New York. First time. Atlas Cup. Let that land for a second — because after a 14-13 championship game that went down to the wire against the Denver Outlaws, the New York Atlas are finally champions. This franchise waited for this moment, and when it came, they earned every bit of it.
The Regular Season: Two Teams Built for This
The 2025 PLL regular season made one thing clear early: the East belonged to the Atlas and the West belonged to the Outlaws, and everything else was a fight for the scraps. New York and Denver both finished 7-3, locking up division titles with room to spare over their respective fields.
In the East, the Whipsnakes, Waterdogs, and Cannons all finished 4-6, meaning Maryland, Philadelphia, and Boston were essentially tied for the second playoff spot. The Waterdogs got in. In the West, the California Redwoods and Carolina Chaos both went 5-5 to claim the bracket spots behind Denver, leaving the Utah Archers on the outside at 4-6.
Connor Shellenberger was the Atlas engine all season. The Virginia product is the best attackman in professional lacrosse right now — not a conversation, not a debate. His regular season was the argument, and his postseason was the closing statement. His MVP and Attackman of the Year awards weren’t close calls.
The Playoff Picture: No Easy Paths
The quarterfinals delivered the first dose of chaos. Philadelphia knocked off Maryland 14-12 in the East bracket — the Waterdogs beating out the Whipsnakes in what amounted to a revenge game for a roster that had been fighting for its identity all year. Out West, California eliminated Carolina 14-12 in an equally tight game. Both quarterfinals ended by two goals. Neither was comfortable.
The semifinals separated the contenders from the pretenders fast. Atlas beat Philadelphia 13-11 — a game that was closer than it should have been, a sign that the Waterdogs have the kind of roster that can make anyone uncomfortable. On the other side, Denver crushed the Redwoods 12-7, and it wasn’t as close as that margin suggests. The Outlaws were the best team in the West and they looked like it when it mattered.
The Championship: 14-13, Down to the Last Possession
Atlas vs. Outlaws. East king vs. West king. First title versus a Denver franchise that has been knocking on the door. The championship game delivered everything you’d want from a 14-13 final.
The Outlaws had the tools. Logan McNaney in goal — who won Goalie of the Year — is one of the best in the league. Jake Piseno won LSM of the Year. Tim Soudan won Coach of the Year. Denver was built correctly and coached correctly and they still came up one goal short. That’s how good New York was.
Jeff Teat won Finals MVP, and the performance was the exclamation point on a season where the Atlas proved they’re not just a good team — they’re a championship program. Teat was everywhere when the game was on the line, which is exactly what you need from your secondary weapon when the defense is keying on Shellenberger.
Gavin Adler on defense and a locked-in Atlas squad made Denver work for every single goal. The Outlaws scored 13. In a championship game, that should be enough. New York scored 14. First franchise championship in team history.
The Storylines That Defined 2025
Shellenberger winning MVP and Attackman of the Year in the same season while leading his team to a championship is a career-defining performance. He’s 25 years old. Start having the conversation about what his ceiling looks like if this is the floor.
Matt Campbell of the Boston Cannons won Midfielder of the Year on a team that finished 4-6. That’s a player doing everything he can with what he has, which is its own kind of impressive. The Cannons need to build around him or someone else will find a way to get him.
TD Ierlan winning Faceoff of the Year with the Redwoods is no surprise — he’s been the best faceoff man in the league for years. Chris Kavanagh taking Rookie of the Year for California is a promising sign for a Redwoods roster that took it deep into the playoffs before running into the Denver freight train.
And then there’s Jared Bernhardt. The former Tewaaraton winner — arguably the most decorated player in college lacrosse history — left the game to chase an NFL dream as a wide receiver. It didn’t pan out the way he hoped, and in 2025 he came back to lacrosse and signed with the Denver Outlaws. A championship ring would have been a storybook ending. It didn’t happen, but the fact that he was back on a PLL field at all, competing at the highest level of the sport he dominated in college, says something about the kind of competitor he is. Denver will want him back. The league is better with him in it.
What It Means Going Forward
The New York Atlas are champions, and they’re not going anywhere. Shellenberger is in his prime. Teat is locked in. Adler is one of the best defensive players in the league. Tim Soudan losing Coach of the Year to himself — wait, Soudan won it for Denver — is the only thing that went wrong for the Atlas in 2025.
Denver will be back. Soudan is too good a coach and that roster is too talented to chalk this up as a failure. They made the championship game. They scored 13 goals in a final. They just ran into a team that was slightly better on the day that counted.
The 2025 PLL season gave the sport everything it needed: a dominant regular season from two worthy finalists, playoff chaos that produced the right matchup, and a championship game that went down to the last possession. The Atlas are champions. They earned it. Now let’s see if they can defend it.