The San Diego Seals are a NLL Box lacrosse team. They currently play at Pechanga Arena in Ocean Beach, San Diego.

Lacrosse players in a hockey stadium sized field with turf grass.

I went to my first game in February 2026 with some friends from church. Their daughter’s lacrosse team had discounted tickets which made the event very affordable. When I arrived, I was impressed with how close the seats were. The upper section of Pechenga arena was roped off so all the seats were fairly close.

The atmosphere of the event was very upbeat. There was music playing nearly constantly during the game, which I took as an indication that the fan experience was a priority over the competitive play. The lore is that the Seals team has several players that live in Canada for their day jobs and fly in for the games. For the first few quarters, the Seals were struggling to score which would make sense if they don’t get much practice time. But by the end of the game they found their form and were able to win the game by one point.

Lacrosse players crowding around the goal

The NLL games feel very similar to a hockey game. They have the same playing area with glass walls, but with turf instead of ice. They also had several fights and players were penalized leading to power plays. With pads, the goalies seemed like they took up the whole goal, but each team scored more than half a dozen goals in our game. At a few points, players dove acrobatically across the goal to score in an impressive display of athleticism.

Cheerleaders on a field with a large screen overhead showing a band playing in tropical shirts

The entertainment extended outside of the game, with giveaways and typical jumbotron engagement. I was surprised to learn that the seals have their own cheerleading squad who appeared between quarters. There was also an aerial silk display and a jimmy buffet cover band.

Even as someone who doesn’t know lacrosse well, the event was a lot of fun. The high energy atmosphere covered over lulls in play. But it also felt a bit fake at times, as if it was cheapening the game. It was also hard to hear the officials’ mics over the music making calls hard to follow.

But overall, I’m glad I went. With friends it was a fun event and made me more interested in lacrosse. I’ll have to check out San Diego’s other lacrosse events to see how they compare.