No-Quit Chaos Fall Late to Undefeated Atlas In Successful Homecoming Weekend Split

Charlotte- It was a hot start for New York, on an even hotter day at American Legion Stadium as the Atlas got out to a 5-0 lead in the first seven minutes of the game coming from two early two-point goals. The hometown Chaos gave their best effort, getting close to the league-leading Atlas, but fell just out of reach at the very end in a 15-12 loss. 

Though Carolina made the most of their possessions on offense, and Austin Kaut once again made some great saves in net, the possession battle was clearly won by New York. In fact, Trevor Baptise and the Atlas’ wings won 20 of the 27 faceoffs in the contest, a stat that truly left its mark on the game. However, the offensive unit as a whole made the most of the opportunities they were given.

“Lacrosse is a possession game so having the ball definitely helps, but I’m really impressed with how we’ve been playing offense in the 32,” said Baptise. “We’re taking the ball and doing really impressive things with it, so I think that is what is really propelling our team.”

One big thing that led to the Chaos chipping away at the lead throughout the game was winning the ground ball battle, something Rowlett and the wings have done well so far this season. Carolina Head Coach Andy Towers undoubtedly has the utmost confidence in Rowlett and the face-off until after going up against the man who he called the one of the best face-off specialists in the history of the game.

“Nick Rowlett is as tough as they come and our wings did a phenomenal job today,” said Towers. “Trevor Baptise is probably the best in the history of the sport at that position and we made him warm every inch. He did a great job, but I wouldn’t trade Nick Rowlett for anyone. He’s as tough as they come and he never bitches about anything, I’m really proud of where he’s at and where we’re at as a team.”

After the 5-0 start for the Atlas, the Chaos gave an effort to juice their fans up with three unanswered including a two-point goal from Sergio Perkovic to cut the lead to 5-3. New York then responded with two quick goals to end out the period. The Chaos defense came to play in the second quarter, allowing just one goal to head into the half with an 8-5 deficit.

The Atlas tacked five more in the third while the Chaos were able to get four goals, including two consecutive goals from Zach Geddes, who inserted himself into a prominent role in the offense on Saturday. The Atlas increased the lead to 14-8 in the third, but the Chaos didn’t give up without a fight as Tye Kurtz put in a long two-pointer towards the end of the game to put the score to its final tally of 15-12 in favor of New York.

“Losing always sucks, and it’s certainly now my first loss, but it’s more about how you rebound and we’re looking to have a short memory and bounce back,” said Chaos attackman Ross Scott. “We’ll learn some things in film and be ready to rebound in Philly next week.”

On top of the face-offs, the Atlas also won the ground ball category by a pretty dominating count of 47-18. Xander Dickson led the way for the Atlas with four goals while Jeff Teat notched in three assists to go along with a goal.

Leading the way for the Chaos was Geddes with two goals and an assist, while Josh Byrne had the helping hand with four assists on the day. Kurtz and Perkovic also contributed three points each. Austin Kaut once again anchored well in net, hauling in 15 saves.

Overall, the weekend for the Chaos was nowhere near lost as they split games against great competition in front of a home crowd that pleased those at the top of the PLL, including Paul Rabil. Also, with Denver coming back to upset Utah, Carolina now sits firmly in the driver seat of the Western Conference at first place.

“We’re certainly frustrated with the loss, but with that said, we really look at this season with a broader lense,” said Towers. “The reality is that we come out of the weekend and we’re in first place of our division and we got a lot to be proud of.”

With a 2-1 record, Carolina now shifts their focus to Philadelphia before a week off. They will match up against another Western rival in Utah on Saturday night as the winner will sit atop the standings.