PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – University of Vermont men's lacrosse assistant coach Jake Bernhardt won the inaugural Premier Lacrosse League Championship with the Whipsnakes Lacrosse Club on Saturday (Sept. 21) at Talen Energy Stadium.
 
"I couldn't be more thankful for the support and experience I had playing in the inaugural season of the Premier Lacrosse League," Bernhardt said. "The unique opportunity to coach at the University of Vermont and continue to play against & with the best players in the world has been special. I'm incredibly proud to coach such a great group of men and represent the University of Vermont at the highest level. It is truly an honor to win the first ever PLL Championship with the Whipsnakes and something I will cherish for the rest of my life."
 
Bernhardt and the second-seed Whipsnakes took a thrilling 12-11 overtime win over the fourth-seed Redwoods for the league's inaugural title.
 
The Whipsnakes jumped to an early lead and held a 9-2 advantage in the third quarter. The Redwoods stormed back to take an 11-10 lead late in the fourth quarter. The 2019 PLL regular season MVP, Matt Rambo, scored the game-tying goal and added the overtime winner to give the Whipsnakes the crown.
 
The two-way midfielder finished the game with a shot and two ground balls. In nine regular season games, Bernhardt tallied five goals and two assists on 20 shots. He added seven ground balls and three caused turnovers.
 
Bernhardt and the Catamounts kick off the 2019 fall slate on Friday (Oct. 4) with the program's alumni game on Virtue Field. Interested alumni can register here or reach out to the Victory Club at 802-656-0956 or victory.club@uvm.edu for more information.
 
Vermont plays its annual Green vs. Gold scrimmage on Saturday (Oct. 5) with a 4 p.m. faceoff.