back in their home state.
Four games are on the docket Friday and Saturday in Salt Lake City, with the Archers playing one game each day.
Read on for details on each game, including how to watch, storylines and key stats courtesy of the PLL.
Power Rankings
PLL home | Standings
California Redwoods (2-5) vs. Utah Archers (3-4)
Friday, 8 p.m. ET | ESPN+
Injury report:
Redwoods: SSDM Chris Merle IR (ACL), SSDM Brian Tevlin questionable (left hamstring), G Jack Kelly out (PUP), M Sam English out (left ankle), SSDM Marquez White out (PUP), A Wes Berg out (PUP)
Archers: A Mac O'Keefe questionable (left hand), A Matt Moore IR (right hip), FO Mike Sisselberger IR (right hand), A Devon McLane out (PUP)
This is California's last Western Conference game of the season. With a loss, the Redwoods would have less than a 25% chance of making the playoffs, per PLL's projections. Here are the full playoff projections from this game:
California with a win: 78.8% chance to make playoffs
California with a loss: 21.8% chance to make playoffs
Utah with a win: 97.5% chance to make playoffs
Utah with a loss: 59.6% chance to make playoffs
Redwoods
The Redwoods have struggled to finish games this season, with a minus-12 goal differential in the fourth quarter.
Across the league, they have the worst shooting percentage (21.4%) and second-worst shooting percentage against (38.7%) in the final period. The team is currently on a five-game losing streak.
Archers
Rookie Sam King leads the Archers in scoring with nine goals and eight assists this season. He's been a spark for Utah's offense as Matt Moore sits on the IR.
Overall, the Archers are still in rough shape offensively with a league-low 9.9 goals per game. They have had scoring droughts longer than 11 minutes in every game this season.
Maryland Whipsnakes (2-3) vs. New York Atlas (5-2)
Friday, 10:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+
Injury report:
Whipsnakes: M Ryan Conrad out (PUP), M Tucker Dordevic IR (jaw), A TJ Malone questionable (medical)
Atlas: None
The Atlas will clinch the playoffs with a win, but there are also big ramifications for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference based on what happens.
According to projections by the PLL, here are the No. 1 seed chances for each team based on scenario:
Maryland's chances with a win: 19.9%
Maryland's chances with a loss: 0.0%
New York's chances with a win: 86.8%
New York's chances with a loss: 50.5%
Whipsnakes
The Whipsnakes are allowing their fewest scores against per game since 2022, when current goalie Kyle Bernlohr won the Oren Lyons Goalie of the Year Award.
Maryland has never lost to New York with Joe Nardella at the faceoff position, though Nardella has a lower win percentage (47.4%) against the Atlas' Trevor Baptiste (52.6%) in their head-to-head matchups since 2019.
Atlas
Connor Shellenberger is now the MVP favorite after an impressive performance against the Redwoods last weekend. He became just the seventh player since 2001 to record seven assists in a game.
Against the Whipsnakes, Shellenberger will have to get past defenseman Ajax Zappitello, who was taken one spot ahead of him in the 2024 draft. In their rookie season, Zappitello held Shellenberger to 0-for-4 shooting as the closest defender in the PLL semifinals. In Philadelphia this year, Shellenberger bounced back with seven points versus Maryland, shooting 2-for-4 against Zappitello.
Philadelphia Waterdogs (4-3) vs. Carolina Chaos (3-4)
Saturday, 6:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+
Injury report:
Waterdogs: D Kenny Brower out (right hamstring), M Zach Currier questionable (right foot), A CJ Kirst questionable (right hand), A Zed Williams out (PUP), D Liam Byrnes out (PUP)
Chaos: M Shane Knobloch IR (right hamstring), M Chris Aslanian out (torso)
The Chaos have never beaten the Waterdogs in PLL history. The Waterdogs won their first game as an organization over the Chaos in 2020, as well as their first championship in 2022.
Both squads are squarely in the playoff race this year, but each team's chances improve greatly with a win. Per the PLL, here are some probability projections as of Friday:
Philadelphia with a win: 93.8% chance to make playoffs
Philadelphia with a loss: 70.3% chance to make playoffs
Carolina with a win: 88.2% chance to make playoffs
Carolina with a loss: 59.6% chance to make playoffs
Waterdogs
After missing the first six games of the season, No. 1 pick CJ Kirst played both midfield and attack in his pro debut against the Whipsnakes. He finished 0-for-5 shooting with two turnovers on 14 touches.
Meanwhile, fellow rookie Jake Taylor is on pace to set the Waterdogs' single-season records for points and goals by a first-year player. He's one point and one goal away, respectively, from tying both records.
Chaos
Carolina has its own young sensation in Owen Hiltz, who is on pace to set the Chaos' rookie single-season records for points, goals and assists.
Brian Minicus' 2023 campaign leads in all three categories after 24 points, 14 goals and nine assists -- Ross Scott matched his 14 goals last season. Hiltz is currently at 17 points, 12 goals and five assists.
Denver Outlaws (5-2) vs. Utah Archers (3-4)
Saturday, 9 p.m. ET | ESPN2/ESPN+
Injury report:
Outlaws: SSDM Alex Smith out (right hamstring), A Pat Kavanagh doubtful (left shoulder)
Archers: A Mac O'Keefe questionable (left hand), A Matt Moore IR (right hip), FO Mike Sisselberger IR (right hand), A Devon McLane out (PUP)
The Outlaws are currently on a five-game winning streak and could clinch the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference this weekend. If the Chaos lose to the Waterdogs earlier Saturday, the Outlaws clinch the No. 1 seed with a win.
Outlaws
Jake Piseno is amid one of the best offensive campaigns ever by a long pole, recording three goals and three assists so far in 2025.
With three games left, he has a chance to join Michael Ehrhardt (2019) and Jarrod Neumann (2019) as the only long poles with 10 or more points in a single PLL season.
Archers
Utah's stalwart defenseman Graeme Hossack is the only player to hold Denver's Brennan O'Neill scoreless on five-plus shots. In two seasons, O'Neill is 0-for-13 on shots when Hossack is the closest defender on him.
