The PLL played their two quarterfinal games on Labor Day in front of a sparse crowd in Gillette Stadium. Coming off a bye weekend for the entire league, the overall quality of play was on the slow side, defenses had the upper hand with Maryland and Carolina advancing.
Win or Go Home
Quarterfinal Recap
Game 1 : Boston 4 – Carolina 8
Rookie from Penn State Jack Posey dressed for suspended defender Jack Rowlett. Posey had only played in a few games during the summer but managed to travel to game sites to be with his team, learning the ropes, on his own dime. That dedication paid off on Monday in a defensive master class given by the Chaos.
Carolina has an elite defense, no soft spots, and goalie Blaze Riorden was given a steady diet of cupcakes to feast on. Big Blaze made 15 saves (79%). The Chaos didn’t slide much, begging Cannon ball carriers to get to the rack themselves and shoot on the run. These shots are more easily saved than shots off ball movement. Boston shot 4 of 41 including 0 for 7 from two-point range.
Boston was minimally invasive. Asher Nolting, still hunting a signature career win, spun his robust wheels in futility. He’s a bit of an oversized two-trick pony, reliant on just a right-handed inside roll or left-handed question mark. Marcus Holman was a non-factor without dodgers who could draw slides and free him up. Matt Campbell, Ryan Drenner and Pat Kavanagh lost their matchups and failed to either draw doubles or get to the net. That’s where the game was lost. The lack of success had the Cannons gripping their sticks too tight. The lack of adjustments and curveballs thrown by the offensive coaching staff smelled like overconfidence.
According to Joe Keegan of the PLL, the Chaos D forced Cannons into a season-high 28 unassisted shots and a season-low 13 assisted shots.
The best defenses don’t need to slide.
Boston (7-4) will resurface in the Championship series after scoring one goal in the second half.
The Boston defense held the Chaos to 8 goals and lost. Carolina shot 24%. That’s uncommon. This game was the ultimate rock fight. Tough to watch. Carolina stayed true to their identity and found timely goals from Jules Heningburg, Tye Kurtz and Ross Scott while Josh Byrne made all the right moves as a distributor.
History repeats itself because on September 3, 2022, in the same PLL Quarterfinals at Gillette, the Chaos beat the Chrome 11-3. That was the lowest amount of goals scored by one team in the PLL Playoffs. This 8-4 win was another defensive gem by Riorden and the Chaos defense.
Game 2 : Maryland 11 – Denver 10
Injured defender Jesse Bernhardt was back in the Outlaw lineup. Meanwhile the Whipsnakes were dealing with a layoff of 17 days.
Alternating goals in the first half, Zed Williams of Maryland tied it up at 6-6 at halftime. The Outlaws rookie brigade of Dalton Young, Brennan O’Neil and Graham Bundy gave Denver a 9-7 lead with 15:06 to play in the game.
The play of the weekend and one of the most bizarre goals of the entire summer – swung this game in Maryland’s favor. Jake Bernhardt, a SSDM for Maryland, from about 17 yards at the top of the arc, fed the crease with :06 seconds to go in the third quarter. It was a forced Hail Mary pass late in the clock. The ball intended for Zed Williams instead ricocheted off Denver defender JT Giles-Harris and trickled past goalie Owen McElroy like a billiards shot careening, it rolled into the net. Because Bernhardt was outside the two-point arc and the pass/shot was not touched by a Maryland teammate, it counted as a two-point goal, tying the score at 9-9 to end the third quarter and giving Maryland energy and hope for the final 12 minutes. A bizarre play that had a monumental impact on the game.
Rookies Adam Poitras and TJ Malone added goals in the fourth quarter for Maryland coach Jim Stagnitta, building an 11-9 advantage. Denver was held without a goal for a span of 14:00. Sam Handley finished with five points for Denver (5-6) while Brennan O’Neil and Bundy were quieted late.
Outlaw pole Jesse Bernhardt brought the game to 11-10 with :45 to play when Maryland was out on the perimeter defending the two-point shot with zeal. Whips held on for the 11-10 win and advanced to the semis to play New York. They held serve and will benefit from the effort, now turning around on Saturday to face a team who hasn’t played in three weeks.
Maryland Goalie Brendan Krebs shook off a slow start, stay on the pipe young man, and finished the game very much locked in and in control. Owen McElroy was solid in net for Denver. This game was statistically as even as you’ll ever see.
Denver has a young nucleus that has upside. They need to improve their SSDM and LSM positions in the 2025 draft. 15 rookies dressed amongst the four quarterfinal rosters. That’s 20% of the total players. Their impact was evident.
Semifinal Preview
Saturday at Hofstra
Game 1: New York vs Maryland
I worry about the layoff for the Atlas. The herky-jerky nature of the summer schedule has proven to show that bye weeks are not beneficial for offensive flow, timing, rhythm and generally disruptive to team offensive chemistry.
The Atlas are favored based upon their resume and offensive excellence this summer. That’s fair. The Trevor Baptiste and Joe Nardella FOGO matchup will be fun to watch. Maryland must drape Jeff Teat and Connor Shellenberger well, while blanketing cutter Xander Dickson. Isolating midfielders Dox Aitken, Bryan Costabile and Myles Jones have a size and physicality advantage and require delicate traffic control.
The pressure is on the Atlas. Goalie Liam Entenmann makes a triumphant return to Long Island. I have giant expectations for this game – I think it’s going to be a great one. So many of these players have high-end NCAA tournament and professional playoff experience. Atlas are favored by 1.5 with a goals total of 25.5.
Game 2: Utah vs Carolina
I have concerns about Utah without Tom Schreiber. The All-World midfielder is sidelined with a shoulder injury. Carolina’s defense will try to manhandle the undersized catalysts of the Archers. Grant Ament and Connor Fields will be on the receiving end of heavy checks. Tre LeClaire and Mac OKeefe must come to the party and find cracks in goalie Blaze Riorden from distance and mid-range. Utah will need to be crisp with their two-man games. Setting clean picks changes matchups. Changing matchups creates slides. Creating slides leads to open looks.
At the other end Utah’s defense has been overly reliant on goalie Brett Dobson, and he’s become increasingly vulnerable to the two-point shot. Utah hasn’t played since August 18. Time off is not favorable – even if coach Chris Bates practiced last weekend in Foxborough. Carolina is a very live upsetter on “Strong Island” in a contest with a low total set at 21. Chaos embracing the underdog role. First team to 10 wins.
The semifinals air on Saturday from Hofstra at 5:00pm and 7:30pm on E+. Drew Carter and Ryan Boyle have the call from Hempstead Turnpike.
The PLL Championship can be seen live on Sunday September 15 at 3pm on ABC from Subaru Park in Chester, PA. Drew Carter, Paul Carcaterra, Ryan Boyle and I will be working the game.
