June 24, 2025
By Evan Lepler
We didn’t necessarily want to admit it, but we saw this coming from a mile away.
Week 9 featured zero matchups between two teams with winning records and looked destined to be a debacle. For the most part, it delivered.
Eight games were decided by double digits, with scores like 28-14, 28-17, and 28-10—more football than frisbee. There was also 31-14 and 32-10.
(I think the Spiders’ kicker missed an extra point.)
But beyond the blowouts, there were also some significant storylines to note.
1) Two weeks after an ugly eight-goal loss at DC, the New York Empire have seemingly gotten their groove back, improving to 5-5 and rising back into a tie for second place in the ever-entertaining East.
2) Poor Toronto, Houston, and Vegas. Combined, they went 0-6 on the road. The Rush, Havoc, and Bighorns combined for 83 goals. Their opponents scored 160.
Yikes.
3) And though the Detroit Mechanix dropped a 28-10 doozy against the unbeaten Union on Saturday, the Mechanix rewrote their weekend story dramatically on Sunday afternoon in the Steel City. For the first time in over nine years—dating back to a win at Chicago on June 5, 2016—the lowly Mechanix won on the road, hanging on for a wild one-goal victory after squandering a six-score lead late in the game.
No doubt, Week 9 had plenty of laughers, but for all of the garbage time, we also saw the 10th overtime game of the season. Meanwhile, many of the league’s best did exactly what they were supposed to do by bludgeoning inferior and overmatched opponents.
Through it all, stars shined, doormats were dusted, and the playoff picture continued to take shape. With 47 games remaining across the next four weekends, the 2025 UFA journey is poised for a thrilling crescendo, which should blossom beautifully over the course of the next month.
But first, let’s relive the best and worst of Week 9—a slate full of notables and nightmares.
The Full Field Layout
Just 10 days ago, the New York Empire were so close to being 3-6 and in last place in the East. But, somewhat miraculously, they found a way to beat DC in double overtime, rescuing their season.
And now, following another brilliant second half performance this past Friday against the Toronto Rush, their 2025 ambitions are no longer on life support. Instead, the Empire are starting to once again have the look of a championship contender.
Indeed, storylines and narratives can shift quickly. But in a 12-game season, where each close result can feel massively consequential, that’s part of the experience.
For this New York team, in fact, the vibe shifts have been less game-to-game and more point-to-point and quarter-to-quarter.
“It’s been ups and downs all season with us,” said Empire cutter Matt LaBar.
Friday against the Rush was no different, with New York surrendering three breaks in the opening quarter and trailing by as many as four in the first half. But the Empire D-line finally broke through against the talented Toronto offense, and New York’s O-line group regained its composure to help the team stabilize and gradually seize control in the second half.
“Our O-line finally found our rhythm,” said John Randolph, who led New York with eight assists. “At the start of the game, Toronto was disrupting our flow and jamming our lanes, and as a result we gave them a few easy turns. Once we adjusted to the pace of the game and organized the structure of our offense around what their D gave, we were able to eliminate most of their turns. LaBar, Jack [Williams], Calvin [Brown], and Sol [Rueschemeyer-Bailey] were particularly effective at finding the small spaces their D was giving up.”
Trailing 9-5, the Empire actually thwarted another Rush break chance to avoid falling behind by five. From there, New York scored four in a row to tie it at 9s, before retaking the lead at 13-12, midway through the third. The Empire advantage was just a single goal entering the fourth, but New York maintained that edge throughout the final period, outscoring Toronto 5-1 in the final eight minutes to prevail 23-19.
“Obviously, disappointing to let it slip after being up [9-5],” said Rush Coach Jamie Millage. “Marques [Brownlee] and a healthy Jack were very steadying presences for New York down the stretch.”
It was also a career night for LaBar, who played zero O-points in his first three seasons with New York, but now has evolved into a true weapon for the Empire offense. On Friday, the 24-year-old notched career-bests with eight goals and a game-high 682 yards. LaBar also went 37-for-37 passing, including six hockey assists.
“It’s been huge seeing LaBar come into his own,” said Randolph. “He’s always had the quickness and the instincts, but as his game knowledge has developed he’s become a really dangerous weapon for us. He’s turned from being a fill cutter to a problem for the other team to a problem solver for our team. I’m excited to see him continue to develop. I think leadership has done a great job of empowering him and putting trust into him so that he knows it’s his role to take over whenever he can.”
Arvids Karklins and James Lewis each caught five goals for the Rush, while Luc Comire and Tom Blasman each tossed five assists, but Toronto dropped to 2-6 heading into Saturday’s must-win contest in Boston.
And unfortunately for the visitors on the back end of the difficult doubleheader, the Rush never really gave themselves a chance against the Glory.
“We struggled to find our footing, and you could see some fatigue on the way we threw simple passes,” said Millage. “Just missing guys, or leaving little reset passes hanging in spots where defenders could get hands on them. It’s that situation where athletes consciously feel ready to go, but the physiological reality of the doubleheader and travel shows not in muscular endurance, but in focus and emotional responses.”
The Glory pounced immediately on Saturday, breaking Toronto on the opening four points of the night and building an 11-4 first-half lead. The Rush played evenly for a stretch through the middle portion of the game, but from 20-13, Boston scored the final three goals of the night to win by double digits, 23-13.
The victory vaulted Boston into the 2025 playoffs, as the Glory became the first team in the league to officially punch their ticket into the upcoming postseason.
“We have developed chemistry and put pieces in places that make more sense for our personnel,” said Glory handler Ben Sadok, after Boston improved to 8-0. “Our leadership strength and team buy-in is at an all-time high this season, and it is reflected in our record.”
Another great boon for Boston has been the steady emergence of new impact players. With Jeff Babbitt, Tobe Decraene, and Calvin Stoughton all unavailable for the Toronto game, Wyatt Kellman made his 2025 debut for the Glory and fit in naturally on offense, tossing six assists and scoring two goals in his first UFA game since August 13, 2021. The college star, who just helped carry UMass to another appearance in the national semifinals, is poised to continue to help the Glory down the stretch.
“I have had the fortunate experience of playing with Wyatt in the past, and I can tell you he’s a baller,” said Sadok. “Integrating him into our offense was seamless and showed immediately. With Tobe and Calvin down for the week, he was a much needed piece—and peace of mind—and I can sleep easier knowing that our offensive hybrid and cutter options are deep.”
Another recent collegiate semifinalist, Oregon’s Ben Horrisberger, produced three blocks for Boston in Saturday’s win. Tannor Johnson-Go led the D-line with four assists, two goals, and a block.
While Boston will play three of its final four regular season games on the road, the Glory need just one more win in their last four contests to clinch the number one seed and home-field advantage for the East Division title game.
As for the East Division overall, the race for second and third could gain a little more clarity this coming weekend, though it’s likely nothing will be determined for sure until the final weekend of the season. Here’s a glimpse of the remaining East Division schedule:
- Friday, June 27: Montreal at DC
- Saturday, June 28: Montreal at Philadelphia
- Friday, July 4: Toronto at Montreal
- Sunday, July 6: DC at Boston
- Friday, July 11: Boston at Philadelphia
- Saturday, July 12: Boston at DC
- Sunday, July 13: Philadelphia at New York
- Saturday, July 19: Toronto at Montreal
- Saturday, July 19: DC at Philadelphia
- Saturday, July 19: Boston at New York
Big-picture thoughts: Unless Montreal can win on the road at DC and/or Philly this coming weekend—and the Royal have yet to win on the road this season—the battle basically becomes three teams for the last two spots, with the Breeze, Phoenix, and Empire all hoping to earn their way in. On the final Saturday of the season, there could very possibly be a World Cup feel to that Saturday night, with DC/Philly and Boston/New York both scheduled to begin at the exact same time, with the results from each of these games potentially impacting all four teams.
Of course, if Montreal can win once or twice on the road this weekend, the Royal would remain very much in the mix as well. And it’s worth reminding everyone that Montreal has already defeated both DC and Philadelphia by pretty large margins within the past four weeks, so it’d be foolish to remove the Royal from the conversation quite yet.
The Toronto Rush also have an interdivisional date with Pittsburgh this Saturday, but unfortunately for the Reboot, at 2-7, the postseason dream has very likely disappeared. Even if they won their last three to get to 5-7, the Rush would need a ton of help. So it’s mathematically possible, but nowhere close to probable.
Coming up later today in “Seven On The Line,” one year later, Detroit delivers another memorable victory. Also, overtime in Oregon, contenders cruising, and all the rest of the Week 9 stories across the UFA.
