🚨 121 MPH EMERGENCY STICK

Have you ever had the nightmare where you show up to a lacrosse game, open your bag and you’re missing a glove…or an arm pad…or even your STICK?

Chaos defenseman Jarrod Neumann experienced that nightmare in real life last weekend, when he arrived in Louisville for All-Star Weekend without his sticks.

“[Neumann] opened up his bag yesterday,” Chaos goalie Blaze Riorden said in his postgame press conference, “and looked at me with the widest eyes and goes, ‘I forgot my sticks.’”

The nightmare scenario was barely even a speed bump for Neumann, who ended up breaking the record for fastest shot in PLL history (121 MPH) with an emergency stick that was strung up for him on the morning of the All-Star Game.

After the game, Neumann gave credit to the PLL equipment staff for what may go down as the most clutch string job of all time.

“They got on a phone call together and strung me up a new one this morning,” Neumann said. “At 11 a.m., during the walkthrough, was the first time I even touched it. Made a couple of adjustments right before the game, but it worked.”

Before hitting 121 MPH in the Fastest Shot Competition, Neumann buried a pair of two-pointers during the first half of the All-Star Game. The first shot travelled 106 MPH, and the second one was 109 MPH.

Neumann had five two-point goals in 2019 and was named Defensive Player of the Year that season, but he did not score any two-pointers from 2020-2022 and only has one so far this season.

Maybe he should keep that emergency stick in his bag for the rest of the summer…

💪 Veterans Beat Rising Stars

If there’s such a thing as “Old Man Strength,” it was on display in the Veterans’ 26-19 win over the Rising Stars in the 2023 PLL All-Star game last Saturday. The Vets jumped out to a 5-0 first-quarter lead and never looked back.

Whipsnakes attackman Will Manny won All-Star MVP after leading the team with seven points (2G, 5A). His linemates — Rob Pannell (4G, 2A) and Ryder Garnsey (3G, 3A) — each had six points in the win.

On defense, goalies Blaze Riorden (57.9%) and Sean Sconone (56.5%) both saved more than half of the shots they faced.

Asher Nolting’s breakout season continued in the All-Star Game, with a team-leading seven points (2G, 5A) for the Rising Stars. Meanwhile, Mac O’Keefe had a game-high five goals on NINETEEN shots — an All-Star Game record.

📍 PLL Names Home City Finalists

During the All-Star Game broadcast on Saturday, the PLL announced 26 finalists for home cities in 2024. See them on the map and listed out in alphabetical order below:

• Albany

• Baltimore

• Boston

• California

• Carolina

• Charlotte

• Chicago

• Columbus

• Connecticut

• Dallas

• Denver

• Great Lakes

• Kansas City

• Louisville

• Maryland

• Minneapolis

• Minnesota

• New York

• Pacific Northwest

• Philadelphia

• Raleigh

• Rocky Mountain

• Seattle

• Texas

• Utah

• Washington D.C.

Vote for a PLL team in YOUR city by clicking the button below.

🍀 Former Notre Dame Player on Jeopardy!

Former Notre Dame lacrosse player Taylor Clagett has won the last two episodes of Jeopardy!, racking up $31,800 in winnings so far. On Monday night’s episode he announced that the money will go toward the Taylor Anne Foundation, which was formed in memory of his niece who tragically passed away from brain cancer at the age of 7.

Clagett was a face-off specialist for Notre Dame from 2004-08. He went 624-for-1,036 (.602) on face-offs during his Irish career, with 239 ground balls and five career points, according to his Notre Dame bio. He was also a fifth-round pick in the 2008 MLL Draft and had a short stint in the pros.

Clagett will go for a third straight win tonight at 7 p.m. ET on ABC.

📺 PLL Broadcast Info

The PLL is descending upon Dallas, TX this weekend. Here’s when and where you can watch the action (Eastern Time):

Saturday, July 29
6 p.m. — Atlas vs. Chrome (ESPN+)
8:30 p.m. — Cannons vs. Redwoods (ESPN+)

Sunday, July 30
3 p.m. — Waterdogs vs. Archers (ABC)
5:30 p.m. — Whipsnakes vs. Chaos (ESPN+)