Chaos LC came into Tuesday’s playoff matchup with Chrome LC winless and in need of an offensive spark. One of the more dynamic units in the PLL last season had scored just eight goals per game in four group play games.

Enter the PLL playoffs and Chaos LC found a new level.

Seventh-seeded Chaos LC, playing without the services of star attackman Connor Fields, started strong and continued to push the lead en route to a 19-14 victory over second-seeded Chrome LC in the first game of Tuesday’s playoff tripleheader.

Josh Byrne led a balanced Chaos offense with four goals and three assists, while Dhane Smith chipped in three goals and three assists and Jake Froccaro tallied a pair of two-pointers to fuel the upset victory.

Chaos LC coach Andy Towers did not directly address Fields’ absence from the lineup in his postgame interview.

“We are more concerned with how we are playing than who we are playing,” Towers said.

The momentum sided with Chaos LC from the beginning of the game on, as Smith and Byrne helped push the lead to 2-0 in the first quarter. Sergio Salcido scored on a swim dodge and low-to-high shot, and Froccaro added one of a pair of two-pointers to help Chaos LC take a 12-6 lead into halftime.

Froccaro opened the second half with another two-pointer to push the lead to eight goals, and Miles Thompson scored off a behind-the-back feed from Byrne to continue the hot streak.

Kevin Buchanan, who announced before the game that this season would be his last in pro lacrosse, capped the effort with an ankle-breaking finish.

Tom Schreiber Stars in Archers Victory

Grant Ament was the talk of the PLL during group play, dropping six goals and 11 assists in his first four professional lacrosse games. The talk of MVP started to arise at the Archers headed toward the playoffs.
 
Atlas LC made an effort to shut down the rookie out of Penn State on Tuesday night, leaving room for another MVP to put his name back in the spotlight. Tom Schreiber, labeled by many as the top player in the world, had his breakout performance to lead Archers LC to the 11-9 win over Atlas LC in the late game of Tuesday’s playoff first round.
 
Schreiber finished with three goals and two assists in the first half and Will Manny chipped in a hat trick to help Archers hold off a reinvigorated Atlas LC team fighting for its season.
 
Archers LC found its offensive groove right after the opening faceoff, storming out to a 4-0 lead thanks to goals from Will Manny, Joey Sankey and Brendan Fowler. John Crawley scored the lone Atlas LC goal in the first quarter.
 
Schreiber took over in the second quarter, dishing off two assists and adding three goals to push the lead to as big as 8-3. Connor Buczek fired home a two-pointer and Rob Pannell added a late goal to cut the deficit to 8-6 at halftime.
 
Chris Cloutier and Will Manny both scored twice in the third quarter, keeping the Archers LC at two goals entering the fourth quarter. The final 15 minutes featured plenty of defense, but little game-changing moments.
 
Pannell, who finished with a hat trick, scored on a dodge from x to cut the deficit to 10-9 with 3:39. Atlas LC had chances to potentially tie the game, but Ryan Ambler’s goal with less than 90 seconds left sealed the win for Archers LC.

Jones, Garnsey Fuel Woods Win

The story of the Redwoods offense during group play was Sergio Perkovic, who had six two-pointers in four games. The rest of Nat St. Laurent’s offense had yet to find its groove, shooting a league-low 17 percent.

On a night when Perkovic was held to one point, Redwoods LC needed someone else to step up. Myles Jones, Ryder Garnsey and Brent Adams answered the call. Jones and Garnsey combined for eight points to lead Redwoods LC to the 11-8 playoff win over a persistent Waterdogs LC team in the second game of a Tuesday tripleheader.

Adams, a mainstay in the Redwoods midfield, played attack for most of Tuesday’s matchup and tallied three goals in the effort. Matt Kavanagh played in Tuesday’s matchup but was listed on the PLL’s injury report (back).

In a defensive-oriented first half, Christian Cuccinello and Joe Walters scored for their respective teams to make it 1-1 at the end of one quarter. Adams and Garnsey chipped in goals in the second quarter to give Redwoods LC a 5-3 lead at halftime.

Zach Currier cut the lead to one goal in the third quarter, but Jones’ two-pointer gave Redwoods LC another spark and a 7-4 lead entering the final quarter. Jones added another goal to push the lead to its biggest margin at 9-4.

Waterdogs LC mounted a short rally thanks to two-pointers from Ryland Rees and Connor Kelly, cutting the deficit to 9-8 with under five minutes to play. Garnsey provided an insurance goal shortly after to force Waterdogs LC to attempt a two-pointer, but it couldn’t mount a quality chance with seconds left.

SEMIFINAL SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, ALL TIMES EASTERN

8 p.m. — (7) Chaos vs. (3) Archers, NBC Sports Gold
10:30 p.m. — (4) Redwoods vs. (1) Whipsnakes, NBC Sports Gold