The last time the Chrome played the Archers, both teams were coming off victories in their previous games. In the third game for each team in the PLL Championship Series in 2020, the Archers jumped out to a 7-1 lead. But the Chrome made a big run in the second half, taking a 12-11 lead until Tom Schreiber scored on a sweep with nine seconds remaining in regulation. Then, on their first possession in overtime, Gran Ament found Ryan Ambler to help the Archers win the game.

“That should’ve been a victory for us. We let it slip through our fingers because we didn’t play great in the fourth quarter,” Chrome coach Tim Soudan said. “You cannot provide them opportunities to go on runs. That team can and they did against us.”

That matchup was just the latest chapter in the shared history of Soudan and Archers coach Chris Bates. The two played against each other for several years in the collegiate and professional ranks, and they meet for the second time as opposing coaches when the Chrome take on the Archers this Friday at Hofstra.

Soudan played at UMass, where he was an All-American in 1989 and 1990. During that same time, Chris Bates was a two-time All-Ivy League selection at Dartmouth. UMass beat Dartmouth both years, including an 11-10 overtime victory in 1989.

“He was a big tough middie. He was there to be reckoned with,” Bates said of Soudan. “It translates to us as coaches. His players love playing for him. They play with a joy for the game. They play the right way. To deal with some adversity with injuries and put the pieces together, it’s a testament to him and the coaching staff they did what they did. Coach Soudan is a friend, but I have a ton of respect for him as a peer in the coaching ranks as well.”

The two both went on to play professionally in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League, which is now the National Lacrosse League. Bates played for eight seasons, winning three championships with the Philadelphia Wings and earning an All-Pro selection with the Charlotte Cobras. Soudan played for 14 seasons in the MILL, including 11 with the Rochester Knighthawks, who inducted him into the team’s hall of fame in 2009.

Soudan said that based on Bates’ playing career, it’s no surprise he’s had so much success as a coach. Bates has had college stops at Drexel and Princeton.

“The one thing that was always clear was he was a great competitor,” he said. “You saw that level of intelligence on the field. He was a johnny-on-the-spot guy who could kind of do everything.”

Bates and Soudan also were representatives for their respective teams in the Professional Lacrosse Players Association, working toward improvements like increased salaries and per diems for players. Bates said those experiences taught him a lot of lessons about the business aspect of pro sports, lessons he sees today’s players taking even further in the PLL — now in its third season as a touring league in which players have equity and health benefits.

“You’re somewhat naive, especially in our league when it was in its infancy, seeing and thinking from a business standpoint how players could come together and make a difference,” Bates said. “If you love the game like we all do, you’re excited for this opportunity the PLL presents. It’s a unique time and opportunity with the capital behind this league and Paul and Mike [Rabil] and those around at the highest levels of dreaming this thing, we’re all thrilled. We want to make positive inroads. The fact players have benefits and are essentially owners, there’s a spirit of partnership and growth.”

The Archers and Chrome both enjoyed blowout wins this past weekend at Johns Hopkins. The Archers defeated the Waterdogs 17-8 and increased their scoring differential to plus-25, which is better than the rest of the teams combined. The Chrome defeated the Whipsnakes 16-6, ending the Whips’ winning streak that dated back to 2019 and putting themselves on the plus-side of scoring differential.

The two are on a collision course for a primetime matchup on Long Island (Friday 7 p.m. ET, Peacock). Both coaches acknowledged the talent of the other team.

“He put together a group of highly talented guys,” Soudan said of Bates and the Archers. “You look at how that team is playing, they have a very good offensive concept. That’s one of his strengths. I feel he’s a lot like me in that he takes feedback from players and makes sure everybody’s strengths are highlighted and identified. It’s a very unselfish team. Thinking of him as a player, he’s a team guy, grind it out. He played eight years. It’s because he was good at a lot of things.”

“You couldn’t help watching [the Chrome-Whipsnakes game] having your eyes wide open,” Bates said. “They played exceptionally well against a formidable opponent. That game caught our attention as a coaching staff and hopefully our players as well for the task at hand Friday.”

Week 4 of the 2021 PLL season will be another chapter in the competitive history between Soudan and Bates as their respective teams look to add to winning streaks and solidify their positions in the standings.

It will also be another opportunity for old friends to reconnect.

“I just remember him always being around. So, for eight years, and I played all eight of them, we were more than friendly. We would hang at post-game parties and yuk it up,” Soudan said. “I really recall enjoying him as a human being.”

“The game has given us so much. Part of that is these longstanding relationships,” Bates said. “You have this rolodex of memories we had fun with. Our paths diverged a little bit, but now, all these weekends we bump into each other and catch up and ask about family and all that good stuff.”