The Carolina Chaos (3-4) and Philadelphia Waterdogs (4-3) face off on Saturday Night Lacrosse before the Utah Archers (3-4) welcome the Denver Outlaws (5-2) to Salt Lake City in the second game of this week’s SNL doubleheader.
Can the Chaos get their first-ever win over the Dogs, or will Philly and MVP candidate Michael Sowers bounce back from last week’s loss? Will the Outlaws stay hot and win their sixth straight game, or do the Archers defend their home field?
Tune in at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2 to find out.
How will the offensive touches look with an increased CJ Kirst role?
The CJ Kirst era officially began last week as the No. 1 overall pick saw his first professional action in a narrow loss to the Maryland Whipsnakes. Initially deployed out of the box, Kirst transitioned into an attack role, logging 14 of the offensive core’s 123 total touches (11%).
His presence was felt, but how his role grows from here will define the offense’s rhythm.
Sowers erupted for four goals in the first half before the offense stalled in the final 24 minutes. With Kirst’s role likely to grow each week, how will head coach Bill Tierney and assistant coach Dylan Sheridan manage that?
Rookie attackman Jake Taylor, notably, had a season-low seven touches in Kirst’s debut. And with four capable midfielders already part of the rotation, it’s clear something will have to give.
“Whenever you put anybody new in the lineup, it’s going to change things,” Tierney said. “He’s used to being the guy a team relies on. Right now, Michael is a guy that we rely on.”
Kirst, a Tewaaraton Award winner and NCAA champion, is not just another piece; he’s a game-breaker. But increased involvement means adjusting a unit that ranks top-three in total goals scored and has won four games.
“We’ve got to get better at taking advantage of him,” Tierney added. “Instead of having a middie that runs and moves the ball, we’ve got another great midfielder who can beat people and then put the ball in the goal.”
This week’s game will be another test of balance and how to feed a star without starving others. – Mike Bolger
Will the Chaos show up for the first quarter?
The Chaos have been atrocious during the first quarter all season long. Last weekend against the Archers, they went down 5-0 in the first frame, and it was quickly 8-0 three minutes into the second quarter.
“There’s a million ways that you can think about what we can do better, but at the end of the day, being a professional lacrosse player, when the whistle blows, we have to be ready,” head coach Roy Colsey said after the 12-11 loss to Utah.
The Chaos have trailed after 12 minutes in all but one game, and in five of seven contests this season, they’ve trailed by at least two goals after the first quarter. Carolina was fortunate to be playing against a streaky Archers offense that has had extensive scoring droughts throughout the season, allowing the team to claw its way back into the contest.
However, this weekend against the Philadelphia Waterdogs, the Chaos can’t expect a similar outcome. If they give Sowers, Kirst, Kieran McArdle and the rest of that potent offense an eight-goal lead 15 minutes into the game, it might be a repeat of Carolina’s 20-6 loss to the Whipsnakes in Baltimore.
The Waterdogs have a stingy defense and are coached by a Hall of Famer who is known for building elite defenses, and they won’t give up many free goals.
This isn’t a knock on Utah, which also has a stingy defense led by a Hall of Fame defensive coordinator (Tony Resch), but the Archers’ defense is like Paul Skenes on bump day – limited run support despite great performances. And Philadelphia’s offense can perform like the Atlanta Braves batters on a Max Fried bump day when its defense is locking the other side of the field.
Carolina is currently in third place in the Western Conference with a -16 score differential and can’t afford to dig itself into a deep hole to start games because it’s a proven recipe for disaster.
“We haven’t played a full game this year,” Jarrod Neumann said after the loss to Utah. “We haven’t put it together yet, and I think that’s a scary thing.” – Hayden Lewis
Will McNaney bounce back to elite form?
Through the first four games of his professional career, Logan McNaney looked like a generational talent between the pipes. Averaging more than 15 saves per game at a rate of over 60%, he became a brick wall in goal for the Outlaws.
Against the Boston Cannons last Saturday, cracks started to form. He posted season lows for saves (13), save percentage (48.1%) and scores against (17) as the Outlaws outlasted the Cannons in an instant classic.
Despite the poor numbers, McNaney still drew praise for his ability to make clean saves and steal shots in the big moments.
“When push came to shove, he made the saves he needed to at the end,” head coach Tim Soudan said. “That fourth quarter, he was just seeing it different.”
If McNaney is at his best for four quarters, and the defense in front of him doesn’t allow wide-open shots from premium areas, it’ll be an uphill climb for Utah to hit double digits Saturday night.
There’s no question Denver’s offense can continue its hot streak as the Fantastic Four Tewaaraton winners continue to dominate and grow comfortable. All four of Brennan O’Neill, Pat Kavanagh, Jared Bernhardt and Logan Wisnauskas have been on the scoresheet in the last four games, and the offense continues to improve week over week.
With the offense playing at this level, the only question for Denver is the defense. Against a struggling Archers offense, expect a return to form in Salt Lake City. – Topher Adams
Can the Archers’ offense win them a game?
Entering Utah’s Homecoming Weekend, the Archers’ offense has yet to truly find its footing this season.
The club has won three games, all by one goal, while averaging 10.7 scores per game. The defense has been the team’s backbone, standing second in the league in scores against average at 11.0 per game.
In the Archers’ last matchup against Denver, the offense didn’t score for the final 19:55 of action, squandering a 10-5 lead and losing 13-10. Given that Denver is averaging 15.5 scores in its last four games, Utah’s offense is going to have to step up to topple the red-hot Outlaws.
Three of the Archers’ stars – Tom Schreiber, Grant Ament and Mac O’Keefe – are shooting career-worst percentages through seven games. Those three combined to average 8.5 points per game in 2024. That number has dropped to 4.7 points per contest in 2025.
For Utah to peak at the right time and make a run at a third consecutive championship, it needs Schreiber, Ament and O’Keefe to start scoring at a higher clip. This weekend and the matchup against Denver could be the perfect opportunity for them to find their groove.
Last year, the Archers came to Salt Lake City with a 4-4 record, having looked much more inconsistent than the 8-2 team that won it all in 2023. The packed home crowd at Zions Bank Stadium provided a spark that became a fire as they beat the California Redwoods and the Outlaws to set up another title run in September.
“We’re excited to get out there,” head coach Chris Bates said after the win over the Chaos. “I have a feeling they’re excited for us to get out there. We hear ticket sales are great, and we’ve got two huge games.”
“There’s no better place to play than the Bank,” Brett Dobson said.
If Utah can repeat its Homecoming sweep from a year ago, the club will likely solidify its place in the playoffs and put itself back in contention for the conference’s No. 1 seed and bye to the semifinals. – Zach Carey
