Photo by Alan Bloodgood
JUNE 5, 2024
By Marley Pope
The DC Breeze (4-2) return home for a marquee matchup with division rival New York Empire (4-2) on Saturday, June 8. First pull at Carlini Field is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Last Time Out
DC embarked on a double-header weekend, splitting the two games with a 26-19 win over the Toronto Rush and a 16-15 loss to the Boston Glory. In game one, Jonny Malks stole the show with four goals and six assists, facilitating the offense to a season-high 90% hold rate. The Breeze did not trail in the game and took care of business at home. Malks is now tied for ninth in the entire Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) in assists (16).
DC now has the best hold percentage in the UFA at 76.58%.
In game two, DC narrowly fell to the Glory after a last-second heave tipped off Elliot Bonnet’s hands in the final seconds. Bonnet caught four goals in the game, adding 272 receiving yards and now sits
second in the UFA in goals (22), fifth in receiving yards (1,710) and sixth in total yards (2,573).
Scouting New York
The Empire lost their first home game since 2018 when the Glory upset them last Friday, as Jeff Babbit returned to New York.
New York allows the fifth-least scores per game at 16.33 and is third in Red Zone % at 85.88. In 2022 and 2023, the Empire ranked best in opponent scores per game.
The two-time defending UFA champions have looked mortal this season but are still an elite team with two-time MVP hybrid Ben Jagt leading the way with 19 goals and 10 assists to date this
season.
Handler Solomon Rueschemeyer-Bailey ranks fourth in the UFA in completions and throwing yards, operating an offense that does not attack downfield often, ranking in the bottom seven in hucks completed and huck percentage.
History
New York is just one of two UFA teams the Breeze have an all-time losing record against at 11-15. In the last two years, DC lost to the Empire three times with the third matchup knocking them out of the
playoffs. New York has gone on to win the past two UFA championships.
This contest will be the first time ever that they are meeting with both teams having lost the week before. Neither DC nor New York has lost back-to-back games since the start of the pandemic, and
one of those streaks will come to an end Saturday night.
Up Next
The Breeze head north of the border to face the Toronto Rush (1-4) and Montreal Royal (1-3) in Canada in a back-to-back road trip. Game 1 is Saturday, June 15 against Toronto at Allan A. Lamport Stadium at 7 p.m. and game two is Sunday, June 16 against Montreal at Complexe Sportif Claude-Robillard at 1 p.m.
