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(Photo Courtesy PLL)
Two physical encounters yielded contrasting fates as the Chaos defeated the Redwoods and Cannons pulled away from the Archers at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday night.
It was the start of a Week 11 littered with playoff possibilities. As the season heads towards the home stretch with higher stakes, the tension, aggression and scuffles all add up to some feisty action.
Here’s how it all went down.
Chaos Exact Revenge vs. Redwoods
California scored the final three goals of their rematch of the most dramatic game of the regular season so far, but Carolina’s Blaze Riorden made four of his 17 saves (63%) in the final four minutes to preserve the 12-10 win in the Week 11 opener.
“You win games right now you get to play longer, you lose games you don’t get to play longer. We all want to play longer, we want to spend as much time as possible (with each other),” Riorden told the ESPN broadcast postgame. “These are high pressure lacrosse games and they matter.”
Twice the Redwoods spoiled a power play situation with emotional ill-discipline and twice an injury depleted Chaos took full advantage.
First, it was Ryder Garnsey who took a nasty shoulder to the head from Jarrod Neumann in the early stages, but then got called for goalie interference. Carolina not only staved off their mandown possessions, but also the 5-on-5 set too to set up the play of the game.
Undrafted rookie defenseman Henry Bard stepped over the midline and unleashed a high bouncer to beat the buzzer and give Carolina all the momentum at halftime, leading 6-4. It was a heroic final contribution from Bard, who had to leave the game after getting evaluated during the intermission.
COUNT IThttps://t.co/38avqRGXwzpic.twitter.com/ukH6fx7OGD
— Carolina Chaos (@PLLChaos) July 31, 2026
“We had to dig in. Henry Bard hit the 2 at the end of halftime, breaks his rib, we go down to four poles, Greg Langermeier plays his first game of the year, we didn’t win a face-off and we just dug in,” Riorden said. “We’ve been through adversity all year and this is when it shows.”
Already without Jack Rowlett, Carolina played the rest of the game with just four longpoles in a game they opted not to dress a face-off specialist. California’s TD Ierlan won all 24 face-offs, but the 32-second shot clock made it difficult to stay consistently efficient for Anthony Kelly’s offense.
The second instance came when Chris Kavanagh was angry after nearly getting hit high and late from Carolina’s Scott Smith, slashing him on the helmet the next possession with just under five minutes left in the third. The Chaos scored three of the next four goals to pull away for good, up 11-6.
Carolina’s Scarlett Knights led the scoring charge as Shane Knobloch (2G, 1A) and Ross Scott (1G, 2A) had three points apiece. All four of their defensive middies took their face-offs, with rookie Ty English taking the most (10), but California failed to solve that puzzle before it was too late.
Bringing Dylan Molloy to get downhill out of the box worked late, Andrew McAdorey and Sam English on the wings and other wrinkles weren’t enough. Undrafted pro day standout Finn Thomson — fresh off joining a suit seeking to return to Syracuse for a fifth year amidst a rapidly changing college landscape — scored the Redwoods’ final two goals in his pro debut.
The Chaos was a welcome birthday gift for head coach Steven Brooks.
“I think he’s going to want one more tomorrow,” Riorden said, “then he’ll be satisfied.”
Kelly, Higginbotham Propel Cannons Past Utah
Brian Kelly scored four timely goals on seven shots and JC Higginbotham saved 61% of the shots he faced (11 total stops) in his first-career start to lead Boston to a gritty 11-7 win past the red-hot Archers.
“It took all of us. Our defense held it down,” Kelly told the ESPN broadcast. “Their offense has been rolling and to hold them to 7 goals, I mean it makes it pretty easy on our end to get the win. Can’t thank them enough.”
Tensions flared in the final stages of the third quarter when Kelly got pushed in the back and fell into Archers goalie Brett Dobson’s knees. Dobson took exception, cross-checked Kelly in the head and ripped his helmet off to spark a heated scuffle. Utah coach Chris Bates called it an uncharacteristic loss of composure from his team, while Boston coach Brian Holman credited Mic Kelly for coming to his teammate’s defense. All in all, it was Kelly who had the final laugh.
The St. John’s second-year pro scored the game’s final two goals to ice the victory, punctuated with a jumpshot coming up the hash to finalize the game with 1:23 remaining.
“Amazing pick setting, Hogger got me on one and I think Mic got me on the other to just get my hands free,” Kelly said when asked what went right for him. “And then from there it’s just putting it to where the goalie can’t get to it.”
A consummate teammate who has taken his opportunity to replace Asher Nolting with their X attack slot and ran with it, Kelly’s rise in the PLL ranks is similar to Higginbotham’s in that they both have stayed ready, awaiting just one shot to get a chance to play.
Higginbotham, an All-American at Bellarmine who consistently ranked towards the top of Division I in saves per game, was somewhat of a journeyman since coming into the league in 2024 in a backup role with Utah, New York, Denver and more. Holman made the call on Tuesday, FaceTimed Higginbotham after informing usual starter Colin Kirst of the change, to which Higginbotham told him he always prepares as if he’s going to play.
It paid off with some eye-popping early steals in-tight and a solid first half with eight saves (three of which came in the first 80 seconds).
“Fastest hands I’ve ever seen,” Kelly said of Higginbotham. “Going into a game shooting on him makes you feel pretty bad and it helps when you go into the games. But (he played) unbelievable.”
Coulter Mackesy led the way with five points and another 2-pointer (his third of the season) as the focal point of the offense with a whopping 51 touches. Lefties Mikey Weisshaar (2G) and Graydon Hogg (1G, 1A) both had two points.
It was Boston’s best defensive output since Week 2. The win nearly guarantees their spot in the postseason (much to the chagrin of the defending champion New York), now with a 97% chance. The Atlas have just a 3% shot of defending their title.
“We were in a similar position last year where we controlled our own destiny,” Mackesy said. “So super proud of this group to get another step closer.”
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