The Berg was the word on Labor Day in Foxborough.
Wes Berg, the man who has shuffled between the Redwoods, Chrome, Waterdogs, Chaos and then back to the Redwoods, tied the Premier Lacrosse League record for goals in a game to lift the Woods into the league’s semifinals. The crafty Canadian scored seven goals — six in the first half — to pace a 15-9 win over the Chaos.
The Redwoods’ result was one piece of an unusually chalky quarterfinal round for the PLL. For the first time in league history, the top four seeds advanced to the semifinals.
Berg, known for his knack for finding space in advantageous positions, needed just 18 touches to record the monster performance.
“I just kind of muck around in the middle there, and good things happen,” Berg said. “We got a lot of playmakers, so these are the fun ones. We like to play in the playoffs.”
On the other side of the field, Jack Kelly was a stone wall with 20 saves for a 71.4-percent success rate.
Jules Heningburg and Romar Dennis each had three points, as the Redwoods won a fourth straight game. Now they face their toughest test yet in the top-seeded Archers, who had a bye through the quarterfinals.
“So many guys are kind of buying into this and chiming in, and I think that’s the difference when you have so many young guys,” Redwoods coach Nat St. Laurent said.
DEFENDING CHAMPS ADVANCE
The defending champion Waterdogs are the only club that has previously won a PLL title that remains in the hunt. To advance to the final four, Andy Copelan’s team knocked out the Whipsnakes for the second year in a row and handed the two-time champs their worst-ever finish. This season is the first the Whips are absent from the semifinals.
Kieran McArdle and Michael Sowers combined to overwhelm the Whips, notching eight and seven points, respectively, in the 15-12 victory. Dillon Ward commanded a sturdy defense that slowed the Whipsnakes down late. After Tucker Dordevic tied the score at 10, the Waterdogs kept their foes off the board for nearly 15 minutes.
McArdle scored the eventual winner with the clock winding down in the third quarter on an assist from Sowers. Two more goals from the St. John’s alum helped seal the deal.
“We knew in a playoff game we had to step up,” McArdle said. “If we’re the offensive leaders on that end, we have to step up in the playoffs if we want to make a championship run.”
