Top takeaways from PLL Baltimore Weekend

Maryland Whipsnakes 12, Philadelphia Waterdogs 6

Adam Lamberti: Brendan Krebs’ career day headlines Whipsnakes team win

The Whipsnakes did not disappoint in their first of two games on Homecoming weekend.

Storming out to a 9-0 halftime lead, the Whipsnakes cruised to victory in the second half behind Brendan Krebs’ career-high 19 saves.

While the Waterdogs went on a 6-0 run to cut the lead to five in the third quarter, Krebs continued to make save after save to thwart any shot of a comeback.

The defense in front of Krebs was stout, especially rookie defenseman Ajax Zappitello, who quieted Michael Sowers when he was guarding him with unbelievable angle play and footwork.

Offensively, Matt Rambo, Colin Heacock, and Zed Williams all scored multiple goals while TJ Malone dished out four assists. While the Whipsnakes offense only scored three goals in the second half, they did enough in the first half and let the defense effectively shut the door as they rolled to victory.

The term "team win" gets thrown around a lot, but this truly was a "team win" in every aspect for the Whipsnakes.

Wyatt Miller: The nail in the coffin

The Waterdogs hadn’t lost by more than four points all season until Saturday. Despite their 1-6 record, Philly fought until the end of every single matchup, including four one-score games. But this game against the Whipsnakes was anything but close. This was the nail in the coffin of the Waterdogs’ season.

The Waterdogs didn’t score until over halfway through the third quarter when Sowers took matters into his own hands with a sliding goal off the X dodge. That made it 11-1, ending an 0-for-26 shooting slump. By the time the first half ended, the Waterdogs were 1-for-41 shooting over their last four quarters of play. 

The Waterdogs did make a run with six straight goals in the second half, but it was far too little and far too late for that. Apart from that six-minute period, it was nothing but poor shot selection, disconnected movements and missed opportunities. They ended the game shooting 6-for-46 (13%).

Head coach and general manager Bill Tierney said the team came out with more passion and just forgot about the X’s and O’s in the second half. They played for pride and for each other, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a nine-score deficit. 

"A loss like this is on no one but the coach,” Tierney said. “We didn't have the guys ready."

Ryan Conrad disagreed, saying the players were disappointed in their own performance. 

"I don't know if it was the pressure, it's just guys being so excited to do what they can for the team to win,” Conrad said. “The reality is, we just have to play better lacrosse."

Defensively, the Dogs were too slow on slides, leading to a slew of transition scores and doorstep dunks. Of Maryland’s 12 goals, five of them came right outside the crease and three were in transition. Matt DeLuca barely had a chance to replicate last weekend’s career performance.

With this loss, the Waterdogs can now be eliminated from playoff contention if the Denver Outlaws and Carolina Chaos both win this weekend. And even if the Dogs are still in the hunt next weekend, their score differential has dropped from -6 to -12, which greatly decreases their chances of leaping the competition in the standings. It has been a complete downward spiral for Philly this season.

Up next for Philadelphia: vs. California Redwoods (Friday, Aug. 9, 10:30 p.m. ET)

Denver Outlaws 18, California Redwoods 5

Topher Adams: Outlaws are a playoff-caliber team

With four games left in the regular season, the Outlaws were in the heat of the playoff race. A loss to the Redwoods would put the pressure on down the stretch. However, Denver proved that the one-year rebuild is complete and this is a playoff-caliber team.

The Outlaws never gave California a chance to breathe Saturday. From the moment JT Giles-Harris forced a turnover on the game’s opening possession to the time the game was called due to lightning with 9:46 remaining, the Redwoods never had a chance.

Denver put together its most complete and dominant performance of the season when it needed it most. The offense executed at a high level, shooting 34.1% with eight assists. The ball moved better than it has all season, and the Outlaws made goals look routine.

The stars all showed up once again, as well. Brennan O’Neill turned in another strong performance with two goals and two assists, Graham Bundy Jr. scored two more two-pointers and Sam Handley reemerged with his first three-point game since June.

The defense -- sans injured captain Jesse Bernhardt for the first time this season -- did its job on the back of Owen McElroy’s 16 saves (76.2%) between the pipes.

California never got off the bus, but Denver delivered and capitalized against a weak opponent. And now the Outlaws will push to potentially contend in the postseason.

Up next for Denver: vs. Maryland Whipsnakes (Friday, Aug. 9, 8 p.m. ET)

Jerome Taylor: Redwoods need a miracle after crushing defeat

The Redwoods got off to a rough start when, on their first possession, Giles-Harris dispossessed Rob Pannell on his first touch. The Outlaws converted the turnover immediately when Ryan Terefenko pumped one by Jack Kelly.

It only got worse.

Kelly was pulled at the start of the second quarter after letting up seven goals (including a two-pointer). Chayse Ierlan didn’t fare much better in his relief, allowing six goals (including a two-pointer) in the second.

The path to a comeback was virtually hopeless at halftime as the Woods trailed 15-3.

The fact is, though, that both goalies got peppered with shots and, ultimately, goals can’t solely fall on them, as the defense seemed a second or more late to every slide.

And the defense wasn’t totally at fault, either, because per usual, TD Ierlan dominated the stripe (16-for-19), yet because of 16 turnovers, the Outlaws had equal possession, and more critically, the live-ball turnovers put the Woods’ defense in vulnerable positions time after time.

Though the dead-ball turnovers are less costly because the Woods can substitute proper personnel, shot clock violations become increasingly frustrating when you’re outshot 44-34 (and 25-22 on goal) on the other end, and when you get the ball, you’re ending possessions by rolling the ball in the corner.

Any loss at this point in the season would be a bad one because it puts further distance between California and the playoffs. But when you lose by 13 to the team you were most closely chasing in the standings, it hurts that much more.

Now the only realistic way for the Woods to make the playoffs is to win out and become fans of any team facing the Chaos.

Up next for California: vs. Philadelphia Waterdogs (Friday, Aug. 9, 10:30 p.m. ET)

Carolina Chaos 15, Utah Archers 14

Hayden Lewis: Carolina’s best offensive performance guides Chaos past Utah in nailbiter

The Chaos offense has struggled the entire season. On Sunday, the narrative changed with a nine-goal explosion in the first half.

The noticeable change on the field was Josh Byrne and Ross Scott taking over the offense. Byrne (39) and Scott (40) combined for 79 of the team's 246 touches (32%). The result of a heavy Byrne-Scott load was a combined eight points. 

But another major factor was the majority of the midfield room coming alive to create offense. 

“We just hit out shots at the right moments and I think everything’s been leading up to this game,” Kyle Jackson said. “The more that we can stack those building blocks on the tail end of a season, like we’ve done for as long as I’ve been a part of the Chaos, that’s what you’re striving for.”

Brian Minicus and Shane Knobloch were major factors out of the box and attacked defenders to force Utah’s defense into uncomfortable situations. Minicus had been in a sophomore slump for a large portion of the season but got back on track with a four-point performance. Carolina’s offensive engine runs better when Minicus creates off the dodge, and it will need more of that from him in the final two games of the season. 

Blaze Riorden even contributed to the Chaos' offensive resurgence, going coast-to-coast to score the second goalie goal in PLL history.

The team’s performance earned high praise from head coach and general manager Andy Towers, who wants his team to stay focused as the playoffs approach. 

“That was the best game that we played all season long at both ends,” Towers said. “We have a shot at winning the [conference]. But the goal for us throughout the season is continue to improve, continue to get better.”

The Chaos will look to do that when they take on the Denver Outlaws in an important Western Conference game with playoff implications. 

Up next for Carolina: vs. Denver Outlaws (Saturday, Aug. 10, 7 p.m. ET)

Zach Carey: Tough loss complicates postseason path for the Archers

Entering Sunday’s action, the Archers were a win away from clinching a spot in the 2024 Cash App Playoffs. Arguably more importantly, a win versus the Chaos would’ve maintained their one-game lead over the Outlaws and extended their edge over Carolina to 2 1/2 games in the fight to win the West and earn a bye to the semifinals. 

Following a tough defeat in a back-and-forth thriller, Utah is now tied with Denver at 4-3 and only leads Carolina by half a game. Fortunately for the Archers, their +8 scoring differential gives them the edge in the tiebreaker over the Outlaws (-1) and the Chaos (-3). 

“The most disappointing thing about today was just that,” head coach Chris Bates said postgame. “That’s a conference game that [by winning] we could’ve separated ourselves.” 

Utah still played a nearly perfect game in Baltimore. Carolina was simply better. 

Tom Schreiber (3G, 2A) and Connor Fields (3G, 2A) put on an exhibition, practically scoring at will at times. Mac O’Keefe (3G) and Tre Leclaire (3G) each chipped in hat tricks of their own, and the offense flowed well for the vast majority of the game. It just couldn’t quite hit the back of the net one more time in the final minutes. Fields’ shot with 1:55 left careened off the low pipe and essentially sealed the deal.  

“Until the last whistle blew, I thought we were going to win that game,” Bates added. “And then Fieldsy hits the pipe. [If] that goes the other direction, that's a tie game and, again, I’ll take us in overtime.”

Matt Moore going down in the second quarter was a sizable loss for Utah. Shortly thereafter, he was ruled out with a right shoulder injury while wearing a sling on the sideline. Without Moore, the Archers lost an initiator and, with him, some of their edge in the matchups against the league’s best defense. Leclaire played well at attack and posed a threat as a stretch shooter. But without Moore’s physical dodging presence, Utah had fewer options to look to late. 

Defensively, the Chaos’ speed was a challenge. Carolina jumped on Brett Dobson early – highlighted by Riorden’s absurd goalie goal – and continued to utilize the speed and shiftiness of threats like Scott, Minicus, Knobloch and Jackson to create separation, force early slides and take advantage on the back end. 

“Those guys were the difference in the game,” Bates said. “They’ve got young legs and they shot the ball very well. … We’ll tip our cap and come back out next time with a little bit of a different scheme, potentially, and make it a little bit more difficult.” 

After the Archers got the best of the Chaos by two in Philadelphia, Carolina stuck it to them by one in Baltimore. This rivalry is one of the best in the game, and Utah was just one goal short on Sunday afternoon. 

Up next for Utah: vs. New York Atlas (Saturday, Aug. 10, 2:30 p.m. ET)

Maryland Whipsnakes 16, Boston Cannons 14

Adam Lamberti: Whipsnakes cap Homecoming weekend with win, punch ticket to playoffs

With a Homecoming weekend sweep, the Whipsnakes have officially secured their spot in the 2024 Cash App Playoffs.

Like Saturday, the Whipsnakes roared out to a huge advantage at the half against the Cannons, leading 14-6.

But unlike in their blowout win over the Philadelphia Waterdogs, the Whips didn’t cruise to victory in the second half. Boston made a furious comeback in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to two before getting off a last-gasp two-point effort that just missed wide.

While fatigue after playing back-to-back days in hot, humid weather definitely set in for the Whipsnakes in the second half, they still got the job done in the end.

Joe Nardella had another fantastic day at the faceoff stripe, going 72% and winning the ball forward with ease to start transition.

TJ Malone had another four-assist day while Zed Williams had five goals and rookie Adam Poitras registered a hat trick.

The win came at a cost, however, as star midfielder Tucker Dordevic was injured after a hit to the head following a shot attempt. 

Dordevic was sweeping to his left hand before he was pushed in the back and collided head-on with a sliding Cannons defender. He suffered a jaw injury and was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.

While their ticket to the playoffs is punched, the Whipsnakes will still need to win games to earn the highest seed possible going into the postseason.

Up next for Maryland: vs. Denver Outlaws (Friday, Aug. 9, 8 p.m. ET)

Sarah Griffin: Cannons’ gritty second-half comeback not enough

There’s no such thing as a moral victory in the PLL, but even with their loss to the Whipsnakes, one has to appreciate the fight in these Cannons.

Late in the second quarter, Boston faced its biggest deficit of the season down 10 to Maryland. When asked at halftime by Quint Kessenich what went wrong, head coach Brian Holman couldn’t help but laugh. 

“I don’t even know,” he smirked.

No one knows this team better than Holman. There was no question they wouldn’t go down quietly. 

Boston came out storming in the second half. We’ve seen a couple of dramatic comebacks from them this season, but nothing like this -- especially with only one two-pointer for them (a record-setting two at that!) in the whole game. 

“Rarely in the PLL do you go up by a large margin in the first half of the game and maintain it,” said Whipsnakes defender Matt Dunn.

Aside from a Poitras goal early in the third quarter, the Whipsnakes went almost a full 20 minutes in the second half without scoring a goal. The Cannons went on a 7-1 run in the second half led by Connor Kirst on the offensive end and Colin Kirst on the defensive end.

Connor recorded a hat trick against his former team, while Colin locked it down between the pipes with 14 saves on the day and held Maryland to two goals in the second half. 

Boston had a couple of chances in the final minutes to tie things up with a two-pointer, but ultimately, it was too little, too late.

“We just didn’t start on time,” Connor Kirst said after the game.

While the defeat kept the Cannons behind the New York Atlas in the race for the No. 1 seed, they’ll have a lot to talk about and learn from the tight loss to the Whipsnakes. 

“This will be a great learning experience if we happen to see those guys down the road,” Holman remarked. 

The Cannons now enter their bye week before closing out the regular season against the Chaos in Salt Lake City. 

Up next for Boston: Bye week