Boston Cannons 23, New York Atlas 15

Paul Lamonaca: Defensive struggles see New York trail for majority of the game

The New York Atlas were handed their second loss of the 2025 Lexus Championship Series at the hands of the Boston Cannons. 

Despite losing star Marcus Holman for the entire second half, Boston’s offense shot 47.7% from the field. New York goalie, Liam Entenmann, finished with just ten saves on the night.

While Entenmann did not finish with the best night in between the pipes, the goalkeeper netted a goal of his own to put New York on the board early in the first quarter. 

“That was unbelievable,” said coach Brooks after seeing Entenmann net his goal “The fact that he is an ultra-competitor as well, he is fiery as they come, he’s intense and the fact that he saw that and he continued to attack that is unbelievable.”

On the offensive end for New York, Golden Stick Award frontrunner, Bryan Costabile, was held to one point after finishing with twelve just last night.

“I don’t think you will see that again,” said coach Brooks. “If we have a chance to play tomorrow I have a feeling he is going to step up.”

New York’s offense in their entirety struggled to create opportunities, shooting just 28.9% on the night. The stem of New York’s offensive problems came with Boston goalkeeper Colin Kirst saving 54% of New York’s shots on goal. Myles Jones led New York’s scoring with four points (3G, 1A) on the day.

New York will play Boston again tomorrow for the semifinal matchup. It will be their third game in just three days. New York will need to find the next gear if they want a chance to play in a championship game on Monday. 

“It’s a grind and these next two days no game plan will change,” said Coach Brooks. “If we have an opportunity to play tomorrow they’re putting it back on and giving it everything they got. It’s just a matter of recovery at this time.”

Up next for New York: Semifinals vs. Boston (Sunday, 6 p.m. ET)

Sarah Griffin: Cannons Lose Holman, but Depth and Defense Carry Them Past Atlas

The Boston Cannons weren’t rattled by adversity. Even after losing Holman to a lower body injury, they dictated the pace versus the New York Atlas in the second half, using a balanced attack and a lockdown performance from Kirst to lock up at least the No. 2 seed in the Lexus Championship Series standings.

It wasn’t a win attributed to one or two standout offensive performances. Nine different Cannons scored, keeping Atlas on their heels from start to finish. JJ Sillstrop, a last-minute roster addition for Will Manny, played like he belonged, scoring four goals on four shots. Alex Vardaro continued his efficiency, burying four goals on five attempts (80%). Matt Campbell, fresh off an 11-point night in the previous game, added two goals of his own, along with four assists.

With Holman sidelined, Asher Nolting and Ryan Drenner became the centerpieces of the Cannons’ two-man game. Drenner’s deep two-pointer late in the game provided a cushion in the score differential, while Nolting continued to be an absolute force, capping off his night with an outrageous one-handed goal. 

But Boston’s ability to outlast New York was as much about defense as it was about their offensive efficiency. Kirst was locked in, racking up 13 saves for a 54.2% save percentage in his strongest performance of the tournament thus far. Aside from a lone goal in the tailend of the game, the Golden Stick frontrunner Costabile was held scoreless for a majority of the game. The Cannons also forced eight caused turnovers, making life even more difficult for an already worn-down Atlas squad playing its second game in as many nights.

With their sights set on playoffs, the biggest question remains Holman’s status for the remainder of the tournament. His absence didn’t slow the Cannons down, but his leadership and scoring ability will be tough to replace as they look to go back-to-back in the Championship Series.

Up next for Boston: Semifinals vs. New York (Sunday, 6 p.m. ET)

Utah Archers 29, Maryland Whipsnakes 25

Zach Carey: Archers earn bye to championship behind Mac O’Keefe’s dominance

Mac O’Keefe doesn’t go quiet for long. 

After scoring two points on Friday night, the lefty sharpshooter roared back into form on Saturday with 10 points and a Lexus Championship Series record eight goals in the Archers’ 29-25 win over the Whipsnakes.

The New York Atlas faceguarded O’Keefe for the majority of Friday’s matchup. Maryland didn’t, and O’Keefe made them pay. He scored a goal on 47.1% of his touches as he converted both on and off the ball. 

“He shoots the sh*t out of the ball,” Whipsnakes head coach Jim Stagnitta said postgame. “He always has, it’s no secret.” 

O’Keefe’s pairing alongside Ryan Ambler on the lefty win has been especially deadly this week. Those two have killed defenses with empty side pick and roll actions which have consistently freed up O’Keefe’s hands. Ambler has been the perfect foil to No. 7 as he dished out the second most assists (8) in the tournament through pool play.

“He’s been great,” O’Keefe said after the win. “He’s been great getting me free, getting me looks.”

O’Keefe wasn’t the only Archer producing at a high clip versus Maryland. Jack VanOverbeke – who didn’t play in the club’s first two contests of the week – notched eight points as Utah rested Matt Moore ahead of Monday’s title game. Like he did when called upon last summer, VanOverbeke capitalized on his opportunity.

“We believe in him,” Utah head coach Chris Bates said. “He believes in himself. He's got great confidence. He's got a really high level of skill, so we trust him.” 

In the cage, goalie Nick Washuta remained a stable presence between the pipes. He stopped Maryland shots at a 41.7% clip as he continues to be the backbone of a special defensive group for the Archers. 

“Talk to anybody on our roster. We have the utmost faith in that kid,” Bates said postgame. “You can wake him up at three in the morning, and he will take shots. I've never seen anybody like it, and he doesn't with a smile on his face.” 

With the victory against Maryland, Utah earns the No. 1 seed and the bye to Monday’s championship game. That means they’ll have a day of rest on Sunday as they await the winner of the semifinal matchup between the Atlas and the Boston Cannons.

Up next for Utah: Championship game vs. winner of New York vs. Boston

Miles Jordan: Conrad, Smith, and Malone stay hot for Maryland

Coming into the contest, the Whipsnakes needed to dominate the Archers by 27 points to have a chance to advance to the semifinals, and it is safe to say that it was never close, but at least Maryland was consistent.

The Whips opened up the scoring in each of their first two games against the Atlas and Cannons, and Ryan Conrad continued the trend against the Archers. He struck first, putting the Whips on 1-0, and that was the only lead they would see for the rest of the night. 

Utah went on a 7-0 run, bombarding the Whips with two-pointers, to take a 7-1 lead, and it was Maryland’s usual suspects looking to get Maryland back into the contest. 

TJ Malone, who tallied 10 points (6G, 4A) against the Cannons on Thursday, added four more points to his resume (2G, 2A) against the Archers. 

Conrad recorded three points (3G), including scoring at the end of the third quarter to build momentum for the Whips entering the final quarter. 

Brad Smith, who played in just his third game since missing 500+ days due to injury, tallied eight points (4G, 3 2pts, 1A) and seemingly found his footing that the Whipsnakes were used to back in 2022 when he earned an All-Star nod. 

“[Smith]'s a guy who hasn't played in a year and a half, and he was terrific,” Whipsnakes head coach Jim Stagnitta said.  

“[Smith] was on the floor with Conrad more than anybody,” 

All three entered the game tied for points (11) and finished the game as Marylands’ top three contributors. 

“You could see the guys who had experience at [Sixes] were successful,” Stagnitta said. 

Matt Rambo got himself in the action with four points (4G), but it was not enough to push the Whips past Utah. 

This was Maryland's most competitive performance in 2025. Earlier this week, the team lost to the Atlas by 12 points and the Cannons by 13. It is clear that Sixes is not the Whipsnakes game, but now Stagnitta and company can turn their attention to the 2025 field season.