Photo by Alan Bloodgood
AUGUST 23, 2024
By Marissa Kleckner
Two weeks ago, the DC Breeze (11-2) defeated the Boston Glory (10-3) for the second straight season in the playoffs, earning DC their first East Division postseason title. This weekend, the team has landed Salt Lake City to take on the Minnesota Wind Chill (10-3) in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) semifinal this Friday 8/23 at 7 p.m. ET, with hopes of advancing to the championship game the following night.
This will be the first time the Breeze and Wind Chill franchises have ever met. The winner of the game will go on to play the winner of the Carolina Flyers (11-3) and Seattle Cascades (11-3) matchup. This season's championship field looks very different than in past years. Of the four teams in the playoffs, Carolina is the only one to have won a UFA championship (2021). And outside of the Flyers, Minnesota and Seattle have only made it to Championship Weekend once each prior to this year.
While DC has spent a lot of time just outside of the Championship Weekend, this season will be the first time they were able to break through the divisional championship round and advance to the league's final four.
Breeze players have attributed this breakthrough to a new level of dedication to the sport, their team, and the team identity and culture they have cultivated this season.
First-year head coach Lauren Boyle has preached this new mindset since the beginning of the season. Boyle and her assistant coaches Alex Crew and Xavier Maxstadt won the East Division Players Choice Award for Best Coaching Staff this season in their first season as a coaching trio and led the Breeze to their most successful season in franchise history. Her offense is the second-cleanest in the league (62.82% O-line conversion rate), led by the dynamic playmaker Jonny Malks (32 assists and 24 goals). The defense, well, might just be the best in team history, especially once they get the disc. The Thomas Edmonds-led (22 assists, seven blocks) D-line boasts a 62.25% D-line conversion rate.
From the very beginning of practices, Boyle saw the team's potential. All season she's instilled a mantra about “maximizing the opportunity to win” and looks to carry this into the weekend as the favored team.
Having the best overall record of the teams remaining and the No. 1 seed, the Breeze are seen as top contenders to take the championship. With all the excitement and pressure of this historic season for the franchise, the team will look to play to their strengths and use the excitement of the weekend to their advantage.
