Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 3/5/24
From Press Releases
The hometown kid is staying in Philly.
Months after the team officially landed in Philadelphia, Upper Dublin graduate Michael Sowers has signed with the team through 2026. Sowers’ contract was set to expire at the end of this year, but general manager Andy Copelan locked Sowers up for the next three years.
The No. 2 overall player on the 2023 players’ top-50 list scored 30 points on 15 goals in the regular season, ranking second and third on the team, respectively. Sowers’ dominance is largely due to his footwork. Sowers works tirelessly with trainer Kenny Williams to develop some of the fastest feet in the league, leaving defenders in the dust at X.
Sowers’ 11 assists ranked second in the Championship Series last month, as he routinely beat short sticks to find open lanes to the cage, whether it was a pass or a shot. His dominance against short sticks forces defenses to shift their slides and accommodate the speedster at all times.
“In my opinion, Michael Sowers is the best player in the world,” Copelan said after the Champ Series.
Sowers – who starred at Princeton and Duke after earing Phillylacrosse.com Co-Player of the Year in 2016 – is the lynchpin and point guard of the Waterdogs’ offense, and will continue to be for at least the next four seasons. Copelan made sure to get his franchise player back after Sowers helped lead the team to three Championship appearances.
Richard (Henderson) signs with Waterdogs
The Philadelphia Waterdogs have signed SSDM Jake Richard (Henderson) to a one-year deal. The 30-year-old has played professional lacrosse since 2016, spending two years with the New York Lizards in the MLL before joining the PLL’s Atlas in 2019. Richard, a West Chester native, will now play for his hometown team in their first season representing Philadelphia.
The move reunites one of the best defensive duos in Marquette history – Richard and Liam Byrnes. The pair played all 61 of their college games together from 2013-2016, ranking fourth in program history. Richard played all 20 regular season games for the Atlas over the past two seasons and has appeared in all but six games since joining the league in 2019.
That consistency is something Philadelphia needs after being one of the most injured teams in the league last season. Plus, the former All-Star will add some veteran presence to a high-volume short stick group filled with three 27-year-olds and one 24-year-old (Jake Higgins).
The Waterdogs were the only team to dress four short-stick defensive midfielders consistently last season. Higgins, Christian Scarpello, Charlie Hayes and Matt Whitcher all played significant roles in the Waterdogs defense and excelled in transition. They each notched at least one goal and were active in the screen game throughout the year. Richard will add value and depth to that group, even if the Dogs dress faceoff specialists more next season.
In addition to this signing, the Waterdogs brought back every qualified player from the 2023 season and added Championship Series starter Jack Traynor (Malvern Prep) to the active roster.
