May 6, 2025
By Evan Lepler
1. Spiders sweep Pacific Northwest road trip
The only 3-0 team in the UFA through two weeks: the Oakland Spiders.
“Our games are super front-loaded this year, so getting off to a hot start was pretty necessary,” said Oakland Captain Walker Frankenberg. “This weekend definitely helped in service of that.”
The Spiders prevailed 22-21 at Seattle on Saturday and routed Oregon 28-14 on Sunday. They are also just three days away from putting that perfect early-season mark on the line when they host Seattle for a rematch on Friday Night Frisbee.
“The second the game ended, in our high-five line, I kept saying to my teammates ‘one week, one week, one week,’ as I was going down the line,” said Cascades Captain Garrett Martin. “I think if we had won, I wouldn’t want the rematch so quickly, but after losing in that way, I’m ready to lace em up right now.”
Indeed, the Cascades lost in pretty dramatic fashion, as Saul Wildavsky dished the game-winning goal to Frankenberg with just three seconds left, capping a smooth 11-throw final possession for the Spiders and spoiling Seattle’s valiant comeback. Trailing 17-12 through three quarters, the ‘Scades evened the score at 21-all with 37 seconds left, the first tie since it had been 3-all way back in the first. But Evan Magsig, Jason Vallee, and Leo Gordon, along with Wildavsky and Frankenberg, coolly marched in the last score, calmly draining the clock to deny Seattle a solid shot at a last-second equalizer.
“It felt like we were in the driver's seat the whole game and just took our foot off the gas in the last quarter,” said Frankenberg. “Coming onto the field for the last point, I had full confidence we would punch it in. When we got into flow, their defense had difficulty stopping us.”
One big question heading into the rematch this Friday: did the Spiders offense that went through the first three quarters unbroken actually fall asleep at times down the stretch? Or did the Cascades figure something out that’ll help them reverse the result in the coming days?
“The Spiders are a good team,” said Martin. “I think they’ve proved that these first two weeks, their offense in particular, with so many different ways to attack and so many different players to be aware of. Here’s the thing though, I knew we were going to make a run. We had an incredible defense last year and I know what they are capable of this year. We just needed our D to score once, the old ‘see one go in’ thing. Funny enough, their first time scoring was bailing out our offense after we turned it and Oakland called a timeout. They forced the turn and marched down and scored to save the hold. After that, something in the game seemed to switch and our defense was generating more pressure and able to generate a couple takeaways and breaks [...] Although we started slow, I’m very proud of how we battled back in that game.”
Adam Rees led the Spiders with six goals, Vallee tossed seven assists, and Gordon delivered another great game with four goals and four assists, respectively, but arguably the top statistical star was Seattle’s Zeppelin Raunig, who caught a career-high 10 goals and churned for 478 receiving yards.
Raunig’s double digit day was not enough, though, as Christian Foster’s full-field prayer at the buzzer fell short of the end zone, and the Cascades fell to 0-1 heading into their first road trip—at Oakland and at Vegas—this weekend.
Meanwhile, Magsig went 40-for-40 with five goals, three assists, nine hockey assists, and a game-high 626 total yards in Sunday’s 15-goal win over Oregon. The Spiders were only ahead 13-10 at halftime, but outscored the Steel 15-3 in the second half, including 8-1 in the fourth, to improve to 3-0 for the first time in a decade.
“Evan had a great game,” said Frankenberg. “The shape of our O-line is totally different from last year, and in great ways—we don’t need Evan to throw six huck completions in a game to be in it. The beauty is that he is even more efficient than last year, but on any given day he’s liable to pop off for five goals and four assists with a 100 percent completions.”
The Spiders D-line also registered 14 breaks on Sunday against the Steel, with Aidan Curry and Morgan Sommer tallying three blocks apiece.
2. The Breeze get back on track at home
Like the Spiders against Seattle, the Breeze were completely in control early against the Rush on Saturday night. In fact, DC was up 8-3 and had the disc to potentially create an early six-goal lead against a flustered Toronto team that was still finding its footing.
They still led 11-6 late in the first half, at which point the tide began to change. The Rush shifted Arvids Karklins onto the O-line, which helped Toronto hold more consistently. They also did a better job capitalizing on the few break chances they created.
With just under eight minutes left in the fourth, Connor McHale tossed his first UFA assist and tied the score at 16-all, the first tie since it had been 2-2 through four minutes. But the Breeze, in danger of slipping to 0-2 with a pair of painful home losses, reasserted their control, ultimately prevailing 19-18. The Rush scored the final goal with 19 seconds left to inch within one, but DC connected on six consecutive completions, with Rowan McDonnell swinging to Gus Norrbom, to run out the remaining time.
Christian Boxley, playing in his first game since 2023, led DC with four goals and two assists, while Jacques Nissen orchestrated the offense with a game-high 652 total yards, completing 59 of his 61 passes.
“This weekend was a good litmus test to see how well I could operate as a main distributor out of the backfield,” said Nissen. “With Jonny [Malks] gone this year, and with A-Roy [Andrew Roy] missing this game, a lot of the backfield duties fell to me, Gus, and Rowan, and I thought we did a remarkable job moving the disc side to side and attacking upfield with our legs. This week felt a lot better than last week in terms of cohesiveness and the tempo we like to play at, so I’m excited for what’s to come.”
3. The Rush's reaction to a winless weekend
Jamie Millage, the new Head Coach of the Toronto Rush, was in a tricky situation in terms of crafting lines for the season opener in DC. With the tough reality of several international newcomers joining the team so late in the preseason, there was minimal time to practice as a full squad. Consequently, all four active Europeans—Karklins, McHale, Toms Abeltins, and Tom Blasman—began the weekend on D-line.
When Karklins moved to O midway through Saturday’s duel with DC, the Rush found a new gear.
“He had a much bigger impact offensively than he did defensively at the start of the game,” said DC’s Nissen. “Given his height and jumping ability, our goal was to back him and push him under, and he proved that he could beat us with his hucks as well.”
With five scores and a block in the one-goal loss against the Breeze, Karklins pretty quickly looked comfortable making plays on the bigger UFA field.
“It was definitely a lot of fun,” said Karklins, describing his entire first pro ultimate weekend. “Super competitive but also interesting; the huge field, [different] rules, refs, and even pulls were a huge adjustment. End of quarters as well, of course.”
While Karklins rolled his ankle late in the third quarter against Philly and did not return, he expects to be ok to play this coming weekend.
“At the end of the day, I’m a competitor and I know how much I can bring for the Rush squad, so I don’t want to be on the sidelines,” he said. “Definitely gonna check in with the team doc and get some kind of treatment. I should be back for the home opener!”
All four of the Rush’s international additions had their moments of brilliance, with Blasman launching deep and connecting with Abeltins for a thrilling full-extension score on Sunday in Philly.
“The layout catch felt amazing,” said Abeltins. “That was exactly what we needed at that stage of the game, so as soon as I started to cut deep and saw Tom rip that backhand, I was not letting that disc touch the ground [...] What a way to score [my] first point. Will remember this forever for sure!”
Abeltins’ awesome bid cemented one of Blasman’s team-leading seven assists. Karklins led the team with three blocks.
Beyond the headline-grabbing play from the international imports, Ty Barbieri, Marty Gallant, and James Lewis also had big weekends for Toronto, as the trio combined for 17 goals and 11 assists. Luc Comire also completed 84-of-85 throws, going 5-for-5 on his hucks.
Overall, the Rush clearly made significant strides from the first quarter on Saturday to the fourth quarter on Sunday, grinding through the grueling schedule which had them playing two full games in about 21 hours.
When asked about his big takeaways from the weekend, Millage expressed a ton of optimism that the 0-2 Rush can still be a strong contender in the ultra-competitive East Division.
“It seems like the East has elevated its floor once again,” said Millage. “Our plan remains to raise its ceiling.”
4. Growlers sweep rivalry doubleheader against Los Angeles
Similar to Toronto, the San Diego Growlers also clearly made significant strides from the opening pull to the final buzzer of their two-game weekend against Los Angeles. The big difference, of course, is that the Growlers improved while also racking up two big victories.
But did they make enough progress to seriously challenge the Atlanta Hustle, who journey westward for their first ever cross-coast clashes in the newly-expanded South Division this coming weekend?
“Yes, Atlanta will be a good litmus test for us,” said Growlers Coach Kevin Stuart. “They are one of the best teams in the league and the preseason pick to win our division. We have the talent to go toe-to-toe with them; we will just need to execute on offense and be disciplined in executing our defensive game plan. It’ll be fun on Friday night.”
Stuart felt like his team noticeably developed offensively over the course of the two games against the Aviators, especially in terms of their tempo and creating space for their cutters. The stats agreed with the coach’s instincts: after San Diego turned the disc over 26 times on Saturday, albeit in rainy conditions—“yes, it rains in San Diego,” said Stuart—the Growlers managed just 15 turns and were only broken once on Sunday in LA.
After two years with the Aviators, new Growler Daniel Brunker emerged as a key handler, finishing the weekend with 49 completions—second most on the team—with only one throwaway. Another former Aviator, Marcel Osborne, caught eight goals with three assists, while former Cascade Khalif El-Salaam produced six assists, two goals, and a block. Travis Dunn had a huge game on Sunday, reaching eight assists in a game for the sixth time in his career.
“Having Brunker in the backfield for us really opened up options downfield,” said Stuart. “Our offensive team is deep, and I think you saw that on Saturday when we didn’t really need to lean on Travis, with Khalif, Marcel, and KJ [Koo] getting the job done. But then on Sunday, Travis explodes for eight assists. Any one of our guys could have a game like that, so it’s not just one person having to carry the team offensively.”
From the Aviators’ perspective, it was a disappointing weekend from a results standpoint, but new Coach Jake Baumer was still encouraged by many of the things he saw.
“I would definitely characterize the first weekend as inexperienced,” said Baumer. “On Saturday, nine of our rostered players were playing in their first UFA game, with two more playing in their first game on Sunday [...] Both games featured stretches where we were obviously outplayed, but there were long stretches in both games where we showed we could stand toe-to-toe with them on both sides of the disc. Coach Linda ‘Skipper’ Hamon and I are overwhelmingly pleased with how well our defense played, especially on Saturday.”
The Aviators will face Atlanta on Saturday, one day after the Hustle battle the Growlers.
“We would obviously love for San Diego to completely wear Atlanta down before they face us, but we assume the Hustle knows how to pace themselves and get themselves up for the back end of a back-to-back,” added Baumer. “For most of [my first year as head coach], I am mostly focused on our squad first and our opponent second. Of course, we will watch some film and try to set some key matchups, but I’m more worried about correcting our own errors first.”
5. Madison catches lightning in Houston, Sol sizzle in Austin
Another relatively unheralded 2-0 team, the Austin Sol, following their 22-17 win over the Radicals on Saturday night. While this final score was identical to the season-opening game between New York and Oakland, this particular interdivisional matchup was not nearly as tight throughout the vast majority of the game. In fact, the Sol stormed ahead 3-0 at the start never trailed the rest of the night.
“Our defense started off hot, which allowed us to keep a comfortable cushion all game,” said Austin Captain Jackson Potts. “We did not play our cleanest on both sides of the ball, but I am very proud of the way that we were able to adapt to the looks that Madison was giving us.”
Potts produced nine scores to lead the Austin offense, but, similarly to Kyle Henke’s comments last week after his 400/400 game, deflected any credit and suggested that the Sol’s solid start to the season has largely been about selflessness.
“It’s been fun to be more involved in the offense this year,” said Potts. “But, it’s not about me. It’s not about any one person on the offense, defense, coaching, etc. It’s about how we can work together effectively by being selfless. I think that’s why our offense is so effective right now. We are willing to work together as a unit, rather than through two or three superstars. We prefer it actually. Sure, we lost some very talented players that were undeniably some of the best athletes in the league. But again, it’s not about them. It’s about this team and how we can come together and play the best version of ultimate that we can play. I’m not going to pretend like Evan Swiatek isn’t missed, but openings in the roster give opportunities for other players to step up. This is a program, not a 20-man team. We’ve been developing players for years and everyone is ready to step up and compete at the highest level.”
Meanwhile, the Radicals avoided a winless weekend by sneaking away from Houston with a 12-10 weather-shortened outcome on Friday night. The Havoc overcame a 9-6 deficit and tied the score midway through the third, only to fall behind by two again when the lightning halted the action. Just after 10:15 PM local time, with the thunderstorm still hovering over the stadium, the officials awarded the victory to the Radicals.
Shortly after they were informed that they had the win, Madison players dumped a gatorade bucket on their new head coach, Jacob Spiro, in honor of his first triumph as the team’s new leader.
“Spiro is a great coach,” said Radicals veteran Josh Wilson. I am glad he has this opportunity. I think the dousing was a way to celebrate the weird way the game ended. It doesn’t pump you up to have a ref come in the locker room and say you won. This allowed us to bring the energy and process the win like we would have in a normal finish.”
But the Radicals couldn’t carry that energy into Saturday.
“For some reason, in the beginning of [the Austin] game, we forgot what we were doing as a team,” said Wilson. “We knew they like to work the sidelines and yet we were giving up easy under after easy under. Our energy levels and focus were not at the levels we expect.”
The 2-0 Sol host the 0-2 Havoc this coming weekend, while the Radicals will retake the field for their home opener on Saturday, May 17, vs. Pittsburgh.
6. Thunderbirds cruise in home opener win against Indy
Speaking of Pittsburgh, it feels right that a team named the Thunderbirds wouldn’t be thwarted by all the bad weather across the league this past weekend.
Although their game against Indianapolis was delayed slightly by lightning at the start, the T-Birds bolted to an early 7-3 lead and led by as many as seven scores en route to a 25-21 final, a margin that does not fully dictate how solid Pittsburgh played. The Thunderbirds were only broken once in the first three quarters, during which they broke the AlleyCats’ offense seven times.
“Our O-line MVP was Marcel Oliart, and our D-line [MVP] went to Dan Nichols,” said Pittsburgh Coach Max Barowski. “[They both are] second year guys that are gonna really shine for us this season, I think.”
Oliart tallied five goals, one assist, one block, and churned for 511 total yards, while Nichols produced two blocks, one goal, and one assist. Will Hoffenkamp and Jonathan Mast quarterbacked the offense, with a combined 130 completions and just three throwaways.
Seth Gudeman led Indy with five goals, two assists, and two blocks in the first game of the new AlleyCats era. Without team mainstays like Cameron Brock, Travis Carpenter, Rick Gross, and Levi Jacobs, Indianapolis has a very new feel in 2025. Head Coach Drew Shepherd felt his team was prepared after a solid preseason, but just got off to a rough start and never really recovered.
“It was a tough first outing,” said Shepherd. “Our offense was timid, our defense waited until the second half to provide run support. We have talent. We have system. We need confidence.”
7. Shorthanded Shred smash Bighorns in Salt Lake home opener
With seven new players moving into the lineup, Salt Lake showed off its depth in a 22-12 home win over Vegas on Saturday night at Zions Bank Stadium. The Shred outscored the Bighorns in all four quarters, leading 7-3 after one, 12-5 at half, and 18-10 through three, to pick up their first win of the season.
“It’s no secret that we have some important pieces of our 2025 team playing college ball, so we definitely felt missing them,” said Salt Lake’s Jacob Miller. “For the first time that I can remember, we had zero reserves on the sidelines of a home game because every additional rostered player was at college regionals. We were still confident in our guys, of course, but it feels different when it’s more than a few players missing. It does feel nice to be able to reach into our bag of depth and still feel like we’re playing Shred ball under the lights at Zions Bank Stadium.
The most notable absences were Will Selfridge and Matt Russnogle, a duo that combined for 11 goals and four assists on the Salt Lake O-line at Atlanta in Week 1. But Jace Duennebeil slid back onto the offense against Vegas, catching three goals and tossing one assist. McKay and Chad Yorgason each dished three scores and were one-two on the team in total yards. Defensively, Kyle Weinberg, Reed Browning, and Cole Stenseth—who was making his UFA debut—each had two blocks.
“My main thought after the game was this: Zions Bank Stadium is the best venue in the league, with the best fans,” said Miller. “After a tough ending to last season and seeing as many fans in the stands for the home opener is a testament to the work the franchise/front office has done and the community that surrounds us.”
Vegas’ Joel Clutton certainly understands that Utah community, having played for the Shred in the team’s first two seasons, helping to lead Salt Lake all the way to the UFA championship game in 2023. Now embarking on this new challenge with the Bighorns, Clutton is looking for small signs of success that the new expansion new can build on.
“I think there was a lot of growth and learning,” said Clutton, when asked about the Salt Lake game. “There was a stretch from half to the fourth quarter that we traded with them from 12-5 to 19-12. It’s obviously not the whole game, but trading points with a very good Salt Lake team for that long of a stretch shows a lot of promise considering our lack of time together. Our coaches are doing a great job identifying a few key things to work on each week.”
