JULY 6, 2023
By Ryan Maloney
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Get ready for an exhilarating Saturday night as the DC Breeze (6-3) go head-to-head with the Boston Glory (5-4) in what promises to be a big-time matchup in the AUDL. The Breeze, despite a challenging Week 10 defeat against the AUDL's top-ranked team, the New York Empire (9-0), are determined to make a strong rebound against the formidable Glory squad. When these two teams clashed on June 24th, DC emerged victorious with a 20-16 triumph in Boston. With playoff positioning on the line between the current No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the East Division, the stakes couldn't be higher heading into this contest.
For the second straight week, the Breeze are facing the absence of several key players competing at the World Under-24 Championships in Nottingham, England. Benjamin Oort and Jacques Nissen will be out for the O-line and AJ Merriman is out on the D-line. Oort, who is representing the Netherlands at the U24s had an impressive performance in the previous encounter with Boston, contributing two goals, three assists, and two blocks in the triumphant effort.
The Breeze did face some struggles in that Week 9 clash on what was a windy day in New England. DC's D-line had trouble with their break percentage, converting only 27% (6/22) of their opportunities. They are keying in on addressing this area and showing improvement in their upcoming match against Boston. In their recent battle against the Empire, Kevin Healey and Tyler Monroe stepped up offensively for DC, each netting three goals, with Monroe adding three assists to his tally.
Currently sitting in second place in their division, the Breeze can expect tough competition from the Boston Glory, who are nipping at their heels. The Glory do have the challenge of playing on Friday night against the Philadelphia Phoenix in Philly, kicking off one of the most difficult doubleheader trips in the entire AUDL. They'll need to find some motivation from their dominant victory against the Toronto Rush (4-5) in Week 10 to down a feisty Phoenix squad before heading to DC to seek revenge for their previous loss on home turf against the Breeze a few weeks ago. Benjamin Sadok and Ray Tetreault proved instrumental in Boston's win against the Rush, with each player scoring five goals, and the Glory will need more of the same to stay competitive in both matchups. They will definitely have their work cut out for them, and the Breeze will look to capitalize on both sides of the disc against a shorthanded and likely fatigued Boston squad on Saturday night.
With DC aiming to recover from a tough loss and the Glory fueled by their recent bounce-back win, this showdown is poised to be a gripping encounter. The action kicks off at 7:00 PM ET on Saturday at Carlini Field. Tickets are available here.
