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- What: Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) Championship Final
- When: September 15, 2024
- Where: Philadelphia, PA
- Watch: ESPN+ (3 p.m. ET)
The Maryland Whipsnakes may be the most dominant team in league history, but it’s the defending champion Utah Archers that oddsmakers like in the Professional Lacrosse League championship final.
At the leading online betting sites, Utah is set as slight -120 favorites over the Whipsnakes, who are given underdog odds of -110 to win the title. The PLL final is set for 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 15 and will be played at a neutral site in Philadelphia.
| PLL Final Odds | The Pick |  |  |  |
| Utah Archers vs Maryland Whipsnakes | Archers | -120 | -120 | -120 |
Betting Tips For 2024 PLL Final
The Whipsnakes are two-time PLL champions (2019, 2020) but they are playing in the PLL Championship game for the first season since 2021.
The Archers are the reigning playoff champions. Utah was also the best regular-season team in 2023, although this season, that honor went to the New York Atlas. Last season, Utah was the first regular-season champion in three years to follow up by winning the playoff title as well.
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Whipsnakes Edge PLL’s Top Squad
It took them overtime to get it done, but the Whipsnakes were able to battle their way back into the PLL final by toppling the regular-season champion Atlas. A 12-11 victory was achieved when rookie Levi Anderson was netting the game winner for Maryland in OT.
It was the first and only time during the game that the Whipsnakes would be holding the lead. New York actually was the owner of a three-goal advantage, with a 6-3 lead on the scoreboard when the two teams were taking their break following the first quater.
Balanced scoring was the story of what carried the day for the Whipsnakes. Anderson, TJ Malone and Colin Heacock each contributed three goals. Matt Rambo scored two goals. Goalie Brendan Krebs was making 17 saves.
Archers Totally Dominant In Semifinal Rout
Tangling with the Carolina Chaos in the other PLL semifinal, there really wasn’t any Chaos at all for the Archers to be dealing with during the game. Utah was rolling to an easy 10-1 drubbing of Carolina.
Utah set the tone early, racing to a 4-0 first-quarter lead. It wasn’t until late in the game that Carolina was able to score and be avoiding the humiliation of a shutout. Archers goalkeeper Brett Dobson would stop 18 of 19 shots he faced.
The one goal allowed set a new PLL single-game record. This was the same Carolina team that was netting 15 goals when the Chaos met the Archers during regular-season play.
Mac O’Keefe was pacing a balanced Utah attack with three points. His output was including two goals and one assist. Midfielder Grant Ament was adding one goal and two assists. During last season’s run to the PLL title, Ament was accounting for 11 points in two games.
Maryland Kings Of Comebacks
All season long, the Whipsnakes have been garnering a reputation as kings of the comeback. They’ve fashioned a number of come-from-behind victories.
Maryland has been able to maintain that status through two playoff victories. The Whipsnakes were edging the Denver Outlaws 11-10 in the PLL quarter-finals. The lead went back and forth several times during that game. It was a 9-9 tie late in the game when the Whipsnakes were finding another way to a thrilling victory.
AN ABSOLUTE THRILLER IN THE SEMIS 🐍 https://t.co/fbfIhiJJby pic.twitter.com/ZmkCbo4wDs
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) September 7, 2024
Malone is the man getting it done for Maryland. He’s leading the PLL playoffs in points (nine), one-point goals (five) and assists (four). Heacock is second in one-point goals (four) and points (four). He’s also leading the PLL postseason with a 66.7% shooting percentage.
Best Bet: Archers Will Repeat In PLL Final
This will be Maryland’s fourth appearance in the PLL final. The Whipsnakes are 2-1 in previous visits. However, as much as it might be nice to go with the Cinderella story of this never-say-die fourth-seeded Maryland squad, the fact of the matter is that the Archers are simply too deep and too talented to be overcome.
Holding a team to one goal in a professional field lacrosse game is an unparalleled achievement. And yes, the Chaos certainly aren’t scoring machines, but Utah goalie Dobson is proving to be a brick wall in the PLL postseason.
In three career PLL playoff games, Dobson is 3-0. He’s showing an average of 18 saves per game, while boasting a 72% save rate. Dobson allows just seven points per game over his postseason career.
More significantly, Utah is playing this airtight defense minus the injured Latrell Harris. He was the 2023 Short-Stick Defensive Midfielder of the Year.
Maryland will offer a challenge to be sure. The Whipsnakes are generating a league-leading 43.5 shots and 11.5 scores during PLL postseason play.
They’re the slightly better offensive team, while Utah is the slightly better defensive team. And traditionally, it’s defense that wins championships.
The Archers are also 3-0 in the last three meetings with the Whipsnakes. They’ve won those games by an average margin of 15.6-11.3.
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