July 30, 2024
By Evan Lepler
Tuesday Toss: Playoffs, Round 1 | Part 1
1. Seattle Survives The Spiders
Among the eight teams that took the field across the league this past weekend, no one created a bigger first half lead than the Seattle Cascades. They were far from dominant in the opening moments, requiring several dirty holds to avoid a sizable early deficit, but Lukas Ambrose and his D-line started an efficient 5-for-6 on break changes, building a 9-4 advantage midway through the second.
“Our D-line has done a phenomenal job controlling the energy, and I really felt that during the Oakland game this past weekend,” said Ambrose. “We went down early, but our D-line was as fired up as I have ever seen them, and it showed on the field. We were able to battle back with breaks and help maintain control of the game.”
It’s a good thing the Cascades’ D-line could convert efficiently since Seattle’s offense struggled to hold off the Spiders. After trailing 10-5 late in the first half, Oakland had all the momentum by the middle of the third, when an 8-3 spurt had tied it up at 13s.
“Right after half, I do remember the Spiders applying a ton of pressure and getting a couple breaks on us,” said Seattle’s Marc Muñoz. “I remember feeling tired and felt like that momentum was going their way. I also remembered that this was most of our first playoff game and how I didn’t want all our hard work to be lost so easily. With a lot of great talent on our team, it was easy to look at others and know that they had my back no matter what.”
The Cascades had surrendered a five-goal lead, but they never fell behind. Tommy Li made a great grab in the back of the end zone to put Seattle back on top late in the third, and then Ambrose found Khalif El-Salaam for a clutch break to create a two-goal cushion. They went into the fourth up 16-14, broke again to start the closing quarter, and maintained a multi-goal advantage the rest of the way, ultimately prevailing 23-19.
“Saturday’s game did have a lot of ups and downs, but I feel like it was an excellent example of our depth,” said Seattle Assistant Coach Kelly Johnson. “There was not a moment that I was worried we didn’t have control and the confidence to win.”
Ambrose, Muñoz, and Christian Foster all tossed three assists to lead the Cascades, while Ambrose also added four more blocks to his league-leading total.
“Lukas had a huge impact on the game both offensively and defensively,” said Oakland Captain Matt Burke, who had five Ds himself to lead the Spiders. “In my opinion, Lukas is still underrated in the league, and I’m saying that understanding the amount of recognition he has received this season for the work he has done so far.”
The Cascades are now in the West Division title game for the first time in eight years, setting up a rematch with Salt Lake on August 10.
“One big feeling I got out of this win was absolute joy!” said Muñoz. “I replayed how many friends/teammates that came in and out of the program and immediately felt proud of what we as a team did that day. It was a spectacular game and one that I will never forget, but job’s not done.”
2. Oakland Can’t Complete Comeback
From the Spiders’ perspective, Saturday was something of a missed opportunity. Although it was their first playoff appearance since 2017, it was at a venue where Oakland had already won this season. And in the opening quarter of the game, the Spiders broke first and consistently flustered the Seattle offense.
Unfortunately, Oakland went just 1-for-6 on its break chances in the opening 12 minutes.
“One key factor that enabled Seattle to build/maintain a lead was that, at times, we struggled to move the disc on offense, across all of the lines on our team,” acknowledged Burke. “Credit to the Seattle coaches for putting in place defensive systems that worked well generating pressure both off the pull and off of turnovers.”
The Spiders sideline roared with positive energy after Oakland rallied back to tie the game, but ultimately, the Cascades managed their emotions well and figured out how to finish the job.
“Overall, I felt that we played well, but Seattle just played a better game than us,” said Burke. “They deserve credit for developing over the course of the season and coming out of the gates in the playoffs executing at the highest level [...] While we weren’t able to complete the comeback, I am proud of the grittiness we fought with to close three-plus point deficits multiple times throughout the game. It would be easier when you go down several breaks to simply coast the rest of the game trading blows and maybe hoping for the opponent to make a mistake to get back into it. However, I think we showed in this game and in other games this season that we want to put in the extra work to close gaps. That is the grit that we play, practice, and train with in Oakland.”
3. Carolina Overpowers Austin Late to Win by Eight
For someone who just saw the final score—Carolina 26, Austin 18—it might have appeared like a blowout victory, but through the first three quarters the South Division’s opening round playoff game was relentlessly close and competitive.
“As far as main storylines go, we did a tremendous job staying focused and locked in on both sides of the disc,” said Flyers Coach Mike DeNardis. “Austin played fast and had great energy, but our ability to execute on a high level for four quarters eventually wore them down.”
Up 14-12 at halftime, the Flyers traded 10 consecutive holds with the Sol in the third quarter, as the lead ebbed back and forth between one and two scores. Late in the period, Tobias Brooks’ only throwaway of the night gave Austin a golden opportunity to tie it up with less than a minute to go, but Matthew Armour misfired on a forehand for the end zone with six seconds left.
The disc sailing out of bounds stopped the clock, and then Dylan Hawkins snagged Elijah Long’s full-field missile as time expired. Instead of potentially tying the game, the Sol were down by two again, 19-17, heading to the fourth.
Austin managed a hold with inch back within two at 20-18 with 10 minutes left, but the Flyers found their fire and ran off five straight breaks to finish the night.
“Our defense played disciplined all night and were as opportunistic with blocks as I’ve seen all year,” said DeNardis.
Henry Fisher led the Flyers with two blocks, while eight other Carolina defenders tallied one D apiece. Brooks led all players with seven assists, while Hawkins and Anders Juengst each caught four goals.
4. Shorthanded Sol Finally Succumb in the Fourth Quarter
Considering Austin was missing Mark Evans and Evan Swiatek, two of the team’s best all-around players who were both out with injuries, the Sol had to understand they were in for an uphill challenge.
“Not only did we not have Mark or Evan, but we lost Brandon Dial the day before our flight out due to sickness, and we lost Eric Brodbeck in the second half of the game due to sickness,” said Kyle Henke. “Not to mention the travel woes. Those factors made expectations even lower, which I think allowed us to play more loosely.”
The Sol trailed 9-6 early in the second quarter, but showed they could frazzle the Flyers with a 3-0 spurt that tied the game at 9s. Similar to the aftermath of Oakland’s equalizing surge against Seattle, though, Austin was unable to take the lead. As the pressure mounted later in the game, the Sol did not have enough left in the tank.
“One too many deflating turnovers on offense late in the game turned into more desperate shots, which pulled the wheels off,” said Henke.
In the end, it was a relatively lopsided loss that capped a pretty disappointing 2024 season for Austin, one year after the team earned its first ever trip to Championship Weekend. The Sol finished their season 7-0 against their fellow Texas teams, but winless in six games against all their other out-of-state opponents.
“I’m of the opinion that we needed to capitalize on the more competitive games we were given, not just wish we had a more competitive schedule overall,” said Henke.
5. Championship Weekend Seeding Update
With all eight first and second place finishers remaining in the race for the championship, it’s definitely time to start thinking about what the semifinal matchups will be. Remember, after the four division title contests, the four teams that prevail will be re-seeded based upon regular season record and point-differential.
Here’s a look at the hierarchy of the remaining eight teams.
- 10-2 Atlanta, +53
- 10-2 DC, +52
- 10-2 Salt Lake, +31
- 9-3 Seattle, +51
- 9-3 Carolina, +43
- 9-3 Minnesota, +40
- 9-3 Boston, +37
- 8-4 Madison, +50
Brief takeaways:
If Atlanta beats Carolina, the Hustle, as the top seed, know they will face either the Central champion or Boston in the semifinals.
If home teams go 4-0 again in the divisional title games, then the Hustle would take on the Wind Chill and DC and Salt Lake would square off for the second time this season.
Remember, way back in late April, in the opening Super Series game of the season, the Shred edged the Breeze 23-20 at Zions Bank Stadium. But considering how each of those teams finished the season, with DC winning 10 of its last 11 games, including a victory at New York, contrasted with Salt Lake’s massive struggles against the Empire, the Breeze probably would deserve to be viewed as road favorites in the semis against the Shred, if they can get there.
6. Will We See a New Champion?
How bout the fact that only two of the remaining eight teams in the 2024 playoffs have previously won a UFA championship! The Madison Radicals hoisted the trophy in 2018, and the Carolina Flyers reached the top of the mountain in 2021. The other six organizations that are still alive are now just three wins from joining the exclusive club.
Obviously, the field feels very different with the Empire losing prior to Championship Weekend for the first time since 2017. But after five straight semifinal appearances and four consecutive trips to the title game, there’s now more oxygen for a new contender to thrive following New York’s opening round elimination.
Certainly, Atlanta and DC, as the top two seeds, possess somewhat similar pasts. Both the Hustle and Breeze have had championship caliber personnel for several years, but both franchises have always fallen short in their divisional playoffs and are still in pursuit of their first experience at Championship Weekend.
That symmetry could presumably create a wildly intriguing final, but obviously it won’t be easy for either to sneak past their divisional competition, let alone the semifinal matchup against another division champ.
But as we presently stand, three and a half weeks shy of Championship Weekend, it’s a new and different feeling to acknowledge that the two favorites to make that final Saturday spectacle are two teams who have never before made it even to the semis.
How will they handle it? And can they exorcize past demons to rewrite history?
The pressure’s not going away, and it will be fascinating to watch it all unfold.
7. What's Next For New York?
Maybe the Empire can use the motivation from Saturday’s loss as fuel for the future, and perhaps this year’s five-loss campaign is just a blip. But this also feels like an organization that’s at a fascinating crossroads.
“One of the things that makes the Empire the Empire is you have to kind of hate losing more than you love winning, or more,” said Coach Anthony Nuñez, following Saturday’s one-goal loss in Boston. “Everyone’s a little upset, obviously. Disappointed. But we’ve had worse losses, and this is something that maybe will feed and give some people motivation to come back next year and do what we did in 2022 and 2023 after losing [in the finals in 2021]. Losing sucks.”
There are many questions to answer, though, mainly revolving around who will be on the team and where will the team play in 2025?
The majority of the team’s stars are on the older side, and most of their contracts are over. There’s certainly plenty of talent to bring back, including several youthful pieces that showed glimpses of greatness down the stretch of the season, but after seeing several key pieces depart after last year’s title, it’s fair to wonder if there could potentially be another handful or more that retire or move on before next season.
Furthermore, there’s the decision of whether the team will stay in New York, take all of their home games to Hartford, or something in between. The Empire played their last two home games at Trinity Health Stadium in Connecticut, a far nicer stadium than the team’s long-time home at Fosina Field in New Rochelle but also not nearly as convenient of a home for many of the team’s players.
Ownership has obviously shown a remarkable willingness to spend money and treat its players well, but it’s also reasonable to speculate whether players who reside in New York will be eager to have, arguably, the equivalent of 12 road games, rather than six home games and six trips.
It would be crazy and foolish to fully expect the Empire to not be in the mix as a championship contender in 2025, however after everything we’ve seen over the past six months, it feels like the situation with the team is as cloudy and uncertain as it has been at any point since they last missed the playoffs back in 2017.
The Hammer
Home teams went 4-0 this past weekend. History suggests that’s unlikely to happen again.
Since 2015, the UFA playoffs have seen at least one road team earn a postseason victory in seven of the last eight years. As for which of the four two-seeds might have the best chance to spring the road upset, that’s a tricky question.
Boston and Seattle have both never won at DC and Salt Lake, respectively. The Glory are now 0-5 on the road against the Breeze, including a 19-12 loss in last year’s playoffs, while the Cascades are winless in three trips to Utah.
With all that said, Boston lost by just a single goal, 12-11, at DC on May 10, and Seattle fell 18-16 in its lone matchup against the Shred on July 19.
In the other two divisions, Carolina and Madison have won games at Atlanta and Minnesota, respectively, but it’s been a while. The Hustle have held serve at home in each of Carolina’s last four trips to Atlanta, while the Wind Chill have beaten the Radicals six straight times in St. Paul.
It certainly feels like all four underdogs have a reasonable chance, but it’s very tough to say who’s got the best shot of them all. Of course, that’s what makes this time of year so much fun. Legacies are on the line, the margins are super small, and if this past weekend is any indication, and no one can know exactly how it’s gonna all unfold.
Enjoy the weekend off, and we’ll toss around a closer look at the highly anticipated quarterfinal matchups right here next Tuesday.
