Matt Moore & Jared Conners Win PLL Championship With Archers
Matt Moore and Jared Conners are championship teammates once again. Two and a half years after winning their second-consecutive NCAA national title with the Virginia men's lacrosse team, Moore and Conners teamed up for another championship effort, helping the Archers take down the Waterdogs 15-14 in an epic title game on Sunday in Philadelphia to claim the 2023 Premier Lacrosse League Championship.
Moore, who finished his UVA career in 2022 as the program's all-time leader in career points, had a goal and three assists to power the Archers to the win. Conners, who also won two national titles with Moore at Virginia and was the Outstanding Midfielder of the Year in 2021, tallied two ground balls and was pivotal in clearing the ball as a key part of the Archers' defensive unit.
UVA was guaranteed to be represented with multiple alums on the championship-winning team, as the runner-up Waterdogs, who came in as the defending PLL Champs, had three former Cavaliers on their roster: Ryan Conrad, Thomas McConvey (reserve), and Jeff Conner (inactive).
Had the Waterdogs successfully defended their title, it would have capped an amazing year for Conrad, who scored 10 goals and two assists to help lead Team USA to the the 2023 World Lacrosse Championship in July. Although the Waterdogs fell short of repeating as champions, Conrad continued to cement his legacy as a player who performs at the highest level on the biggest stage. After scoring a hat trick in last year's title game to help the Waterdogs claim the 2022 Premier Lacrosse League Championship, Conrad did it again, recording three goals and two ground balls against the Archers on Sunday.
Virginia has had at least one former player on three of the last four PLL Championship teams.
Congratulations to Matt Moore, Jared Conners, and the Archers Lacrosse Club for winning the 2023 Premier Lacrosse League Championship.
Subscribe to the Cavaliers Now Newsletter to receive UVA sports news in your inbox first thing on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Stay up to date on all the former Virginia athletes playing at the professional level here: Pro Hoos on Sports Illustrated
See more Virginia sports news and content: Virginia Cavaliers on Sports Illustrated
To stay up to date on all Virginia Cavaliers sports news, follow CavaliersNow on social media:
Facebook: @CavaliersNow
Twitter: @CavaliersNowFN