Photo by Sydney Kane – UltiPhotos.com
MAY 26, 2026
By Will Stuntz
Washington, D.C. – The DC Breeze fell to 3-2 this Saturday, following their 18-14 loss to the New York Empire (3-1). This match was the second between the historic rivals in 2026, as DC traveled to New York in week three and bested the Empire in an instant overtime classic, 26-25.
The rainy conditions at Carlini Field were troublesome for both teams. New York and DC both set season lows for huck completions, creating an interesting game dynamic for two teams that have put an emphasis on letting their elite throwers rip it downfield this year.
The Breeze trailed for the majority of the game, and led only once at 1-0. The lead was never insurmountable for DC, as the Empire's largest lead was five, but DC’s inability to convert on their few break chances halted their ability to make a comeback. The Breeze converted just three of their 16 break opportunities, while New York scored on six of their 19 chances.
The unfortunate timing of the USA Ultimate D-I College Nationals was a major hurdle for both DC lines, as Isaac Lee, Lev Blumenfeld, and Miles Grovic were suiting up for the University of Maryland all weekend, and Gabe Dowd had responsibilities with the University of Michigan’s MagnUM. Lee has averaged more than 18 points played per game, mainly on defense, and Blumenfeld is also a key figure for the Breeze D-line. Grovic has been everywhere for the Breeze this season, making plays on both lines. The third-year cutter is averaging five scores per game for the Breeze, while playing nearly 12 points per game on the D-line. Dowd has been a redzone machine in 2026, scoring four and five goals in his first two Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) games and also handing out four hockey assists in DC’s last matchup with New York.
The Empire weren’t at full strength either, as Ben Jagt, the 6’ 6” two-time UFA MVP, who was listed as active on the injury report, was scratched prior to the first pull due to a hamstring injury.
DC’s Jacques Nissen took most of the facilitation responsibilities this week, throwing five assists and two hockey assists, while totaling 547 yards. Sean Mott took a step back from his quarterbacking duties this week but wasn’t irrelevant in the match, as he led the Breeze in goals with three, a season high for the veteran. Raymond Lu had another promising performance for the Breeze defense, getting two blocks that both led to DC breaks, and one of them led to him hauling in a goal.
For New York, Alex Atkins led the offensive charge once again and played more points than anyone else on the Empire. Atkins completed 97% of his throws, while racking up 570 total yards, four assists, and two goals. Matt LaBar had another productive showing against DC with three goals, assists, hockey assists, and a block, while going 33-for-33 from the field. The rookie Charlie Panarella produced again for the Empire, following a breakout performance in his UFA debut last week against Colorado. The Georgetown University collegiate player tallied two blocks and marched in the end zone for a goal this week.
The first quarter started off with a wild point, with each team taking turns throwing the disc away before Nissen let off a flick huck that found Coby Loveranes in scoring position, which set up the goal line dish from Mott to Christian Boxley to give DC the 1-0 lead. Unfortunately for the Breeze, this turned out to be their last time leading the bout. New York held cleanly on the next point before Panerella laid out for his first block of the game, and New York converted on the break chance to take a 2-1 lead. Graham Turner caught a floater in the midfield and immediately discovered Mott wide open in the endzone to tie the game. Both teams held cleanly on their next O-line points to keep the game tied up before Atkins connected with Oliver Chartock for a hold and a 4-3 lead, and a throwaway from Boxley led to John Randolph connecting with Axel Agami for New York's second break. A two-minute-long point ensued that saw each team throw the disc away twice before Nissen threw Mott’s second goal to bring DC’s deficit back to one. Jacob Cowan found the disc on the goal line and punched it in to LaBar to take a 6-4 lead coming out of the first. DC was unable to convert a break in the first period, and its O-line went 4-for-10.
The second period saw an identical result, with New York outscoring DC 6-4. The usual suspects, Atkins and LaBar, united for a New York hold to start the period, and DC followed in New York's footsteps with two of its consistent playmakers linking up for a hold: AJ Merriman to Mott. New York held again with the same two stalwarts, but in opposite positions, as LaBar delivered a cross-field flick to Atkins, who made a leaping grab over Charlie McCutcheon. Aktins was then called for a technical foul for his mockery of McCutcheon after the play. New York’s Luke Barry skied for an interception before the Empire made a wholesale substitution to get their O-line on the field, and they took care of the break chance to take a 9-5 lead. DC held before converting their first break of the game thanks to a block by Lu. Tanner Gesell made the cross-field flick to Luke Rehfuss to cut New York’s lead back to two. New York held again, and Panarella chalked up his second block before Nicholas Whitlock let off a 60-yard huck back to Panerella in the endzone to take back their four-score advantage. The Breeze and Empire traded clean holds to end the half with New York leading 12-8.
The third period wasn’t nearly as action-packed as the first two, as each team made its way into the endzone just twice. Each point in the third period lasted for over a minute, with the first and fourth points taking 3:38 and 4:36 off the clock, respectively. The first point started off with an endzone drop from Nissen to Andrew Roy before New York’s Marques Brownlee sent a huck at the endzone that was thwarted by Mott to get the disc back. The Breeze worked back down the field, and Nissen took another shot at the endzone that was brought down by Jeff Wodatch. New York followed with a long, but clean O-line point as Solomon Rueschemeyer-Bailey found Braden Eberhard in the endzone to reclaim their four-point lead. Whitlock’s pull on the following point flew out of bounds, which gave DC some free yardage to start for their next point, and after maneuvering downfield to Nissen, he bladed the disc into the endzone to find Merriman. McCutcheon made a running block on New York’s huck attempt to Chartock to give DC a break chance, but LaBar found a block of his own, and Jack Williams let a flick huck fly down the sideline that curved over Merriman, and Atkins made the layout grab for the score to give New York a 14-10 lead entering the final stanza.
DC got their second break of the game on the first point of the fourth quarter, as Gesell deleted Atkins' 72-yard huck attempt. Each team turned it over once more before Boxley leapt to grab the assist from Nissen to cash in the chance. On the ensuing point, LaBar sent a 48-yard huck to Chartock, who laid out for the grab in the endzone. DC followed with their quickest hold of the game as Merriman unleashed a flick down the sideline to Nissen in just 28 seconds. Rueschemeyer-Bailey tried to make a routine pass, but Lu ended up being the recipient, and Wiebe van den Brink got the disc and threw it back to Lu in the endzone. The rookie-to-rookie connection was DC’s third break of the game, and it brought DC's deficit to just two with a little under seven minutes to play. At this moment, it seemed we might have another epic ending brewing between DC and New York. The Empire made their way into the Breeze’s red zone, and Micah Wagner made a block but was called for a foul. New York had another chance on the goal line, but Merriman made another block, which was also called back for a foul. Finally, New York converted the hold to take a 16-13 lead. DC was hungry, but a dropped pass on their next O-line point led to a New York break, which ultimately iced the game. A few more points of little importance led to New York’s 18-14 victory.
Catch the Breeze on their road trip to Canada next weekend, where they will take on the Toronto Rush for the first and only time in 2026. They will also battle it out with the Montreal Royal once again, this time on the Royal's home turf, which boasts one of the best home-field advantages in the UFA. First pull flies on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. ET in Toronto, and less than 24 hours later at 6:00 p.m. ET Saturday, the Breeze will take on Montreal, who contested DC closely in week two. Watch both games live at watchUFA.tv!
