Seals aim high as they welcome Rochester for home opener

Since the franchise was founded in 2017, the San Diego Seals have been one of the most consistently successful teams in box lacrosse, winning two division titles and making the postseason five times.

However, the Seals have yet to win a National Lacrosse League title.

That’s the goal captain Wesley Berg and his teammates have established as they enter Sunday afternoon’s home opener against the Rochester Knighthawks at Pechanga Arena.

The Seals (1-0) opened their season with a 16-13 road win over the Ottawa Blackbears last weekend. Rochester will be making its season debut in a game that will be carried nationally on ESPN2.

“Yeah, the big-picture goal is to win that championship, and that’s always kind of in the back of your mind,” said Berg, now in his fifth season with the club. “But at the same time, you can’t win or lose a title in the first weeks of the season. It’s such a long journey, and the league is crazy competitive. Anyone can beat anyone on a given night, and you see that reflected in the scores. So for us, it’s about building chemistry, creating good habits and getting off to a strong start to set us up well for what’s coming. Last week was a nice start, especially given some of the circumstances we faced.”

The team had trouble traveling to Ottawa for the opener. Several Seals arrived at the hotel at 2 a.m. the morning of game day.

Still, the Seals rode a big scoring night from Tre Leclaire (five goals, four assists) and excellent work from Trevor Baptiste, who won 28 of 33 face-offs and scored a goal after one face-off win.

While the core of last season’s team is back, the Seals should also get a boost from newcomers Corey Small, Connor Robinson and Noah Armitage.

All three made an impact in the opener, and Berg said he’s been impressed with the team’s chemistry so far.

For one thing, the Seals didn’t break after nearly giving up an early 6-0 lead or during a wild fourth period which saw the teams combine for 14 goals.

“It’s a good group for sure,” Berg said. “We’ve made the most of the practice time we have had together, and the newer guys have fit right in. I think we saw that last week. Trevor did such a fantastic job of gaining possession and then our movement and passing allowed us to score goals. I think we can definitely build on that going forward.”

Pechanga Arena, which will host a pregame tailgate party starting at 11:30 a.m., has been an excellent home for the Seals since their inception.

The team is 4-2 all-time in home openers, went 6-3 at home last season and are 21-6 in the “Electric Factory” since the start of the 2022-23 regular season.

“It’s always special playing in front of our fans,” Berg said. “It’s definitely one of the best crowds in the league, and we feed off that energy. I know it’s a Sunday afternoon where we are going up against football on TV, but hopefully people come out and pack the place. Looking forward to it.”

Seals (1-0) vs. Rochester Knighthawks (0-0)

When: 2 p.m. Sunday

Where: Pechanga Arena

TV: ESPN2