Premier Lacrosse League returns to Long Island with higher stakes
Archers midfielder and East Meadow native Tom Schreiber was named the Premier Lacrosse League MVP this season. Credit: Ty Davis
The Premier Lacrosse League is returning to Long Island this weekend, but this time, the stakes are higher.
The five-year-old professional league will be visiting Hofstra University for the third consecutive year, but this is the first time the league will be showcasing its playoffs on Long Island, as its final four teams will be facing off in a semifinals doubleheader on Sunday at Shuart Stadium.
“I'm certainly biased, but to me, Long Island is the center of the lacrosse universe, and to play a win-or-go-home, high stakes game there is special for everybody,’’ said Archers midfielder Tom Schreiber, who last week was named the PLL’s most valuable player. “For me, being from East Meadow, being from right there, I have a whole bunch of family and friends coming to this one. I've been to a million games at Hofstra, whether that's high school football or high school lacrosse games, both as a spectator as a little kid, and as a player. It means that much more.’’
Schreiber’s Archers team is the No. 1 seed, having posted the league’s best record at 8-2 in the regular season. They will face No. 4 seed Redwoods (6-4 in the regular season) in the first semifinal at 3 p.m. The second semifinal will pit No. 2 seed Cannons (7-3) against No. 3 seed Waterdogs (7-3), the defending PLL champion.
Waterdogs are led by the dynamic attack duo of Kieran McArdle and Michael Sowers, who combined for 11 goals and four assists in a 15-12 quarterfinal victory over Whipsnakes last weekend. McArdle, who is from Ronkonkoma, went to Connetquot High School and played college lacrosse at St. John’s, had six goals and two assists. Sowers had five and two.
“I guess [it was] just kind of one of those hot shooting days for myself,’’ McArdle said of his performance.
McArdle, who doubles as an elementary school physical education teacher in upper Manhattan, began his professional lacrosse career in 2014 in the PLL’s predecessor, Major League Lacrosse. He said he’s seen tremendous growth in professional lacrosse in his 10 seasons as a pro.
“When I was growing up, and even throughout the MLL days, the pinnacle of the sport was always [NCAA] Final Four weekend, and college lacrosse,’’ he said. “And now I think you're starting to see the youth really gravitate toward the PLL … It's just cool to see it grow.’’
He and Schreiber, both 31, are linked because they began their professional careers at the same time and because they were teammates on the U.S. team that won the gold medal at the World Lacrosse Championships in San Diego this summer. Both have their eyes set on winning the PLL title.
McArdle called winning the championship last year “incredibly special.’’
“For myself, it was nine long professional seasons of not making the playoffs a lot of those times,’’ he said. “And you start to look in the mirror and think, 'I'm putting all this effort in and just keep coming up short,' and, you know, doubts creep into your mind.’’
Schreiber, meanwhile, said although winning MVP honors this season “means a lot,’’ and is “very cool,’’ he is hungry to win his first PLL title.
“When I look back at my pro lacrosse memories [and] even my history as an athlete, from high school, and even before that, you remember the championships,’’ Schreiber said. “And that's what our team deserves.’’
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
