Knobloch and Riorden Lift Chaos to Overtime Victory in Must-Win Game

FAIRFIELD— On a night where the Carolina Chaos donned their sweet throwback uniforms, they also threw it back to 42 days ago. A game where the offense found their stride at the end of the game. That was also the last time the Chaos got in the win column.

Coming off of All-Star weekend, the Chaos had plenty of options for the final shot as the Chaos and Whipsnakes found themselves in overtime, tied at nine, looking for a winner-take-all goal. Head Coach Andy Towers had an idea of who he wanted to take the final dodge and shot, but it might not have been who you would have thought of.

Shane Knobloch used an effective face dodge at the top of the key to free up space for himself to rip a nasty left-handed heater that found the bottom-left portion of the back of the net to call game for the Chaos in a 10-9 sudden victory, improving their record to 3-3, and putting them in the thick of the PLL playoff race.

“I had a short stick, and for me when I have a short stock I want to make a play, draw a slide, or put one in the back of the net,” said Chaos midfielder Shane Knobloch. “I got to my strong hand and he went for an over-the-head check and I slid hedged a little bit and I got a shot off, and thankfully it went in. We needed that so badly and it was huge.”

Setting up that game-winning goal was none other than the world’s best goalie, Blaze Riorden who made his 18th save of the game resulting in a successful clear going the other way, in a possession that saw just a few touches before the ball was in net.

Not only was that goal the biggest of the game, but his impressive performance in the cage against Maryalnd pushed into the top 10 all-time in saves. After making 11 saves in the first half, he used seven more in the second to launch him into ninth all-time while posting a 66.7 save percentage in the contest.

“He’s like an alien in the cage, he really is, and it’s unbelievable,” Towers said of his All-World goalie. “He’s consistent all the time at a position that is probably the hardest position in sports to be consistent at and he does it game in and game out. He hasn’t wavered in his support in the group at all no matter how much we have stumbled at times and that speaks to his leadership and how much he prioritizes being a great teammate ahead of everything else.”

The Chaos as a team wore a unique look compared to other teams in throwback week of the PLL. Carolina repped the word “State” with no logo on the front of their jerseys, paying tribute to the North Carolina St. Wolfpack Men’s Lacrosse team. Many might not know, but the pack fielded a varsity men’s NCAA team from 1973-1982 before they were disbanded. State even ranked as highly at No. 6 in the country at one point in the late 70s.

The throwback game between Carolina and Maryland started with and sustained a lot of physicality on both ends of the field. Whipsnakes attackmen Zed Williams set the tone early on, bullying his way to the crease multiple times, doing it twice in the second quarter as the highlight of Maryland’s offense in the first half.

Jules Heninburg and Eric Dobson were the difference towards the end of the second quarter, aiding the Chaos to a 6-4 lead at the break, while Josh Byrne also made an impact creating space in his return back from injury.

Two more goals in the start of the half for Carolina from Zach Geddes and Ian McKay brought the lead to 8-4 as it looked the red and black would cruise to a victory in Connecticut. However, four straight goals from the Whipsnakes in the late third quarter and early fourth quarter flipped the match on its head. The teams traded goals at the end of regulation before heading into the overtime, where Knobloch eventually put the Chaos on his back for a Carolina win.

Heninburg’s speed from behind the cage once again stood out in the win as he led the winning team with two goals and an assist. Shane Knobloch also struck gold twice, while six others got on the scoreboard with a goal each. Carolina was happy to have Josh Byrne back in the lineup as well as he led the team with 10 shots. 

Riorden’s 18 saves was the most he has had this season, while the defense also played well in front of him, holding their opponents to ten goals or less for the third straight week as they now lead the league in least goals allowed. Nick Rowlett and CJ Costabile led the Chaos with five ground balls each while Rowlett posted a 34.8 percent clip at the faceoff X in the team’s victory.

“I just feel so good about the direction of our team right now,” Towers said. “We left some goals on the field, but the bottom line is that we stuck to the plan and stayed aggressive from start to finish. We weren’t perfect but we were good enough to win the game, but from  a broader picture we’re happy we’re figuring out who we are on the offensive end to complement what I think is the best defense in the world.”

The timing on the win couldn't have come at a better time, as Denver and Utah also recorded wins this weekend, but the Chaos now just sit a game out of first place in the west, while solidly holding themselves a spot in the playoff hunt as they currently hold the fifth-seed. Carolina will make the 2,841 mile trip from Fairfield to San Diego for Califorina’s homecoming weekend. They will get the Redwoods in front of their home crowd in another important game next Saturday at 3pm.