Photo by Kevin Leclaire – UltiPhotos.com
JUNE 12, 2025
By Kyle Turnbaugh
After a comfortable win against the New York Empire (3-5) at home, the DC Breeze (4-3) will travel to New York to take on their rivals in back-to-back games against the Empire. The last matchup saw the Breeze O-line take full advantage of a struggling Empire defense, while the Empire’s offense struggled without Calvin Brown. Breeze rookies made a major impact in their debuts, with Micah Wagner making huge plays on defense and Coby Loveranes scoring three goals in an impressive cutting display. Alongside the rookies, veterans stepped up and made a difference against the Empire as well, with captain Rowan McDonnell throwing eight assists and making the UFA’s Week Seven Honor Roll.
Off the back of an eight-goal win against New York, there would seem to be no reason why the Breeze can't complete the sweep against their division rivals for the second season in a row. However, there are no certainties in the East this year, especially in the rivalry between New York and DC. New York will be hungry for revenge, especially after an embarrassing fourth quarter where the Breeze ran up the score and outscored the Empire 7-2, including a last-second huck when the Breeze could have run out the clock. New York needs a win against the Breeze to keep themselves in playoff contention and turn their disappointing season around, while the Breeze need a win to help solidify their position and maintain dominance over their rivals, meaning this game has all the makings of a marquee matchup.
New York has undoubtedly struggled this season, but with the names they have on offense, they can beat anyone if they get hot. Ben Jagt is leading the league with 35 goals and 2,500 receiving yards and is the best receiving threat in the game. The question mark isn't if Jagt is going to show up; it's about those around him. The Empire need players like John Randolph and Everest Shapiro to take some of the pressure off of Jagt. In the handling department, the aforementioned Brown has shown that he can make just about every throw in the book, and he was sorely missed in the last game. But, besides Brown, Empire mainstay Solomon Rueschemeyer-Bailey and former Thunderbird Max Sheppard have been in charge of offensive handling duties and have done well overall, with the Empire’s hold percentage ranking eighth in the league and red zone conversion percentage clocking in at 3rd in the league.
While New York’s offense has been solid, their glaring issue is defense. While the Empire have amassed 76 blocks, a number that puts them third in the league, their defense only converts 25% of break chances and gives up an average of 20 goals per game. The issue for New York’s defense doesn't seem to be forcing the turnover, but rather what to do once they have the disc. This was on full display last week, as the Empire defense only managed two breaks against DC. New York will need to make massive improvements on the defensive side to keep up with a DC team that was able to huck or work the disc down the field with little resistance.
The Breeze will look to build on last week's excellent result with an even better result on the road. It won't be easy, as the Breeze are still without Christian Boxley, Moussa Dia, Charlie McCutcheon, and Luke Rehfuss, due to injuries, but if last week showed us anything, it's that the rookies are ready to step up and make a difference in the Breeze playoff push. DC has struggled with some inconsistency on offense this season, with the distinctive DC offense of short, safe passes and safe looks sometimes fizzling out in the redzone. But, the Breeze changed it up last weekend, throwing ten hucks, a number they have reached only two other times this season, but more importantly, completing 90% of those hucks, a much improved mark over previous weeks. The Empire seemed to have no solution for the Breeze’s deep cuts, with Miles Grovic, Jeff Wodatch, and Loveranes gashing the defense deep multiple times. Although there have been some issues on the offensive side of the disc, Breeze fans will hope that last weekend was a sign that those issues have been ironed out.
On the defensive side, aforementioned key absences have left question marks for the Breeze, but it feels like we have a few answers in the form of Aidan Downey and Wagner, who both put up huge performances in their Breeze debuts. The defense has been solid all season and has been effective, regardless of the personnel. Against the Empire, in particular, they forced 16 turnovers and broke New York nine times on the course to victory. It seems there is little to change for the Breeze on defense, and perhaps a team that has long staked its identity in offense may be laying the foundations for a defensive dynasty.
The Breeze will unfortunately be dealing with more than just the already-mentioned injury absences, as key handler Thomas Edmonds will be away at the London Invite and rookie Ben Greenberg, who has been impactful over the last few games will miss out, as well. Isaac Lee and Grovic, who have both been crucial on defense with the latter of the two leading the team in blocks, are listed as dressed for the game. On offense, Cole Jurek, DC’s leading scorer, is listed as questionable. David Bloodgood, Brandon Lamberty, Alexandre Fall, and Theo Shapinsky return to the lineup for DC in place of the absentees.
New York is not without absences of their own, with crucial D-liner Marques Brownlee unavailable and cutter Oliver Chartock listed as doubtful. New York may miss out on Brown for a second consecutive game, as he is questionable for the weekend.
Catch the DC Breeze as they travel to The Stadium at Memorial Field in Mt. Vernon, NY on Saturday, June 14 and look to complete their season sweep over the New York Empire for a second consecutive season. First pull goes up at at 7:00 PM ET, streaming on watchUFA.tv.
