The Philadelphia Waterdogs are back in the postseason for the second time in the Bill Tierney era after a 13-6 victory over the Carolina Chaos on Saturday.
CJ Kirst was largely contained by Carolina’s defense, finishing with one goal — and one to go to break Marcus Holman‘s single-season record. He tied the record in the second quarter and could break it in front of a hometown crowd in two weeks, when the Waterdogs close out the regular season with a doubleheader in Philadelphia.
Instead of forcing the issue, Philly simply shifted gears. Eight different Waterdogs found the back of the net, and Michael Sowers orchestrated another MVP-worthy performance with five points (3G, 2A).
“Really proud of the guys,” Tierney said postgame. “… I thought our guys came out on fire. … I think we had nine different guys score, and if you can keep getting that kind of spread-out scoring, you’re going to be fine.”
Philadelphia’s offense has deserved much of the attention during the team’s surge, but Saturday belonged to the defense.
Rookie goalie Sean Byrne continued his remarkable rise since stepping into the starting role after Matt DeLuca’s injury, stopping 11 shots while the defense repeatedly erased Carolina possessions.
The Waterdogs finished with 10 caused turnovers, held the Chaos to just five goals — only one before halftime — and received another all-around masterclass from midfielder Zach Currier, who contributed three caused turnovers and four ground balls while continuing to impact both ends of the field.
“We already lost to this team once this year,” Tierney said. “On film, they have some really dangerous guys. I thought our guys developed and bought into the game plan and really did a great job. When they didn’t, Sean stopped the goal. So for a team that has supposedly all these offensive superstars, it’s nice to have a really good defensive win as well.”
Byrne is now 3-0 as a starter in his rookie season; he’s saved 63.6% of shots and allowed 7.3 scores per game over that stretch. ESPN’s broadcast went under the helmet during a defensive possession with Byrne in net, and he looked comfortable communicating with the defense.
“I think it started with relationships I started to build with guys throughout the year,” Byrne said. “Those conversations didn’t happen in the past couple weeks — they happened this entire summer. Just getting to know the guys and figuring out what works for them. … Seeing the support from my coaches and the other guys throughout the entire year definitely allowed me to step into that role and be a little more comfortable.”
The Waterdogs hardly needed to lean on Byrne for long stretches thanks to another dominant afternoon at the faceoff stripe. Alec Stathakiswon 15 of 20 draws against the Chaos, who did not dress a faceoff man, giving Philadelphia possession after possession.
The only concern from Saturday was that offensive midfielder Jack Hannah exited with a left foot injury after another productive outing. Hannah has become a catalyst for a midfield unit that seems to have found its rhythm after the All-Star break.
“Jack is an amazing player,” Tierney said. “One of the best midfielders in the world, and the last couple of games he’s been instrumental in getting us kick-started. … No real update on the injury. Luckily, we have a week off, and whatever it is, he’ll be better.”
Philadelphia now heads into its bye at 7-3, having won six of its last seven games. The Dogs can secure a first-round bye with a win in Philly in two weeks, or if both the Maryland Whipsnakes and Boston Cannons lose one of their final games of the season.
