Desert Dogs Take Down San Diego Seals, 18-16
Published on April 18, 2026 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Las Vegas Desert Dogs News Release
Las Vegas, NV - Desert Dogs (8-10) score big in an all-out dog fight vs. their rival San Diego Seals (8 - 10) finishing on top with an 18 - 16 win.
The Desert Dogs jumped out first with a goal by Tony Malcom, but San Diego answered quickly to tie it up. Chris Cloutier responded right away, putting the Dogs back in front 2-1 with a dunk in the net. The Seals closed the quarter with two straight goals to take a 3-2 lead into the second.
Malcom opened the second quarter with an outside slinger to tie the game 3-3. On the ensuing faceoff, Rys Blake was called for an illegal body check on Baptiste, putting the Dogs down a man on a five-minute penalty. Despite that, Brandon Goodwin went coast-to-coast for the go-ahead goal, making it 4-3 with an assist from goalie Landon Kells.
San Diego answered midway through the quarter to even it at 4-4, but rookie Ben Soenen quickly put the Desert Dogs back on top, 5-4. The Seals continued to battle, tying it again at 5-5 with nine minutes remaining in the half.
From there, the Desert Dogs found another gear. Adam Poitras cleaned up a rebound to regain the lead, then added another to make it 7-5. Jones followed with a low finish to extend the advantage to 8-5, and Cloutier added a diving goal at the 3:41 mark to push the lead to 9-5.
The Seals answered with two minutes left in the half to cut it to 9-6, but the Desert Dogs kept the pressure on and added one more before the break to take a 10-6 lead into halftime.
Cloutier opened the second half with another diving goal, followed by Jackson Webster scoring his first of the night to give the Desert Dogs a 12-7 lead. The Seals answered with one of their own to make it 12-8. Poitras kept the Desert Dogs' momentum going, adding another goal, and Jones followed with his third of the night to extend the lead to 14-9. However, the Seals wouldn't back down, scoring with one minute remaining in the third.
Brandon Goodwin kicked off the fourth-quarter scoring to make it 15-10, followed by Jonathan Donville, who increased the lead to 16-10. The Seals responded with two more, inching closer to pull within four. Cloutier added another to give the Desert Dogs 17 goals, tying a franchise record, but the Seals battled back with three goals in the final minutes to cut it to 17-16.
Cloutier sealed the performance with his fifth goal of the game at the 1:57 mark, pushing the lead to 18-16 and setting a new franchise record for most goals in a game.
The Desert Dogs finish the season 8-10, setting a franchise record for most wins in a season with eight and most goals scored in a single game.
POINT LEADERS
JONATHAN DONVILLE - 1 GOAL | 11 ASSISTS | 12 POINTS
CHRIS CLOUTIER - 5 GOALS | 2 ASSISTS | 7 POINTS
MITCH JONES - 3 GOALS | 3 ASSISTS | 6 POINTS
National Lacrosse League Stories from April 18, 2026
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- Roughnecks Edge out Mammoth in Thrilling 9-8 Finale - Calgary Roughnecks
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- Knighthawks Swarmed in Georgia - Rochester Knighthawks
- Game Day Preview - Warriors vs Wings - Vancouver Warriors
- What to Watch for vs. Saskatchewan Rush - Toronto Rock
- Seals' Playoff Hopes Get a Much-Needed Jolt with 14-12 Win over Las Vegas Behind Career Performance from Zach Currier - San Diego Seals
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