A number of shirts that read “Everyone Watches Women’s Lacrosse” filled the concourse at Subaru Park, as fans filed in for the first-ever Women’s Lacrosse League Championship on Saturday.
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And when the Maryland Charm beat the California Palms 16-13 to claim the league’s first championship title, sparklers shot out, champagne was popped, and red, yellow, and white confetti rained down.
Jaycie Jaskolka, a 30-year-old Philly native, chose to root for the Palms because of their pink jerseys, while handing out friendship bracelets for both teams, the Philadelphia Waterdogs of the men’s Premier Lacrosse League, and other WLL teams.
Jaskolka said with the women’s sports history that already exists in Philly, adding the city as a stop to the WLL tour and the site for its first championship game is special.
“It’s so cool to kind of like see history happen,” Jaskolka said. “It’s one of those things that I wish I had this when I was younger, but I’m so glad that we get to have it now. Better late than never.”
For younger fans like Savannah Focht and Harper Willson, two 13-year old lacrosse players who traveled from Maryland to watch the Charm play, watching women pursue lacrosse professionally gives them the hope that they can too someday.
“It’s really inspiring for young athletes, and it makes us want to work harder and motivates us,” Focht said.
During the game, pink and red rally towels rippled through a crowd that included U.S. National Lacrosse Hall of Famer Tina Sloan Green and two-time women’s World Cup champion and Olympian Ali Krieger. Influencer Jackie Johnston, better known on social media as “Coach Jackie” for her women’s sports content, was also in attendance.
There were photo-ops and fan activations around the concourse, a performance from the West Powelton Steppers at halftime, autograph stations, and more to add to the excitement for fans.
But for Charm midfielder Ally Kennedy and her teammates, the job was building up the product on the field to appeal to more fans.
“We know if the best product is not on the field, we’re not going to win a championship, and it’s not going to grow the game either,” Kennedy said. “Goal number one is growing the game. We’re on ESPN. This was a great game, a huge game. I hope people all across the country were watching and became lacrosse fans and fell in love with the Charm.”
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Elijah Stobaugh, 23, a Bradenton, Fla. native, understood the gravity of the moment. Like Kennedy, Stobaugh and his friends have high expectations for where the league can go and how Saturday’s championship was a “major step in achieving it.”
“I can’t imagine what this league’s gonna be like in 20 years,” Stobaugh said. “So saying that I was at the first [championship] game is going to be cool 20 years from now because it’s going to be growing.”
Waterdogs clinch top seed in PLL playoffs
Earlier in the day, the Waterdogs had the first game in their homecoming weekend, beating the New York Atlas, 18-10, and securing the No. 1 seed and a bye to the semifinals of the PLL playoffs, which begin next weekend. Although the crowd erupted after the clock ran down on Philly’s victory, it was still the second-loudest moment during the game.
The loudest moment came when Waterdogs attackman CJ Kirst scored his first goal of the day with a little over three minutes to go in the first quarter. Kirst’s 31st goal of the season broke the league’s single-season mark, which was previously held by the Boston Cannons’ Marcus Holman, who scored 30 goals in 10 games in 2023.
The moment that followed, when Kirst’s teammates joined him on the field to celebrate, is when the reality of his milestone hit, he said.
“I think that was pretty special and definitely something that I’m going to carry with me for that moment,” Kirst said. “Not really putting the ball in the back of the net, but being able to celebrate with every guy on the field.”
Philadelphia native Jimmy Pine, 14, was just one of many fans wearing a purple Waterdogs jersey with “Kirst” on the back. Just as it was for the women’s game, Pine said fans being able to experience the PLL in person, especially Kirst’s record-breaking goal, can continue to grow professional lacrosse in the area.
“When they see how fast people can shoot, how cool it is to make a save, or how cool it is to hit, people are gonna love it and watch it,” Pine said.
The relationship goes both ways.
Kirst said playing at home, seeing the purple jerseys in the crowd and the support of the fans during warmups was a cool experience and hopes Sunday’s game against the Maryland Whipsnakes to close out the regular season will draw the same crowd.
“To have the support from Philadelphia and the sport of lacrosse to be so passionate about the Waterdogs, it truly means a lot,” Kirst said.