The Carolina Chaos defeated the Denver Outlaws 12-11 to stamp their ticket into the 2025 Premier Lacrosse League playoffs, and they did it in chaotic fashion.
The mantra entering the night was taking the “hard road” over the “easy road,” and controlling destiny rather than relying on others.
“People overlook us, but no one really wants to play us,” Shane Knobloch said postgame. “You look at teams that can come back from an 8-2 deficit, I think we’ve done it three times this year, so we don’t see those bad starts as a game over right there. Obviously, I think they might have the best record in the league or had the best record in the league, not being afraid of that, not being afraid of what they’ve done, and just playing our game, sticking to what we do, we’re the only team that can really beat us.”
The easy road for the Chaos was banking on the California Redwoods losing this weekend to the Maryland Whipsnakes. Instead of putting their destiny in someone else’s hands, the Chaos went out and shaped their own destiny.
The Chaos entered halftime trailing 9-5. Five-time Oren Lyons Goaltender of the Year Blaze Riorden had only three saves, and three-time first-team All-Pro close defender Jack Rowlett got injured. It was time to get the engines started down the “hard road” once again.
But that didn’t bother the Chaos. They just kept playing lacrosse. It’s been the story all season long.
Carolina has been a second-half team, and it’s come off the back of the defense locking the door shut, and the young offense rising to the occasion in clutch moments.
The rookie duo, Owen Hiltz and Jackson Eicher, recorded four points apiece, and Shane Knobloch entered the lineup for the first time after returning from the injured reserve and provided multiple clutch goals, including a two-pointer that evened the score at nine aside in the third quarter.
From there, the Chaos did what they do best, which is close the door and suffocate the game until the final horn sounds.
The Chaos play the Utah Archers next weekend in Boston and can secure the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference with a win.
