Redwoods LC vs. Atlas LC
Redwoods: TD Ierlan (FO)
TD Ierlan struggled in his second PLL season. He finished fourth in faceoff win percentage (53.6%). That’s a decent mark, but well below his lofty expectations. Ierlan won almost 65% of his faceoffs in his rookie season, and he’s one of the best faceoff specialists in lacrosse history at his best.
If the Redwoods want to be serious contenders, they need Ierlan to be the best version of himself. A week one battle against reigning MVP Trevor Baptiste is a daunting task. It’s a good litmus test to see what version of Ierlan we’ll see this season.
Atlas: Gavin Adler (D)
Cornell’s Gavin Adler is the second defenseman to go No. 1 overall in an MLL/PLL draft. That type of pedigree will come with serious expectations, and he’ll get an exciting test out of the gate.
It remains to be seen what exactly Adler’s role is for the Bulls’ defense, but he could be matched one-on-one with future Hall of Famer Rob Pannell in his first professional game. That matchup would be the perfect introduction to the league. This showdown is the perfect spotlight for a budding superstar.
