JUNE 17, 2024
By Marissa Kleckner
The DC Breeze headed up north for two east division games to play the Toronto Rush on Saturday evening and the Montreal Royal on Sunday afternoon. Coming off their first win against the New York Empire since 2021, energy and excitement were high heading into the team's trip to Canada, which resulted in a 2-0 weekend for the Breeze.
Breeze players and coaches knew there was a lot at stake, as winning both these games would allow the Breeze to jump back in front of the Boston Glory in the East Division standings.
With Team USA Open and Team Canada Open traveling to the Windmill Tournament in Amsterdam, the Breeze (and both of their Canadian opponents) were forced to compete without many of their best players. For the Breeze, some of these players included longtime stars Rowan McDonnell, AJ Merriman, and Jonny Malks, as well as Rookie of the Year candidate Elliot Bonnet. The Breeze were able to flex their depth, taking both games without so many of their stars.
With the team missing multiple starters, other veteran players stepped up to lead a relatively young squad to two victories north of the border, securing a Canadian double-header sweep for only the second time in franchise history. Jeff Wodatch and Tyler Monroe, two players who have brought stability and reliability for many years, each had outstanding weekends. Wodatch recorded six goals on the weekend and had a 100% completion percentage with 348 throwing yards in Saturday night's game in Toronto. Monroe also put up numbers while in Canada, notching ten assists and six goals across the two games.
On a tough travel weekend where the team was short on bodies, Breeze rookies were also tasked to step up, and they continued to shine. Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) rookie Will Tober played 22 points and scored three goals on the weekend. Jace Dean put up one assist, one goal, and one block in a fantastic performance in Toronto, and Miles Grovic notched three goals and a block over the two games, despite nursing an injury sustained in an earlier contest and playing with a brace on his left wrist.
Both games started off as a toss-up with tight scores early on, but in each, the Breeze were able to capitalize on break opportunities and ultimately shift momentum in their favor.
In Saturday's game, this happened in the second quarter where the Breeze cashed in on three break opportunities in a row, outscoring Toronto 7-2 in the quarter. The Breeze only extended their lead from there and headed to Montreal with a 23-15 victory over the Rush.
In a game that was tight from start to finish on Sunday against the Royal, DC had a chance to take a two-goal lead to start the fourth quarter, but instead, Cole Jurek dropped a pass in the end zone, and Montreal was able to go the length of the field and score the first of three breaks in a row. The Royal had seized all momentum and found themselves leading 20-17 with 4:23 left on the clock. In a testament to the team's resilience and preparation, DC put together a thrilling comeback built off three consecutive break opportunities that the Breeze were able to capitalize on, scoring four times in a row and bleeding the clock to take a one-goal lead with only two seconds left in the contest. A Montreal huck at the buzzer fell well short of the end zone, and the Breeze survived another thriller to claim sole possession of first place in the East Division.
The Breeze will be back home with a full roster to take on the Royal one more time in their second-to-last East Division game of the season this Saturday, June 22. First pull at Carlini Field is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tickets are available at thedcbreeze.com.