Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
Bill Tierney knows a thing or two about building a winning lacrosse program. <\/p>\n
In 1988, his first year as Princeton\u2019s head lacrosse coach, his team finished 2-13. He went on to win six national championships. <\/p>\n
In 2024, the Philadelphia Waterdogs had a 2-8 record. Two years later, Tierney led the Waterdogs to win the 2026 Premier Lacrosse League Championship with a dominant 14-4 victory over the Denver Outlaws. <\/p>\n
This is the Waterdogs\u2019 second league title since the PLL\u2019s inaugural season in 2018. They won their first in 2022. Their success is fueling fan interest in Philadelphia. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re proud to have brought this championship to Philly so that we can be on board with all those other great franchises and championship programs in the city,\u201d Tierney said. <\/p>\n
\u00bb READ MORE: \u2018It never gets old\u2019: Homecoming weekend takes on extra meaning for some pro men\u2019s lacrosse players<\/a><\/p>\n In total, Tierney has won seven NCAA championships \u2014 six at Princeton and one at Denver \u2014 and he became the first lacrosse coach to win a college and professional championship. But his lacrosse career began later than most.<\/p>\n When Tierney arrived at Cortland State in fall 1969, a friend who lived on his dorm floor was a lacrosse goalie and asked Tierney to shoot on him to help prepare for the season. Tierney, who never played lacrosse prior to that, eventually tried out for the team, and by his senior year, Cortland won a national championship. <\/p>\n \u201cBy sitting on the bench a lot I was able to listen to coaches and take a lot in,\u201d he said. \u201cSo it was the best of both worlds.\u201d<\/p>\n Tierney retired from coaching in 2023 and spent seven months away from the game before receiving a call about coaching the Waterdogs in the PLL.<\/p>\n Transitioning to the professional league came with a different challenge for Tierney, he said. Unlike college teams whose players practice together every day, PLL players balance lacrosse with full-time jobs and only practice together on the weekends before a game.<\/p>\n \u201cThe key is the culture,\u201d Tierney said. \u201cWhat you got to learn at the pro level with the lack of real contact with the guys is to dive in with them on their personal lives and them getting to know you better off the field. It took me a while to do that better than I did at first.\u201d <\/p>\n Building those relationships off the field helped the Waterdogs create that championship-winning culture.<\/p>\n Philadelphia earned the No. 1 pick in the 2025 PLL College Draft after finishing 2-8 in 2024 and 2-6 in 2025. The Waterdogs selected CJ Kirst, who was the youngest player since 2009 to earn the 2026 PLL MVP award. <\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: \u2018Dreams come true\u2019: CJ Kirst joins his three brothers in the Premier Lacrosse League<\/a><\/p>\n Kirst won a national championship at Cornell in 2025 before receiving the Tewaaraton Award as the nation\u2019s top college lacrosse player. He broke the PLL single-season record with 34 goals in 10 games and earned Championship MVP honors after recording seven points in the championship game.<\/p>\n \u201cMy motivation every weekend is just the excitement that I have when I go and play the game,\u201d Kirst said. \u201cI just love being a part of the locker rooms and showing up and being a part of something that is so much bigger than yourself. I pride myself in playing with a ton of passion and that is the fire inside me where I have so much joy playing the game.\u201d <\/p>\n Growing the game<\/p>\n A Montgomery County<\/a> native and 2026 PLL Attackman of the Year, Michael Sowers said winning is essential to building a fan base and growing the league in Philadelphia. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019re trying to break into a new market, there\u2019s no better way to do it than winning and especially in the city of Philadelphia, the city rallies behind winners,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n In 2024, the PLL announced that each team would be tied to a home market<\/a>, and the Waterdogs were assigned Philadelphia. <\/p>\n Its losing record made creating a local following difficult when the Waterdogs first relocated to the city in 2024. <\/p>\n \u201cI remember being embarrassed to tell people I played for the Waterdogs because the first question they would ask is \u2018How\u2019d you guys do this year?\u2019 And it was like, \u2018Oh we\u2019re 2-8, we sucked,\u2019\u201d Sowers said. \u201cSo, now to be able say we\u2019re champions for the best team in the world, like that\u2019s pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n The Waterdogs are also trying to establish themselves in a city with a history in lacrosse. Sowers previously played for the Philadelphia Wings, whose National Lacrosse League franchise ceased operations on Sept. 10<\/a> after Comcast Spectator withdrew its ownership following the 2025-26 season. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s as simple as winning,\u201d Sowers said. \u201cAnd unfortunately for the Wings, we just didn\u2019t really win.\u201d <\/p>\n The championship game on Sept. 20 showed the team\u2019s and PLL\u2019s growth. <\/p>\n