Carolina Chaos 15, Philadelphia Waterdogs 14 (OT)
Hayden Lewis: Backed by rookies, Carolina wins electric overtime thriller
With five minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Chaos had a 13-9 lead and looked like they were going to cruise to victory in Salt Lake City. And then disaster struck.
The Waterdogs scored back-to-back two-pointers in 34 seconds to even the score. Those 34 seconds were almost a summation of what this bizarre season has looked like for Carolina. At no point are the Chaos out of a game, but they’re also just moments from disaster each week.
But Jackson Eicher, who was just 2-for-23 shooting (8.7%) over his previous three games, rescued Carolina in OT. The last of his five goals was the game-winner.
“I had a little bit of a slump coming into this one, and hopefully we’re going to put that in the past and look forward to the future here,” Eicher said. “The coaching staff and the guys in the locker room never lost faith. They always tell me to keep letting it go and that they’re going to fall. Having that trust lets me go out there and keep shooting.”
A large factor in the late-game breakdown that forced overtime was Carolina’s struggling transition defense. Entering the game, the Chaos were allowing the most transition goals (2.7 per game) and scores (3.1 per game) in the league. On Saturday, they were lucky to escape with a win after allowing multiple scores in transition again.
“I think you’re looking at some younger guys, some newer guys, that are on the field that are still not as accustomed to playing in the PLL and how dangerous those two-point shots can be,” Chaos head coach Roy Colsey said. “We had a miscommunication on one and a late pick-up on the other. I think we’re working through that, and we’re committed to this group, and every time we make a mistake, our job is to figure out a way to fix it.”
On the opposite side of the field, Owen Hiltz shined again, but this time, he did it primarily as a feeder, dishing out four assists, including one to Eicher for the winner. Eight of the 14 goals the Chaos scored were assisted (57%), and the offense was spinning the rock better than it has all season long.
“I think with these guys, their maturity level, not as much from a vocal standpoint, but just their ability to connect with each other, they’re some of the most unselfish players,” goalie Blaze Riorden said about the young offense. “They’re always making the one more.”
Up next for Carolina: Friday, Aug. 1 vs. Denver Outlaws (8 p.m. ET)
Mike Bolger: Philly’s wild comeback falls short in OT classic
This was a top-five game of the season to this point.
The first half was ugly for Philly, which turned the ball over 13 times and struggled on faceoffs, winning just 40%. The Chaos capitalized with transition goals, including a Hail Mary two-pointer at the end of the first quarter.
Two bright spots for the Waterdogs were CJ Kirst scoring his first PLL goal and Jack Hannah (2G, 1A) being his dominant All-Star self on the field.
At halftime, with the Waterdogs trailing 8-6, head coach Bill Tierney swapped goalie Matt DeLuca for Dillon Ward to “organize” the defense. DeLuca finished with nine saves and a 56.3% save rate, while Ward managed six saves and a 46.2% save percentage.
“One of the things I lose sleep at night is Dillon Ward and Matt DeLuca,” Tierney said. “They gave us a really good 24 minutes; they had no qualms about it. If it doesn’t work out, then it’s on me.”
Philly tightened up in the second half, limiting its turnovers to six and improving its faceoff wins to 50%. Despite that, the Waterdogs’ offense managed just eight third-quarter shots.
Any momentum built in the third was halted by a few long-range shots from the Chaos, emphasizing the Waterdogs’ struggle against the long ball this season.
“It’s a tough stop,” Tierney said. “… When you [face] guys like the Chaos [had] today, a couple of long-range guys, you’ve got to be aware of it, and then it opens up the middle a little bit. It’s unique.”
Down by four with less than five minutes to go in the fourth, Philly had a 0.52% win probability.
Then, out of nowhere, Connor Kelly and Jimmy Freehill caught fire by scoring two two-pointers in the final minutes to close the gap. Philly was 2-of-35 from beyond the arc coming into the game, and somehow its worst stat of the season turned into its strength at the end of the game.
Overtime saw two stalled Philly possessions and the Chaos sealing the deal with a deep one-point goal.
Despite the ending, Philly flipped its faceoff performance around to end with 50% in the contest. Alec Stathakis won 55.6% when he was on the field.
Kieran McArdle tallied six points, including two goals, to move into the top five in goals in pro lacrosse history.
Up next for Philadelphia: Friday, Aug. 1 vs. Boston Cannons (10:30 p.m. ET)
Denver Outlaws 15, Utah Archers 10
Topher Adams: Denver turns heel in rivalry rumble to clinch playoff spot
Utah had the home crowd rocking, needing a gritty win to climb back into the playoff picture entering the home stretch of the season. The Outlaws did not care about the good feelings or the home faithful.
Under a chorus of boos, Brennan O’Neill punished the net with frightening authority. Each shot had extra mustard, and with every heavy hit or chide from the Archer faithful, Denver played with a little bit more intensity.
Utah kept the game at a stalemate through three quarters, scraping for loose balls and standing firm thanks to elite goaltending and timely plays in transition. But the Outlaws juggernaut was too much for the Archers.
The firepower is hard to handle for four quarters. Pat Kavanagh, who was doubtful on the midweek injury report, didn’t show any signs of wear and tear en route to another six-point night. Jake Piseno and Ryan Terefenko each drained a two-pointer in transition.
Logan McNaney struggled for the second straight game, but he still made key saves in the last quarter. Luke Wierman tilted the field all night en route to a 59.1% win percentage, most of those wins coming with offensive exits.
With less than five minutes to play, O’Neill completed his villain transformation, ripping his second two-pointer on the run to extinguish the remaining flame of Utah hope. He finished with six points (4G, 2T) and happily played the heel as Denver became the second team to clinch a playoff spot, joining the New York Atlas.
Up next for Denver: Friday, Aug. 1 vs. Carolina Chaos (8 p.m. ET)
Zach Carey: Archers’ valiant effort at home falls short
Upsetting the red-hot Outlaws was always going to be difficult for the struggling Archers. Doing so became that much tougher when Tom Schreiber (knee) and Grant Ament (concussion) were ruled out due to injury Saturday morning.
“I give credit to our guys. We fought and fought and fought,” head coach Chris Bates said postgame.
With one fewer offensive player than usual, the Archers continued to look to transition and early offense for scoring opportunities. Mason Woodward continued to shine with a two-pointer late in the second quarter, and three other Utah defenders recorded an assist.
Settled offense was still a headache for the Archers, though. That’s hardly a surprise with Ament and Schreiber – two of the club’s primary party-starters – out of the lineup. But it was the difference in this game.
Sam King (3G), Ryan Ambler (1G, 1A) and Dyson Williams (2G) made some heroic individual plays. Their efforts were all Utah could muster. Connor Fields, Mac O’Keefe and Tre Leclaire combined for two points.
Brett Dobson was dialed in early with seven saves and a 70% save rate in the first quarter. He was 38.5% the rest of the way, though, as the Archers suffered from O’Neill and Kavanagh’s explosion.
With two losses this weekend, Utah’s playoff odds plummet to 37.5% entering the team’s bye week. The Archers have one game left in the regular season – against the Chaos in Boston on Aug. 9. The two-time reigning champs will need help to avoid missing the postseason for the first time since 2019.
Up next for Utah: Bye week
