A year after winning their first Cash App Championship, the Utah Archers are back in the postseason hunting a repeat. The bye to the semifinals has allowed the club to rest and recover following a grueling season and an eventful Homecoming Weekend. 

Now, they’ll be eyeing a return to Philadelphia for the opportunity to hoist the Cash App Championship Trophy for the second year running. In their way will be the club who eliminated them from the postseason in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Why the Archers can win the Cash App Championship

If Utah goes back-to-back, it will be because Grant Ament and Connor Fields cooked in the Cash App Playoffs.

The Archers offense will look different with Tom Schreiber out. But Fields and Ament – a pair of former first-team All-Pros – are still elite options to lead the Utah offense. 

Fields recorded seven hat tricks in 10 regular-season games this summer. He is one of the best individual dodgers in the game, able to score from a litany of angles, release points and spots on the field. He’s never out of a play and can shock opponents with his deep bag of tricks.

Fields averaged 2.1 points per game across the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons. Since the start of 2023, he’s been on a tear, scoring 3.6 points per contest for the Archers. He missed the majority of Utah’s postseason run last season due to a shoulder injury in the semifinals. So, this go around, he’ll be keen to lead the charge.

Ament continues to thrive at midfield since making the full-time position switch. He was the highest-scoring midfielder in the regular season and is a finalist for Gait Brothers Midfielder of the Year. 

After registering 20.8 touches per game through eight contests, the Penn State product averaged 28 touches per game in Salt Lake City with Schreiber out. He’s going to be Utah’s primary initiator out of the box and will be most responsible for replacing the three-time MVP’s production.

Ament is no stranger to the Cash App Playoffs. His 11 combined points in the 2023 semifinals and title game were paramount to winning the Archers’ first title. Now, following a year of learning the midfield position from Schreiber, Ament will take the reins as he looks to lead them to their second.

Why the Archers could lose in the Cash App Playoffs

Of course, Schreiber’s season-ending injury suffered in the final weekend of the regular season puts a damper on Utah’s hopes. The 2023 MVP has always been the straw that stirs the Archers’ drink on and off the field, and his absence will be felt in a major way in the postseason. 

Schreiber creates so much offense. Whether it’s beating his defender off the dribble and hitting the back of the net, working in the pick game to get a step, or making something out of nothing with his on-the-run, underhand, cross-field feeds, he’s a game-breaking offensive weapon whom the Archers won’t be able to rely on. 

As a leader and Utah’s lone captain, the Archers will miss his mere presence between the lines, He’s the epitome of a coach on the field. He comes up biggest when the lights are brightest – his game-winner in the 2023 Cash App Championship proved that. 

If the Archers fail to get back to the peak of the lacrosse world, it will most likely be a result of not being able to overcome the absence of their best player.

X-factor: Scoring in transition

Without Schreiber in the lineup, the Archers need to continue to find production in transition. 

Mason Woodward has been a late-season revelation in the open field, scoring five points (4G, 1T) in the final five games of the regular season. Fellow rookie Beau Pederson got in on the action in Utah, while other short sticks Connor Maher and Piper Bond can both make plays with the ball in their sticks.

No Schreiber means that scoring in six-on-six will be more difficult for Utah. His presence out of the box, especially in the 32-second shot clock, ensures the offense and the ball is moving. Without him, pushing in unsettled scenarios and trusting guys like Pederson and Woodward to make plays will be a major X-factor for the Archers in the Cash App Playoffs. 

Key stat: 22.09%

Mike Sisselberger’s 22.09% turnover rate is the highest in the league by 6.40%. The second year faceoff specialist has had a solid 2024 season, winning 58.4% of his draws (which is fourth in the PLL) and further establishing himself among the upper echelon of faceoff specialists in the league. 

But, after he turned the ball over once every 11.5 faceoff wins as a rookie, that number is down to once per every 7.8 draw wins this season. 

Without Schreiber in the lineup, the Archers’ offensive efficiency will take a hit. That’s a near guarantee. To make up for that, they’ll need to win more possessions and give the offense more opportunities. That starts at the faceoff stripe. Sisselberger can win the ball – he won 60.8% of faceoffs in two matchups against Carolina this season. 

But taking care of the ball after the win and avoiding trouble will be a key factor if Utah is to go on another run in September. The Archers will need surplus possessions, and Sisselberger is the one responsible for making that happen.