The Weekend Preview: Quarterfinals Edition
By Josh Schafer | Sep 1, 2022
The 2022 PLL postseason is here and that means it’s time for the Cash App Challenge. The rules are simple. Pick the winners of each matchup leading into to the Cash App Championship on Sunday Sep. 18 in Philadelphia.
Then, chose the winner of the Cash App Championship Trophy. Pick a perfect bracket, and win your share of $5,000.
Game previews with picks for the quarterfinals are below. But first, some key stats to remember. The Whipsnakes have made the PLL Championship in each of the league’s first three seasons. Each season has had upsets. Chaos, went from the six-seed to winning the championship over the fifth-seeded Whipsnakes last year.
The year prior, Chaos didn’t win a game prior to making a run to the finals the Championship Series. In the inaugural season, fourth-seeded Redwoods made the final game as well. Only once has the team with the surprise run won it all, (last year’s Chaos) but still picking chalk here isn’t likely the best decision.
Chaos LC vs. Chrome LC
Saturday, September 3rd at 12:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+
All-time series: Tied, 3-3
Stat to know: 20
Chrome turned the ball over 20 times in the first matchup between these two teams this season. Chrome still won the game by four goals. Faceoff dominance and more efficient shooting buoyed Chrome in the first matchup. If Blaze Riorden steps up to the occasion as he did during last year’s playoff run, this game might be a different story. Last year’s MVP saved just 48% of shots in the first matchup.
Why Chaos: Chaos still has the championship pedigree. While Chrome has had a far better season this year, Chaos showed last year the playoffs can be a totally different animal. On paper, Chaos' advantages are few and far between. Chrome is the best defense in settled situations, while Chaos is the worst settled offense. They’re slightly better than Chrome at defending transition, though and score off a dodge better than Chrome. As previously stated, the real playoff-style x-factor for Chaos will be Riorden. In three playoff games last year, Riorden stopped 45 shots on a 63% save percentage. He allowed just one two-point goal in those three games, too.
Why Chrome: This is a No. 2 seed against a No. 7 seed matchup for a reason and Chrome’s stats show that story. Chrome boasts the second-most efficient defense in the league and the third-best offense. This game likely goes Chrome’s way if that top-rated defense can strangle Chaos offense in a way one might expect. Chrome will likely dominate time of possession with a clear advantage at the stripe. With players like Michael Manley and JT Giles-Harris, Chrome is very aggressive defensively. They forced 71 turnovers this year, nearly 20 turnovers more than Chaos. If the defense can frustrate Chaos early, the favorite stands a good chance of knocking off the defending champs.
The pick: I like Chrome here. The defense gets after Chaos and disrupts any potential offensive flow in a very meaningful way.
Redwoods LC vs. Archers LC
Saturday, September 3rd at 2:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+
All-time series: Archers lead, 3-2
Stat to know: 31.8%
Archers score on 31.8% of settled offensive possessions. It’s the best mark in the league and particularly important to remember this week since the ‘Woods have the worst settled defense in the league. It will be crucial to see how players like Garrett Epple perform in a one-on-one matchups this weekend. If Epple draws Ament and can bully him physically, does that change the trajectory of the game?
Why the Archers: Archers have played with more offensive firepower for a sustained period of time this year. They overcame a 33% performance at the stripe in Week 5 to beat the Redwoods by a goal. They’ll also have the beef to match the Redwoods hot hand. Rob Pannell is averaging 4.8 points per game since the start of July. But Archers will likely counter with the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year Graeme Hossack. This one feels like it will be particularly dependent on a few of those individual attack/defense matchups on both sides.
Why the Redwoods: Redwoods are hot right now. Despite a 13-12 loss to Chrome in the final week, the Woods offense has scored at least 12 goals in every game since that Week 5 loss to Archers. TD Ierlan already dominated the Archers at the stripe once this year. As previously mentioned Pannell has come on late. The Woods likely have the advantage from two-point range too, which can be a massive momentum shifter in playoff lacrosse.
The pick: The PLL playoffs have been about who’s playing the best lacrosse at the right time of year. Redwoods seem to be clicker better than Archers headed into the playoff and I’m sticking with them.
Waterdogs LC vs. Atlas LC
Saturday, September 3rd at 5:10 p.m. ET | ESPN+
All-time series: Waterdogs leads, 2-1
Stat to know: 440
No team in the Premier Lacrosse League shoots the rock more than the Waterdogs. We’ve highlighted this stat before but the Waterdogs shots attempted number finished significantly higher than most teams. The next closest was Whipsnakes at 419, while Atlas attempted 395 shots.
Why the Waterdogs: Between Dillon Ward (Waterdogs) and Jack Concannon (Atlas) the hot-goalie narrative works for both teams. But the Waterdogs won a few weeks ago almost purely because their goalie play was better. Despite winning just 32 of the faceoffs, Waterdogs won by a goal as Dillon Ward stopped 17 balls. The Waterdogs also limited turnovers in that game, committing just 13. If the team that led the league in caused turnovers during the regular season can pay aggressive defense and Ward stands on his head once more, it evens the playing field for a club that doesn’t have the offensive firepower of Atlas.
Why Atlas: For Atlas, this came is about playing smart. Trevor Baptiste has the advantage at the faceoff stripe. Between Jeff Teat, Chris Gray and Eric Law, the Atlas attack is pretty tough to defend. But can they win the turnover battle this time? Both teams are near the top of the league in the ground balls. Who wins that battle? Atlas has more talent it just depends on who can outlast the other in those pivotal points of the game.
The pick: Last year Atlas didn’t have the intangibles when it matter most and their hot start in the playoffs ended earlier. I think another year under their belt helps some careless mistakes disappear and they can beat the Waterdogs in the gritty areas like 50/50 ground balls and runouts.
