Photo by Burt Granofsky – UltiPhotos.com
JULY 8, 2025
By Kyle Turnbaugh
(Editors' notes in italics)
On Sunday, the DC Breeze (6-4) faced off against the previously-undefeated Boston Glory (8-1) and defeated the East Division leaders on their own turf. The Breeze came into the game already in playoff mode, needing some big results to qualify for the postseason. It may seem as if Boston's regular season story is already written, but they still haven't clinched the regular-season East Division title, and a win against the Breeze would have secured it for them.
For DC, they seem to be getting hot at the right time with two straight wins on the back of vastly improved defense. This win against Boston also comes in spite of crucial absences like top goal scorer Cole Jurek and Christian Boxley, showing that the Breeze depth really begins to count in late-season matchups. Much like the last showdown between these two teams, it was a low scoring affair, as both teams are reluctant to take deep shots and play a more methodical style. Both teams combined for only 12 hucks and kept their turnover numbers pretty reasonable when considering the windy conditions.
The game started off eerily similar to the last matchup between the two division rivals with the Breeze chasing the game after making early mistakes. Rookie Boston defender Emmett Young got a hand on a Coby Loveranes reset bound for Jacques Nissen, and Boston ended up breaking on the very first point of the game, despite the contact from Young being a very clear foul. A messy three-minute point then followed, as wind caused two DC turnovers and forced the O-line to survive a goal-line scare before they finally held through Jeff Wodatch, as Thomas Edmonds got the first assist of his excellent night. Boston proceeded to hold and then break again with Jeff Babbitt swatting down a late pass from Wodatch and Italian national Sebastian Rossi scoring for Boston. Down 3-1, DC was able to calm things down with some signature Breeze offense, as they worked the disc through the middle of the field, and Tyler Monroe made the continuation pass to Edmonds for the goal. DC got a break back after a Boston huck from Calvin Stoughton flew too far for Tobe Decraene. Ben Greenberg picked up the disc for DC and looked into the middle of the field where his pass flew over the under cut from Alexandre Fall, but Rhys Bergeron was able to lay out to save the day and the possession for DC, as the Breeze then called a timeout and converted the chance through Andrew Roy. Roy had ended up trapped on the sideline by a double team but was able to launch a cross-field hammer to an open Edmonds for the goal. After fighting back to tie the game, DC again dug themselves into a hole, allowing Boston to break again late in the first quarter after an errant scoober from Rowan McDonnell. But DC, receiving the disc with just 12 seconds left, knew this point was crucial. They worked quickly up to midfield where Edmonds connected with Roy, who was able to get off a last-second scoober to AJ Merriman, who played more offensive than defensive points in this game, to score as time expired in the period and make it a one-score game at 5-4.
Boston held to open the second quarter and then scored a break via Decraene, who had five goals on the day, to stretch their lead to three goals. Just when it felt like Boston was pulling away, DC struck back with a three-goal run with Aidan Downey finding the endzone on offense and Jasper Tom and Bergeron scoring back-to-back breaks off of blocks from Downey and Micah Wagner, respectively. Wagner’s block was another impressive display of physicality in the deep space by the rookie, beating All-UFA hopeful and MVP candidate Decraene in the endzone. Things then settled down as the first half of the game came to a close with Edmonds adding another goal in what would eventually be a UFA Honor Roll performance. DC nearly tied the game as time expired, moving the disc down the field on the last possession of the half, but Boston's Benjamin Horrisberger shoved Edmonds to the ground, limiting Monroe's options, and with the stall count rising, his pass was just too low for Roy in the endzone. Thus, DC ended the half as they did the first quarter, trailing by one.
Although they were trailing, the Breeze came out for the second half red hot and dominated the third quarter. DC survived an early second-half scare after the wind picked up a swing pass from Roy and gave Boston possession, but Glory immediately returned the disc by turfing it. The Breeze then scored to open the period with a hold, as McDonnell got crafty and floated a pass right over the head of a Boston defender to an open Loveranes. The Breeze took their first lead with a break after tough defense forced a throwaway from Boston’s Wyatt Kellman, who struggled with four throwaways on the day. The Breeze called timeout to bring on their O-line, and Wodatch expertly guided McDonnell into the endzone to take the lead. On offense, Roy continued his fine performance and got Loveranes another goal before scoring himself for a break point after subbing back on with the O-line. It's worth noting that the Breeze did benefit from some uncharacteristic mistakes from Boston, including drops from Orion Cable and Albert Yuan, but the Breeze played extremely high-pressure defense and executed in the redzone, as they took full control of the third quarter, winning the period 7-2, and entering the fourth quarter with a four-goal lead.
Breeze fans were probably hoping for a calm, relaxed fourth quarter, given that a four-goal lead is pretty solid in the modern UFA, especially so late in the game. But Boston was not looking to go out quietly. If the third quarter belonged to DC, the fourth certainly belonged to Boston. DC actually had two chances to break on the first point of the quarter, but throwaways from David Bloodgood and Charlie McCutcheon handed the disc back to Boston, and they eventually prevailed over DC’s defense with a layout goal from Decraene. If DC had broken there, it's likely the game would've been on ice, but still, the point drained a lot of time from the clock, which Boston couldn't afford. DC came even closer to scoring on the next point, a nearly five-minute-long hold attempt for DC that would feature both lines for DC. McDonnell turned the disc first, giving Boston a chance, but Tom came up with a huge block in the endzone to protect the lead, after Boston called timeout to bring their O-line on for the break chance. After working the disc so patiently and bleeding the clock of valuable minutes, Tom then dropped the disc right on the doorstep of Boston’s endzone, and with the defense so exhausted from the long point, Boston scored with ease to break DC and get within two goals. Glory continued to cut into the Breeze lead with another break, after solid team defense by Boston forced a turnover from Nissen, and Ivan Tran scored for Boston to pull within one. DC finally settled things down with a hold, as Downey found McDonnell, and the Breeze got another break chance, as a looping flick from Cable sailed over the head of 5’7” Ben Sadok. The pattern of the Breeze D-line not capitalizing on fourth quarter chances continued, as Tom was forced into a late-stall punt down the field and Boston scored easily going the other way.
Everything seemed to be falling apart for the Breeze, as their four-goal lead vanished, and Boston once again forced the turnover and scored, tying the game at 16 on a risky reset from Loveranes. However, Boston cashed in the break quickly, leaving 40 seconds on the clock, which is plenty of time for the Breeze offense to work and not have to rush. The O-line came on, and Boston gave them some space, allowing them to work the disc up the field, a mistake that would bite them once the disc was in the hands of McDonnell. McDonnell launch a flick into space, which must not have hung more than a couple feet off the ground for its entire flight. Edmonds started his cut from behind the disc and entered into a chase after it, having just come off the field injured a few minutes ago, and reached an incredible speed before laying out at full extension to secure the disc and the game for the Breeze. Boston get the disc with nine seconds left but had no chance to score working against the wind.
It may not have been as comfortable as the Breeze would have wanted, if you asked them going into the fourth quarter, but if you offered any Breeze fan a one-goal victory over the undefeated Boston Glory going into the game, they would have taken it in a heartbeat. This win is a massive boost to DC’s playoff chances and puts all the pressure onto Philadelphia and New York. With the defense shaping up and the offense performing in spite of absences, the Breeze have to feel good as they go into a rematch with Boston and a dogfight against Philadelphia to close out the season. Catch the Breeze back at Carlini Field, as they host the rubber match with Glory on Saturday, July 12 at 7:00 PM ET. Tickets available at thedcbreeze.com and streaming live on watchUFA.tv.
