Cash App Playoffs preview: Can Cannons leverage home-field advantage vs. Chaos?
By Sarah Griffin | Aug 26, 2024
When the Boston Cannons head to Gillette Stadium on Labor Day for their quarterfinals matchup against the Carolina Chaos, they’ll have one guaranteed advantage on their side: a home crowd.
But will the energy from the fans be enough to beat the Chaos for a second time in a row?
Why the Cannons can win the Cash App Championship
The Cannons have been one of the most consistent teams throughout the season. Though offensively their shooting percentage and scoring are down from last year, they make up for it with a fierce one-two punch in Asher Nolting and Marcus Holman, two-point prowess from range, and the proven ability to overcome any deficit with a sound defense to back them up.
Nolting is the orchestrator on offense for Boston. A nominee for both the Jim Brown MVP Award and the Eamon McEneaney Attackman of the Year Award, the Cannons’ quarterback has taken his game to new heights once again in his third season. Nolting is second in the league behind Jeff Teat in points (39) and assists (36).
Operating from X, his vision and seemingly near-perfect passing make him a dream to play alongside for anyone. In his second year playing with veteran attackman Holman, the two have become arguably the deadliest duo in the whole league.
Holman, Teat and the Maryland Whipsnakes’ Zed Williams all are tied for first in scoring points (28).
The “best shooter in lacrosse,” as deemed by Nolting himself, Holman’s also been one of the Cannons’ weapons from two-point range. Boston's 16 two-pointers as a team set a single-season PLL record. Holman accounted for three, Matt Campbell for five, and Chris Aslanian and Ryan Drenner for two each. All four are threats from the outside, but as head coach Brian Holman said multiple times throughout the summer, pretty much anyone on this team has the green light to shoot.
In both close games and comeback moments, the two-pointer was instrumental in the Cannons’ seven regular-season victories. However, as the saying goes, defense wins championships, and Boston would not have been nearly as successful without Colin Kirst and its entire defensive unit.
A finalist for the Oren Lyons Goaltender of the Year Award, Kirst has been the backbone for Boston all season long. In a playoff situation, there might not be a better goalie – he shines when the lights are at their brightest. His level of play elevates from the start of the game to the last quarter.
In the first quarter, Kirst averaged a 42.6% save percentage. By the fourth quarter? 67.3%. He held the top-ranked Atlas offense to only four goals in the second half in Fairfield and limited the Denver Outlaws to a single goal in the same stretch in San Diego. He’s combat-wise against the top offenses in the league, and he always rises to the occasion.
He also ranked second in the league in secondary assists (five), thanks to his ability to launch quick, accurate outlet passes to turn defense into offense in an instant.
The Cannons defense as a whole has been one of the best all season long. Even after Jack Kielty went down in training camp, Garrett Epple, Bryce Young and Cade van Raaphorst have held it down on close defense for Boston. Epple leads the league in caused turnovers (20). The reigning Dave Pietramala Defensive Player of the Year has a strong chance of keeping that title after another dominant season. Only this time, he leads a new team after coming over from the Redwoods last offseason.
The Cannons also have some of the best defensive midfielders in the game. Ethan Rall is once again up for the Brodie Merrill Long-Stick Midfielder of the Year Award. At short-stick defensive midfielder, Jeff Trainor has had his best pro season yet, serving as a weapon on both defense and offense. There are no weaknesses in this Cannons defense.
Why the Cannons could lose in the Cash App Playoffs
Unfortunately for the Cannons, it’ll likely be another low-scoring battle with the Chaos in the quarterfinals. The Cannons defense is second in the league only to Carolina’s, which allowed a PLL-low 11 scores per game during the regular season. The Chaos rely on Blaze Riorden and their defense far more than their last-ranked offense.
They play a physical brand of lacrosse led by seasoned veterans Jack Rowlett and Jarrod Neumann and the ultimate last line of defense in Riorden, the best goalie in the world.
When the Cannons played the Chaos in the regular-season finale, Carolina played the majority of the game without Riorden or Rowlett, who both left the game with injuries. Boston managed to pull out an 11-10 overtime victory, but for much of that night, it felt like even without two of their most vital players, it was the Chaos’s game to lose.
It’s never easy to beat the same team twice, and the Cannons know they have their work cut out for them.
With Riorden between the pipes, the Cannons are going to have to take the smartest shots possible. In their last game versus the Chaos, they hit 11 pipes against Riorden and Austin Kaut. The Chaos goaltending is already tough enough to beat. Boston can’t be giving them free saves.
Boston in general hasn’t been shooting its best this season, averaging 26.3%. To beat Carolina back-to-back, it’s going to have to play smart and capitalize in transition as much as it can.
X-factor
Perhaps it’s a cliche, but the significance of a “home-field advantage” cannot be underplayed.
All season long, we’ve heard coaches and players marvel at how much energy the crowd gives them on Homecoming weekends. While nobody on the Cannons needs extra motivation, especially in the playoffs, it just means more for any professional athlete when you’re battling in front of a home crowd – which Boston will have on Labor Day in Foxboro. And if there’s one thing about Boston sports fans, you can guarantee that they’re going to show out for their teams.
Key stat: Marcus Holman shooting 80% on passes from Asher Nolting
They’re the deadliest duo in the game.
Nolting and Holman combined for 10 points against the Chaos in Salt Lake City. They’re a well-oiled machine together. For the Cannons to win, they’re going to need their quarterback to find his favorite target.
