BALTIMORE — When the Utah Archers and Carolina Chaos clashed in Philadelphia on June 15, the Western Conference foes combined for 16 goals in a grueling defensive duel. Fifty days later and about 100 miles south, the teams crossed paths in another Mid-Atlantic matchup on Sunday at Homewood Field.
“You’ve got two incredibly proud teams … two teams that are full of winners,” Chaos coach Andy Towers said. “[It’s] an epic battle between an established, high-profile offense that the Archers roll out and what I think is the best defense in the world.”
While the Archers (4-3) held the Chaos (4-4) to just seven goals in their last meeting, Blaze Riorden set a far different tone two minutes into the game.
After the veteran netminder turned away Tre Leclaire’s effort, he embarked on a seemingly routine clear that transformed into a coast-to-coast dash, culminating in his first Premier Lacrosse League goal — shades of his famous goal from his time at Albany, for sure.
“It’s pretty simple — [if] someone runs at you, you pass the ball,” Riorden said. “No one ran at me, and I thought by now maybe I’d be on the scout, maybe I’m a guy to slide to, but I’m all for defenses sitting back and letting me close my eyes and put one in the back of the net.”
Riorden’s goalie goal proved to be the start of a highlight-filled affair, and behind Josh Byrne, Brian Minicus, Ross Scott and Shane Knobloch’s 15 combined points, the Chaos secured a 15-14 victory.
Despite coming up one-goal shy, the Archers’ attack fired on all cylinders after starting in a 4-0 hole. Tom Schreiber, Connor Fields, Mac O’Keefe and Leclaire each recorded hat tricks, with Fields and Schreiber dishing out two assists apiece.
“This is why you do it,” Schreiber said. “I’d rather play in one of these games all day — and get on the winning side. We want to compete. … We always get [the Chaos’] best, and we wanted to rise above it. There are some positives to take away, but at the end of the day, our moral victories are just that. We have to get better from it.”
Chaos midfielder Kyle Jackson, who scored two goals, said the game boasted a playoff-like atmosphere from the opening faceoff.
“It took every ounce of energy just to come up with a win,” Jackson said. “That’s what this league is becoming. I was proud of us, especially offensively. To put it bluntly, we sucked for this entire season. For us to come out and get a win [where] our offense actually produces was phenomenal.
Although the Chaos produced their best scoring output since the season opener, Riorden more than held up his end of the bargain between the pipes, tallying 15 saves. The five-time PLL All-Star eclipsed the 1,000-save mark in his professional career on Sunday.
He quipped that the milestone signaled he was getting older, but Towers couldn’t help but sing Riorden’s praises postgame.
“He’s proved beyond a doubt that he’s the best goalie on the planet,” Towers said. “I think he’s proved that he’s the best player on the planet. … It’s hard not to be a fan during the game with everything he does for the team. He gives us a shot to win every single game — gives a shot to win the PLL Championship.”
While the Chaos built several multi-goal leads, the Archers never let them pull away. Schreiber knotted the score at 14 on his third goal of the afternoon with 7:25 remaining, forging a tense fight to the finish.
In the end, two younger Chaos contributors linked up for the decisive blow, as Knobloch found Tye Kurtz for the winner with less than five minutes left.
With the win, the Chaos became one of three Western Conference teams with four victories, joining the Archers and their next opponent, the Denver Outlaws.
“We needed a game like this to cement that what we’re doing is getting us closer to where we want to be,” Towers said. “I’m really happy for our team to take a step forward and get closer to what our ultimate goal is.”
