Kaut, Knobloch Carry Chaos to PLL Championship Series Title
March 8, 2026
Kenny DeJohn
Premier Lacrosse League
The underdogs did it.
The Carolina Chaos defeated the California Redwoods 24-16 in the PLL Championship Series title game on Sunday at The St. James in Springfield, Va. The Redwoods entered 3-0 and received a bye thorugh the semifinals as the top seed in the tournament.
The Chaos, meanwhile were 1-2 in round robin play and needed to beat the Denver Outlaws to advance to Sunday. But all the Chaos needed was a chance, especially with Austin Kaut in cage and Shane Knobloch dominating the offensive end.
Three two-point goals (two by Knobloch, one by Chris Aslanian) in the first half helped the Chaos build a big 15-7 lead. Then Carolina matched the Redwoods the rest of the way, paving the way for a Championship Series victory in Steven Brooks' first go as head coach of the team.
Knobloch earned the Golden Stick Award as the tournament's top scorer with 30 scoring points, and Kaut was sensational with 84 saves — a Championship Series record for a single tournament.
Kenny DeJohn has been the Digital Content Editor at USA Lacrosse since 2019. First introduced to lacrosse in 2016 as a Newsday Sports reporter on Long Island (yes, ON Long Island), DeJohn specializes in women's game coverage. His search for New York quality pizza in Baltimore is ongoing.
