Photo by Leo Troconis
MAY 21, 2026
By Will Stuntz
The DC Breeze (3-1) and New York Empire (2-1) will battle it out once again, just 13 days after the legendary overtime thriller in week three that made headlines all around the frisbee world. In that game, the two teams fought closely until the end. New York had one last chance to win the game in overtime, but a lazy pass in their own backfield was caught all too easily by DC’s Wiebe van den Brink, and he immediately let off a backhand at the endzone to Luke Rehfuss, who soared for the score with no time left, giving DC the 26 to 25 victory and the confidence they’ll need to do it again in week five.
In week four, DC and New York both faced the Colorado Apex on their East Division road trip and posted nearly-identical results. On Friday night, DC demolished Colorado 32-16, and just 24 hours later, the Empire beat them 31-14. The Breeze and Empire forced 25 and 24 turnovers out of the Apex, respectively.
The Breeze will look very different than they did in week three, especially on offense, as much of the young core will be competing at college nationals. Gabe Dowd will be playing for University of Michigan, and his performance in week three was crucial to DC’s redzone efficiency. Dowd scored five goals while accumulating 158 receiving yards and also facilitated DC’s scoring with four hockey assists. DC’s trio from University of Maryland, Miles Grovic, Isaac Lee, and Lev Blumenfeld will also be competing on college ultimate’s biggest stage. Grovic has been a big piece for both DC lines, but especially the offense, and the last bout with New York was no different. He was everywhere, racking up three assists, three goals, and five hockey assists, while tallying 617 total yards and also was a perfect 30-for-30 in completions. Lee and Blumenfeld's absence leave holes for DC’s D-line to fill, as well, with the duo playing 19 and 12 points on defense in week three, respectively. Fortunately, DC will get the return of Frederick Farah, who is suiting up for the first time in 2026. His combination of height and athleticism will be pivotal in filling the holes for DC’s D-line this week.
Theo Shapinsky will also be out for the rematch with the Empire after missing the first bout, as well. Dowd, Grovic, and Shapinsky’s absence could prove to be a major hurdle for DC's O-line; however, Graham Turner is healthy once again, and Coby Loveranes is back in the lineup. Loveranes rejoins the Breeze after a two-week hiatus, and the young cutter loves to run deep; in week one against Boston Glory, he scored four goals with 201 receiving yards, and he’ll be another budding star asked to step up and contribute. Despite some absences, the Breeze will hope for another strong offensive performance, as AJ Merriman has been putting up MVP numbers, the vets have found their rhythm, and Sean Mott has been on fire from deep, and they're all available for this matchup.
Cole Jurek, Aidan Downey, Gus Norrbom, and Jasper Tom are all still out and waiting to debut for DC in 2026.
The Breeze are currently third in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) in D-line Conversion rate, and they’re coming off a game where they converted 16 breaks. With some absences on offense, DC could really use a solid performance from its D-line to continue to produce offense off turnovers. However, the Empire lead the league in Hold Percentage and O-line Conversion rate. They have also given up the second-fewest turnovers in the UFA, proving to be a difficult team for most teams to force mistakes. New York has given up 32 turnovers in their three games, but half of those came from DC's defensive pressure in week three.
The Empire will be running with a nearly identical lineup to the first match, besides Alex Davis, who is listed as Not Rostered. Davis scored two goals and dished out an assist in that game. The only man listed as Out is the incumbent Rookie of the Year, Daan De Marrée, who is still yet to suit up for New York. Braden Eberhard returns to the Empire lineup this week, and rookie Charlie Panarella will get his second UFA start after a breakout performance against Colorado.
With DC’s absences, they will have to be extra careful of the stars that comprise New York's attack. Alex Atkins, Ben Jagt, Jack Williams, Marques Brownlee, Antoine Davis, and, of course, John Randolph, will all be active and playing with a prodigious chip on their shoulder following their heartbreaking stunner that was week three.
Catch the second epic installment of the UFA’s greatest rivalry this Saturday at Carlini Field. First pull flies at 7 p.m. ET. Tickets available at thedcbreeze.com and streaming live at watchUFA.tv.
