Photo by Alan Bloodgood
JULY 19, 2024
By Marissa Kleckner
The DC Breeze (9-2) look to take down the New York Empire (8-3) at Trinity Health Stadium in Hartford, Connecticut tomorrow me evening in the final game of the regular season for both teams.
Going into this game, it's still uncertain who will claim the East Division title, but this matchup between the Breeze and the Empire will be an integral part of seeding the East Division playoffs.
DC, New York, and the Boston Glory (8-2) still have the potential to win the division and clinch the first-round playoff bye.
The Breeze winning the game would clinch DC no less than the No. 2 seed and a home playoff game, as well as officially take the Empire out of contention for the division title. It would put the Breeze as favorites to win the division and all the pressure on Boston to run up the score in their final game of the season. For weeks, it's been setting up to be a thrilling race for the division title and a first-round bye that could come down to tiebreakers.
This highly-anticipated matchup will be the second meeting between the teams this season. In Week 6, the Breeze put up a thrilling game at home, taking down New York 16-14. DC fed off the energy of the crowd and sideline, staying true to their style of play, despite the excitement on both sides. Jonny Malks led the Breeze with four assists, a goal, and a block with over 400 yards en route to the victory.
The Breeze, led by head coach Lauren Boyle were able to let go of all the hype surrounding the matchup and go into the game confident. This ultimately led them to defeat the Empire for the first time since 2021. As a caveat, in that game, New York was missing many key players, in addition to working to find their identity without former league MVPs Jeff Babbitt and Ryan Osgar. In Saturday night's matchup, however, both teams will be at full strength and riding a hot streak. Be on the lookout for big-time performances from MVP-candidate Cole Jurek, Rookie-of-the-Year-candidate Elliott Bonnet, and playmakers like Thomas Edmonds and Malks for the Breeze.
In recent history, New York has perennially been on top of the East Division, but having lost to two division opponents, their place in the East remains uncertain in a 2024 season that has been the first in many years where the division title is up for grabs.
For New York to have a shot at winning the division, they will need to take down DC and hope Boston loses at least one of their games in Canada this weekend. If the Empire do overcome the Breeze, the door is open for Boston to take the lead or for a three-way tie, if Boston wins one and loses one in Week 13.
Week 13 will finalize all playoff spots and solidify first, second, and third place in the East. Coming off a three-week break, this will be DC’s first game since blowing out the Carolina Flyers on June 28 by a score of 25-13. The Breeze will look to extend their five-game win streak and continue to build momentum going into the playoffs.
