July 29, 2025
By Evan Lepler

Sports and competition are usually a canvas for entertainment, drama, and unscripted action. Yet by the time the Oakland Spiders finished off the Colorado Summit on Saturday night to wrap up round one of the UFA playoffs, there was a clear sense of deja vu. 

More or less, we had just watched the same game four times, with one vastly superior team showing off its brilliance, while the long-shot title hopes of an overmatched opponent quickly faded into oblivion. 

The lopsided nature of all four first-round matchups was certainly a tad disappointing, however it also produced some truly spectacular front-running frisbee. DC, Minnesota, San Diego, and Oakland each delivered its finest performance of the season, a mix of offensive precision, heroic playmaking, and defensive dominance, a trusty combination that’s pretty easy to appreciate. 

From the winners, there was an abundance of excellence, whereas the losers departed with little more than an emphatic thud. 

The big question moving forward is simple: can the Breeze, Wind Chill, Growlers, and Spiders replicate their A-plus efforts in two weeks on the road against their division’s first-place powerhouse? 

We’ve got plenty of time to ruminate on the four fascinating division championship matchups, but first let’s dive a little deeper into the opening round results, starting with a stunning non-competitive night for the UFA’s all-time winningest franchise. 

The Full Field Layout

When the New York Empire took the field on Saturday evening in DC, they were riding a four-game winning streak and prepared to attack their East Division gauntlet with determination and confidence. By halftime, however, it was clear that the three-time UFA champs were destined for one of the ugliest postseason losses in recent memory. 

“We played maybe the worst game I’ve ever seen Empire play,” said New York Captain Jack Williams. “Mistakes were just coming from all over the place. It felt like we were trending in the right direction, and then we really just flopped.” 

Just how bad was it? 

Well, it was New York’s first loss by a double-digit margin since July 14, 2018, when the Empire were bludgeoned by the Breeze 29-19. For perspective, Williams, who’s suited up for New York jersey 80 times in his career, was still a member of the Flyers organization back then.

More astonishingly, you have to look exactly 11 years before Saturday’s 11-goal loss—a 31-16 turd against Toronto at Championship Weekend on July 26, 2014—to find the last time the Empire were beaten by more than 10 goals. 

“We converted our first three break chances in the first quarter, kept the New York O-line on the field for a long time, and ran them out of the building after that,” said Breeze Captain Jacques Nissen.

In one of the most incredible displays of big-game D-line efficiency in UFA history, the DC defense converted breaks on its first 12 opportunities, an absolutely remarkable onslaught that showcased the Breeze’s first-class ability to relentlessly punish opponents for any minor mistake. 

Indeed, after the teams split the first four points, DC rampaged on a 13-4 avalanche to bury New York by halftime. The Breeze then opened the second half on another 8-2 blitz, widening the lead to 14 early in the fourth. The Empire produced a pair of utterly meaningless breaks in garbage time and closed the game on a forgettable 3-0 surge to only lose by 11, ultimately falling 23-12. 

“Our D guys played their hearts out,” said Breeze veteran Rowan McDonnell. “I watched the tape back—even the players who weren’t directly involved in the blocks were doing great things on their matchup.”

Ten different members of the Breeze were credited with at least one block, but those numbers barely tell the story of just how dominant DC’s D-line was.

“We have incredible matchup defenders,” said Christian Boxley, who played both ways and led the Breeze with six scores. “[Alexandre] Fall, Miles [Grovic], and AJ [Merriman] rightfully get a lot of shine, but folks should go back and watch the tape on Isaac [Lee], Jace [Dean], and [Kevin] Healey. Excellent stuff from them. And Charlie McCutcheon has been playing some of the best defense our sport has to offer for a decade now. No article mentioning Breeze should be written without mentioning what he brings to this team.”

It was also noteworthy that Boxley played more defensive points than any game since 2018. Turns out, he’s been campaigning for a while to become a more frequent crossover threat. 

“I had been advocating to get some D points for a while, so it was less about matching up with JR [John Randolph] and more about wanting to play both ways,” said Boxley. “That being said, guarding the best players is what every player should be dreaming of, and I was excited for the challenge.” 

After starting 12-for-12, the DC defense finished the night 13-for-16 on their conversion chances. The DC O-line was just as efficient, going unbroken until the Empire scored to make it 23-11 with just 2:26 remaining.

“That’s the best I’ve seen DC play,” added Williams. “I’ve always been really impressed with their ability to flash help from all the right places and force us to work from uncomfortable spots on the field consistently. They recognize what parts of the field are dangerous and what parts of the field they can sag from better than any other team in the league. They were definitely the better team.” 

And while the Breeze are typically regarded as the current kings of small-ball, they also opened up the deep game early and often on Saturday night. DC went 8-for-10 in the first half and finished the night 10-for-12. That’s the most hucks the Breeze have completed in a game since May 14, 2022, when they went 10-for-13 in a 10-goal rout over Montreal. 

“Our hucking success was probably a result of a couple things,” said Nissen, who went 2-for-2 on his deep looks. “We were cutting decisively and trusting our throwers to put it in the right situations. Isaac Lee was huge in this department for the D-line, and seeing him connect on those deep looks is beautiful to watch. We also noticed that New York was—rightfully so—incredibly scared of our ability to attack the break-side that they conceded some open side flow to us, and we took advantage with big gainers and hucks.” 

Overall, DC completed 355-of-362 passes, a 98.1 percent rate that was the second-cleanest offensive game in UFA playoff history, trailing only the night when New York managed just four total turnovers against DC in the 2023 East Division final. 

“I have to give a lot of credit to our fans and staff,” said McDonnell. “We had a lot of energy coming from the bleachers and the lawn. Carlini [Field] is a special place to play. One of the beautiful parts about professional ultimate is the players really feel that stuff. We appreciate it.” 

Among the four first-round winners this past weekend, the Breeze are the only team that will be traveling to a first-place venue where they have already won this season. That fact, along with Saturday’s pristine performance, gives DC a considerable amount of confidence heading into their upcoming battle in Boston. 

“If we play our game, we’ll be in a great spot,” said Boxley. “We have all the pieces necessary to win, so it’s on us to execute.”

*****

Since they won their last championship in 2015, the Oakland Spiders have gone basically a decade between postseason victories. But after Saturday’s 23-14 demolition over Colorado, the franchise’s first playoff triumph since taking the second of their two titles on August 9, 2015, the Bay Area powerhouse again has the look of a premier contender. 

Like DC, the Spiders bombarded the Summit with early breaks, opening the night with four straight and roaring to a 7-1 lead that had Colorado all kinds of flummoxed. 

“They were just more ready for the game than us,” said Summit Coach Tim Kefalas. “They played great in that wind. They took away our hucking game, and we had a hard time getting clean and/or high value resets.”

Up 12-5 at halftime, the Spiders slammed the door shut by stretching the lead to double-digits in the third. Colorado converted its one and only break of the night with 8:58 left to inch back within eight, prior to Oakland prevailing 23-14.

“Definitely a really tough night,” added Summit veteran Quinn Finer. “One of the harder losses I’ve experienced.” 

From the opening point, when Finer was denied by the bidding Carter Lankford for the first of his three blocks, the Summit struggled to handle the Spiders’ immense pressure. 

“Carter Lankford set the tone for the intensity with his layout block on the first throw of the game,” said Spiders hybrid Leo Gordon. “He’s been watching film and visualizing these big moments, and it shows.”

Furthermore, the Spiders limited the Summit to just 46.7 percent on their hucks (7-for-15) and held Tobias Brooks, who torched Oakland for almost 1,000 total yards in the regular season, to a forgettable 455-yard, five-assist, four-throwaway day. 

“I do feel our defense has been building to this moment over the second half of the season,” said Oakland Coach Caleb Merriam. “Since that first Colorado matchup, that group has made specific measures to help guide the seven players on the field to play as a unit and has opened new channels of communication intra-lines, which pushed our defense to the level we have seen over the last five or so games. And while we are stacking up the breaks, our usual O-line players in Jason [Vallee], Evan [Magsig], and Adam [Rees] were part of the effort with their stifling D and massive pulls.” 

Magsig led the Spiders with five goals and five assists, while Vallee added five assists and a block. Five different Spiders finished the night with multiple blocks, while the Summit mustered just two blocks as a team for the entire game. That’s the fewest blocks ever recorded in a UFA playoff game. 

“Offensively, they use space so well,” said Finer, reflecting on what made the Spiders so tough to stop. “Isolating their players downfield a lot and attacking from width, making it very hard to guard or disrupt. The second thing on O they do really well is recognizing when they need to connect the handlers to the cutters with handler dom[inator] motions and attacking with legs from the backfield. Pretty impressive to see the offensive savvy and throwing depth they were able to roll out with their lineup.”

Looking forward, the Spiders are tremendously excited to get a third crack at the Shred. While Salt Lake won both regular season meetings, Oakland had multi-goal leads in both games before succumbing to the Shred’s pressure, and the Spiders are determined to show their growth in the West Division final. 

“We have lost to the Shred twice now, both with brutal collapses at different junctions in the game,” said Merriam. “We want both of those regular season games back, so past experiences will only serve to fuel us during our preparation for our final chance to make amends. Personally, I can’t wait for this team to earn itself another game.” 

Coming up later today in “Seven On The Line", Minnesota’s offense makes meaningful strides, San Diego delivers a complete game in Texas, and my early thoughts on a scintillating divisional championship weekend slate that’s now just 10 days away.