On Saturday, March 4 the Seals will face off against the Las Vegas Desert Dogs in the NLL Stadium Showdown taking place at Snapdragon Stadium at 1:30pm PT / 4:30pm ET. This historic matchup will feature a lot of firsts and many storylines coming together to create an incredible moment in lacrosse history.
Not only is this the first matchup in the team’s history, but it will also be the first-ever outdoor game to be played in the National Lacrosse League’s 36-year history. Dubbed the Stadium Showdown, this matchup will be making history and is a preview of what’s to come for this league. And it’s no mystery why San Diego was chosen to host this historic outdoor game. Not only are the Seals sitting at the top of their division, but you can be sure San Diego will be showing off the best of what the city has to offer with a 1:30pm game under the beautiful San Diego sunshine. It will also be the first professional lacrosse game to be played at the brand-new Snapdragon Stadium, which is home to the 2023 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship taking place later this summer.
The Seals and the Desert Dogs are two very different franchises in two very different moments in their history. The Seals are still relatively young at five years old, kicking off their franchise in the 2018-19 season, while the Desert Dogs are in their first year as the newest team in the NLL. While these two teams and cities are vastly different, they do share a few commonalities: sand, box lacrosse, and owner Joe Tsai. The Seals are owned by Joe Tsai, while the Desert Dogs are under an ownership group consisting of Joe Tsai, Wayne Gretzky, Steve Nash, and Dustin Johnson.
The Seals are coming off their first loss at home this season, but still sit at the top of the Western Division with a 6-2 record. Star forwards Dane Dobbie and Curtis Dickson lead the team in points, both with 49 this season, followed by Wes Berg sitting at 46 points thanks to a whopping 32 assists. To round out the powerful offense, the Seals also have Austin Staats and Kevin Crowley with their fair share of points. With the most stacked offense in the league, you can expect them to keep the Desert Dogs defense on alert all game.
This game also has the potential to mark a few major milestones for the Seals’ offense. Crowley needs 2 points to reach 800 in his career and Dickson needs 6 to reach 900 in his career. Meanwhile, Dobbie is 4 goals away from becoming the 6th player in the league history to reach 500 in his career. On the defensive side, Seals Captain Brodie Merrill is just 2 games away from passing Seals Offensive Coordinator, Josh Sanderson, for 4th place on the all-time games played list with 269 games.
On the other end of the draw, the Las Vegas Desert Dogs sit in the 6th spot of the Western Division with a 3-5 record. The new franchise had a slow start to their first season starting off 0-4, but have picked up momentum with recent wins against Vancouver, Colorado and Albany. Forward Rob Hellyer leads the team with 47 points, followed by Jack Hannah and Zack Greer.
Fans can expect the same high-quality entertainment experienced at Pechanga Arena San Diego, plus a few additional factors like limited edition merchandise, giveaways, and a special halftime performance by the ZOOperstars hilarious entertainment show.
Tickets for this historic game can be purchased HERE. Doors open at 12:30pm PT, and faceoff is at 1:30pm PT. For fans unable to attend, the game will be aired live on Fox 5 San Diego.
For more ticketing information, be sure to contact the Seals at 619-375-3755 or email tickets@sealslax.com.
