Photo by Derek Frazer – UltiPhotos.com
JUNE 19, 2024
By Marissa Kleckner
The DC Breeze (7-2) face the Montreal Royal (2-4) for the second time in six days this Saturday. Last weekend during DC’s doubleheader in Canada, the Breeze managed to edge out the Royal by one point in the closing seconds of the game. The Breeze have not lost a game to Montreal since April 2018 and look to extend their winning streak against their Canadian rival.
This week, it will be Montreal facing a doubleheader trip, coming to DC on Saturday after playing the Philadelphia Phoenix (1-6) on Friday night.
While the two teams met just less than a week ago, the game will look quite different this time around. With both the US and Canadian National teams competing at the highly-regarded international tournament, Windmill last weekend, both teams were missing many key players.
For DC, captains AJ Merriman and Rowan McDonnell will be back on the active roster, as will Thomas Edmonds, Troy Holland, Gus Norrbom, and Jonny Malks. The Royal are also expected to have Tobe Decraene back on the active roster. As an integral part of their offense, Decraene will give Montreal's O-line unit a whole new look when they make the trek down to the nation's capital.
This week is also a milestone for McDonnell - the franchise's leader for the better part of the last decade. This game will mark his 100th Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) contest, the first player to achieve this mark while wearing a Breeze jersey. He will be the 37th player in league history to achieve this benchmark when he takes the field Saturday night.
This East Division matchup is another big game. For the Breeze, who currently sit at the top of the East, half a game ahead of the Boston Glory (6-2), it is a must-win as they close out the regular season in pursuit of the No. 1 seed and division championship. The Breeze will take on the last remaining undefeated team in the UFA, the Carolina Flyers (6-0) next week and then the New York Empire for their second matchup in July.
For the Royal, the fight is for a last playoff spot in the East Division. While it is not likely, it is not statistically impossible for the Royal to overtake the Empire in the East Division standings and snag the last spot in the playoffs. Montreal has proven to be a formidable foe this season, hanging in each game against Boston, New York, and DC and posting a minus-2 point differential after not winning a game and being outscored by an average of more than seven goals per game in 2023. To continue an improbable playoff pursuit, the Royal would need to defeat the Breeze and continue to win out. If they are successful, Montreal would need New York to lose at least two of their final four games.
The first pull at Carlini Field will go up this Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at thedcbreeze.com.