The 2024 Premier Lacrosse League season officially begins on Saturday in Albany, New York. The Virginia men's lacrosse program is represented with players on seven of the league's eight teams and 14 total former Cavaliers are on gameday rosters to begin this season.
Veteran goalie Adam Ghitelman, who helped lead the Cavaliers to the 2011 National Championship, is set to begin his 14th season of professional lacrosse. Ghitelman is on the Boston Cannons' 19-man roster, but is listed on the league's injury report as questionable with an ankle injury. Former UVA defenseman Cade Saustad is on the team's holdout list, on the roster but not expected to play this weekend. The Cannons open their season against the New York Atlas on Saturday at 3:30pm on ESPN+.
California Redwoods
The California Redwoods now have the most rostered former UVA men's lacrosse players of any PLL team. Charlie Bertrand won two Division II national titles at Merrimack before transferring to Virginia and winning the 2021 National Championship, won gold with Team USA at the 2023 World Championships, and is now entering his fourth season with the Redwoods. The club made a move to acquire former Cavalier LSM Jared Conners from the Archers this offseason. Conners won two national titles at Virginia, was the 2021 Midfielder of the Year, and won the 2023 PLL title with the Archers before getting traded to the Redwoods. A pair of UVA short-stick defensive midfielders are also rostered with the Redwoods in 2021 national champion Chris Merle and All-American SSDM Chase Yager, who just finished his first and only season at Virginia after transferring from Harvard.
The Redwoods selected Virginia defenseman Cole Kastner with the final pick of this year's PLL Draft, but he is on the holdout list while he goes and plays basketball at Stanford next year. Kastner is expected to join the Redwoods for the 2025 PLL season. Speaking of the Cardinal, former Stanford linebacker Ricky Miezan, who transferred to Virginia to play lacrosse in 2023, suffered an injury with the Redwoods in the PLL Championship Series back in February and is on the holdout list.
Due to the PLL's new scheduling model, wherein each team has a host week in which that team will play two games in one weekend, the league now has bye weeks. The California Redwoods have their bye week to start the season so they won't be playing this weekend in Albany.
The Chaos have one former Cavalier on their protected reserve roster in week one, midfielder Greg Coholan, who graduated in 2016 and was an All-American in 2015. The Chaos will take on the Denver Outlaws in Albany on Sunday at 1pm on ESPN+.
The Outlaws are the lone PLL team with no former Virginia lacrosse player on their roster.
Maryland Whipsnakes
The Whipsnakes have on their roster two-time national champion faceoff specialist Petey LaSalla and All-American attackman and 2020 PLL Champion and MVP Zed Williams, who tried out for the Buffalo Bills as a tight end and linebacker this spring. Former UVA short-stick defensive midfielder Grayson Sallade is on the Whips' 25-man roster, but not their 19-man gameday roster for week one.
Affectionately dubbed the 'UVAtlas' due to their recent acquisitions of Virginia lacrosse players, the New York Atlas have an offense littered with former Cavaliers. The Atlas selected Connor Shellenberger with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 PLL Draft, pairing the four-time First-Team USILA All-American and three-time Tewaaraton Finalist with former UVA teammate Xander Dickson, who set the Virginia single-season goals record with 61 in 2023. Payton Cormier broke that record that season and we should see him join this unit this summer as well, as the Atlas claimed Cormier off of waivers after he somehow went undrafted. And if that wasn't enough, two-time national champion midfielder Dox Aitken is back after not playing in the 2023 season, giving the Atlas four Cavaliers in their offensive unit.
Cormier is currently on the unable to travel list, as he'll have to wait a couple of weeks to get his work visa approved to be able to play professionally in the United States.
The New York Atlas are hosting this weekend's games in Albany and will play the Boston Cannons on Saturday at 3:30pm on ESPN+ and the Maryland Whipsnakes on Sunday at 3:30pm on ESPN+.
Philadelphia Waterdogs
The Waterdogs have two former Cavaliers in their midfield: 2019 National Champion, 2022 PLL Champion, and 2023 World Lacrosse Champion Ryan Conrad, and former Vermont transfer and 2023 first round pick Thomas McConvey. The Waterdogs take on the Archers in a rematch of the 2023 PLL title game on Saturday at 1pm on ABC in the first game of the 2024 Premier Lacrosse League season.
The reigning PLL champs have just one Cavalier on their roster after trading Jared Conners this offseason. Matt Moore won back-to-back national titles with Virginia and will now look to do the same with the Archers, as they try to defend their crown this summer.
