#CAALax Well Represented In Upcoming PLL Season
Hunter Peters
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (June 3, 2022) – The Colonial Athletic Association will be well represented in the upcoming Premier Lacrosse League season as 16 players and three coaches have CAA roots. The PLL opens its fourth season this weekend in Albany, N.Y., with four games over two days across ESPN platforms.
Overall, six former Hofstra players, four Towson alumni, three former UMass student-athletes, two Delaware alums and one Fairfield graduate represent the CAA amongst the players in the upcoming PLL season. Additionally, two former Drexel coaches and one former Fairfield coach occupy ranks among the eight coaching staffs.
The Atlas Lacrosse Club has a pair of CAA alumni and will open the season against Redwoods Lacrosse Club, which has one former CAA student-athlete, on Saturday, June 4, at 5 p.m. (EST) on ESPN. Towson alum Koby Smith, a three-time All-CAA First Team selection and All-American, was drafted by Atlas LC in the 2022 PLL Draft, making the team’s opening roster in his first professional season. Smith is accompanied by Hofstra’s Jack Concannon on the Atlas LC. Concannon was an All-American between the pipes, earning First Team All-CAA honors three times, and he set the CAA Championship record with 22 saves in 2018.
Finn Sullivan is also a Hofstra Alum and will face Smith and Concannon in the season opener with the Redwoods LC. Sullivan earned CAA Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2016 after earning first-team all-conference accolades for the second time during his career. Additionally, Chris Collins, a Delaware Alum and former Drexel assistant coach is on the Redwoods’ coaching staff.
The Cannons Lacrosse Club has the most CAA connections on its roster, with five players deriving from conference affiliates. Three former Towson Tigers – Ryan Drenner, Zach Goodrich, and Alex Woodall – along with a pair of former Hofstra players, Ryan Tierney and Bryan McIntosh represent the CAA on Cannons LC. Drenner, the 2016 CAA Player of the Year, and Goodrich, the 2018 CAA Defensive Player of the Year, won three CAA titles with Towson, while Woodall, the conference record-holder for ground balls per game (12.00) and face-off winning percentage (.742), was a part of two CAA Championship teams. Tierney was the 2021 CAA Offensive Player of the Year after being named CAA Rookie of the Year in 2017. Tierney ended his collegiate career as the CAA’s all-time leader in goals (164) and points (251) throughout league history.
The Waterdogs Lacrosse Club is equally well represented, with three former CAA players and one former coach on its roster. The Waterdogs will open the season against the Cannons on Sunday, June 5, at 5 p.m. on ESPN+. Former Fairfield head coach Andy Copelan oversees the Waterdogs, which include Charlie Kitchen and Matt DeLuca of Delaware along with Hofstra’s Steven DeNapoli. Kitchen, the 2019 CAA Offensive Player of the Year, was a three-time All-CAA First Team selection. Kitchen ranks fourth in league history in career goals (146) and assists (93) while ranking second all-time in points (239). DeLuca and DeNapoli both collected All-CAA honors throughout their playing careers in the conference.
The final game of opening weekend features five CAA players and one former coach as the Chrome Lacrosse Club takes on the Archers Lacrosse Club at 3:45 p.m. on Sunday, June 5. The game can be viewed on ESPN+. Chrome LC has two CAA alumni with Hofstra’s Brendan Kavanagh and Sean Sconone of UMass on its roster. Sconone was the 2019 National Goalkeeper of the Year, and CAA Defensive Player of the Year. Sconone also was the CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player after leading UMass to the Championship title in 2018.
Additionally, two former Minutemen will be in the contest as Will Manny, the 2012 CAA Player of the Year, and Jeff Trainor, a three-time All-CAA First Team selection and CAA Champion, are on the Archers’ roster. Former Drexel head coach Chris Bates, who was the 2007 and 2008 CAA Coach of the Year, heads the Archers coaching staff, while Fairfield alum Frankie Labetti made the Archers’ opening roster after signing as an undrafted rookie this offseason.
The PLL plays an 11-game regular season, with four games per week at a common host site. The host site rotates each week, spanning from Long Island to Seattle. The playoffs begin September 3, with the Quarterfinals in Boston. The semifinals will be played in the Nation’s capital on September 11, while the Championship game will take place on September 18 in Philadelphia. All games throughout the PLL season will be broadcasted on the ESPN family of networks.
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