New York Atlas 10, Carolina Chaos 8

Paul Lamonaca: Defensive poise carries New York despite offensive struggles

After a 4-0 run to start the game, New York’s offensive group came to a complete halt, going scoreless for more than 14 minutes. 

The Chaos defense locked off New York’s primary off-ball attackman, Xander Dickson, for the majority of the game. Dickson was held to just one assist, completely stifling New York’s ball movement and ability to finish from the inside. 

“Xander had some good takes. It’s not like he didn’t get his opportunities. Blaze just made some saves,” Atlas head coach Mike Pressler said as he commended Carolina goalkeeper Blaze Riorden for his performance. “That’s the strength of their team, their goalie. To get to 10 against them is kind of your goal, and that proved enough against the Chaos today.”

It was not just Dickson who was held at bay for New York. Last season's MVP, Jeff Teat, was held to just one goal on five shots.

The Atlas found scoring through their midfield, with Bryan Costabile scoring a team-high three goals and rookie Matt Traynor adding two in his PLL debut. 

In the defensive half, Liam Entenmann picked up right where he left off from last season, making 16 saves in the 2025 opener. New York also had long poles provide scoring with defenseman Brett Makar and long stick midfielder CJ Costabile each notching a goal. 

Trevor Baptiste dominated the stripe, winning 17 of 22 faceoffs (77.3%) and scooping 10 ground balls in the win.

Up next for New York: Saturday, May 31 vs. Boston Cannons (7 p.m.)

Hayden Lewis: Jackson Eicher shines in rookie debut, but Chaos fall short of victory

Undrafted rookie Jackson Eicher exploded onto the scene for the Chaos, recording five points (3G, 2A) in his pro debut. The Army graduate was a Tewaaraton Award finalist after an excellent senior campaign, and that success quickly translated to the PLL.

Eicher is known as a downhill dodger, but his feeding ability and stretch shooting shined at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium. 

“I like everything about his game,” Chaos head coach Roy Colsey said after the loss. “He’s a big, tough kid, he’s a great shooter [and] an underrated passer. I think his ceiling is going to be pretty high, and he’s a great kid that works as hard as he possibly can.”

Eicher picked apart the Atlas defense like a seasoned veteran. Colsey called him “the steal of the draft” leading into training camp, he looked like it Friday night. 

The rookie split time at attack with second-year pro Garrett Degnon as the Chaos continued to figure out where players fit as pieces in the offense. 

“I’m very honored and blessed to have this opportunity and to suit up with these guys,” Eicher said. “It’s every kid's dream growing up playing lacrosse to be able to go and play college lacrosse, graduate, and then get the opportunity to come play at the highest level of the sport.”

Riorden made 12 saves (54.5%) in the contest to up his career save total to 1,053, moving him ahead of teammate Austin Kaut and into seventh all-time. Riorden helped backstop an excellent defensive performance from the Chaos, who held the Atlas to 10 scores after they recorded 15.1 a game in 2024. 

“I thought our defense was as advertised [and] our goalie was as advertised,” Colsey said. 

Up next for Carolina: Friday, June 6 vs. Denver Outlaws (6 p.m.)

California Redwoods 15, Denver Outlaws 12

Phil Shore: No. 2 pick Andrew McAdorey delivers jolt to offense

The new-look Redwoods offense got contributions from several different players, including rookie Chris Kavanagh, who led the team with four goals and five points, but the player who might have been the biggest difference-maker was rookie midfielder and second overall draft pick Andrew McAdorey.

Part of the appeal of drafting McAdorey came from the belief he could contribute in different aspects of the game. He scored his first professional goal off a reset where he sped past Jake Piseno and absorbed a body check from Mike Manley. His second goal came with him dodging from X behind the cage and wrapping around the crease.

He also had two assists, the second going to best friend Aiden Danenza, who was McAdorey's teammate with Team 91 Crush, St. Anthony’s and Duke. Another former teammate of theirs was Denver’s Brennan O’Neill. The second-year-pro had mixed emotions after seeing their performances in California’s win.

“It was really cool and a full-circle moment to share the field with them again,” O'Neill said. “They played really well for their first games. They have good chemistry. They’ve played together for a long time. They connected for one goal. It was fun to see, but also, it kind of sucked.”

McAdorey ran some wings on faceoffs and even took some shifts on the defensive end of the field. At halftime, ESPN broadcaster Quint Kessenich asked him about his mindset at the start of the offense, and he said, in a matter-of-fact way, that he’s looking to go to goal, and if a slide comes, pass it off. Kessenich followed up by pointing out all the different ways the Redwoods deployed him. Once again, McAdorey responded as if to say it was no big deal.

“I’m a lacrosse player,” he said. “That’s what I’m trying to do, be positionless. Wherever the coaches want me to play, that’s where I’m going to play.”

Up next for California: Saturday, June 7 vs. Carolina Chaos (7 p.m.)

Topher Adams: New attack fits like a glove, midfield not so much

All of the headlines rightly focused on Denver’s new-look attack line. With the introduction of Pat Kavanagh and reintroduction of Logan Wisnauskas alongside Brennan O’Neill, few teams in history have boasted as much star power down low.

That trio did all of the heavy lifting for the Outlaws, scoring seven goals. The spacing never got awkward between O’Neill and Wisnauskas on the left-hand side, and both Kavanagh and O’Neill were aggressive off the dodge.

They could’ve been more efficient, especially Kavanagh and O’Neill, who combined to shoot 4-16, but the potential is tantalizing moving forward.

Unfortunately, the midfield wasn’t as ready to go out of the gate. Sam Handley, Justin Anderson and Graham Bundy Jr. combined for zero goals as a trio. Dalton Young scored the first goal of the season, but he went quiet the rest of the way.

Newcomer Jack VanOverbeke looked quick but didn’t create much outside of a power-play assist to Wisnauskas. Whether it’s somebody stepping up or a change in personnel, Denver needs more dynamism in midfield to make the offense work. 

Defensively, it may only be a matter of time until rookie Logan McNaney gets a look between the pipes. Though Owen McElroy thrived in the first half, he made 11 saves at 42.3% as the Redwoods roared in the second half.

The Outlaws will also hope for a sharper outing from the veteran crop of long poles. Perhaps it was the wet turf, but Denver was uncharacteristically sloppy at times in coverage, allowing the Redwoods to win matchups and find open shots to test the unsettled McElroy.

“We put him in a lot of bad situations early, and might have mentally wore on him,” Denver head coach Tim Soudan said. “It’s a team breakdown more than an Owen breakdown.”

As the page turns to the Chaos next Friday, it’s all about rounding out the edges and approaching the ceiling of this group. 

Up next for Denver: Friday, June 6 vs. Carolina Chaos (6 p.m.)