May 19, 2026
By Evan Lepler
“Seven On The Line” is part two of The Tuesday Toss, highlighting seven more important storylines around the UFA. Read part one here.
1. Boston Remains Unbeaten, Rallying Past Royal in Overtime
Just like Atlanta, Montreal was a desperate team in its home opener against a championship-caliber opponent. Just like the Hustle, the Royal improbably overcame a late deficit to force overtime, with Malik Auger-Semmar making an insane game-tying grab as the fourth quarter clock expired.
But that’s where the similarities end, as the Boston Glory escaped Montreal with a thrilling 21-19 victory, demoralizing the Canadian fans and dropping the Royal to a disappointing 1-4.
“In overtime, the margin for error is so small,” said Montreal Coach Jean-Levy Champagne. “Against teams like Boston, one or two possessions can decide everything. There were moments we’d want back, but overall it came down to execution in key situations.”
Early sloppiness also put the Royal in a deep first-quarter hole, as Boston jumped ahead 5-1 in the opening eight minutes. That four-goal gap remained until the score was 17-13 in the fourth, when Montreal stormed back with four straight to tie the score at 17.
“The late 4-0 run came from increased defensive pressure, better discipline with the disc, and a lot more energy,” said Champagne. “We started winning small moments and built momentum.”
Meanwhile, Boston could barely believe what was happening, as the comfortable lead disappeared. The Glory offense finally recalibrated to retake an 18-17 advantage with 1:23 left, and victory appeared certain when Montreal turned it on the ensuing point.
But as Boston sought to drain the clock, Montreal defended desperately. Ryan Dinger thought he was fouled on a backwards throw that landed incomplete, but no whistle blew, and Thomas Lalonde-Landry alertly lofted the final throw of regulation toward the end zone.
“When I saw Thomas Lalonde-Landry pass it to Malik and I saw the throw I was like, ‘oh, Malik is gonna have to jump over him…oh, he did jump over him!’” described Royal handler Jakob Brissette.
Suddenly, overtime beckoned, and Boston was on the brink of losing a game they seemingly had in hand.
“The last sequence was kind of a culmination of just disbelief at what I was seeing,” said Glory Captain Oscar Graff. “I know Jeff [Babbitt] said after the game that that was the craziest game he’d ever been a part of; a number of times it felt pretty much over. A lot of things had to go poorly for us to end up there, so it was just shock, honestly. I couldn’t believe we were going to overtime. It felt so ridiculous because we just shouldn’t have been in that situation.”
In the five-minute overtime period, however, the Glory refocused, upped the energy, and locked back in.
“It was a quick talk, a mentality check, to get us in the right headspace for attacking from the start,” recalled Graff. “I think that showed the discipline and resolve we had in those final five minutes. They had so much momentum going into overtime that it was important for us to take that moment to check in. We talked about how it was a privilege to experience that level of pressure.”
Just 49 seconds into overtime, Boston broke, keyed by Graff’s block and ensuing assist to Babbitt. Later, with just 43 seconds left, Tyler Chan connected with Thomas Edmonds for the go-ahead goal again, giving the Glory the 20-19 lead. Ben Sadok hit Peter Boerth as time expired to cap Boston’s dramatic two-goal win.
“During the overtime, the Boston defense felt the tightest [it had been] all game, and we made two crucial turnovers that gave them the win,” said Brissette.
While three of Montreal’s four losses have been by two goals or less and the Royal have clearly shown they can compete with the East’s top teams, the narrow setbacks are not that reassuring.
“We’re close, but close isn’t enough,” said Champagne. “There are positives to take from competing with elite teams, but moral victories don’t build standings. At some point, growth has to translate into results. We have to stay together, continue improving details, and turn these tight games into wins.”
As the Royal prepare for three more huge home games against Toronto, DC, and New York over the next three weeks, the Glory rose to 3-0 ahead of their Week 5 home test against Philadelphia.
“There was obviously a lot of joy and excitement at the end of the game,” said Graff. “We felt happy with how we’d been able to rise to the occasion, but this game also made it clearer than ever that we have a ton of details to address. It’s pretty clear that improving as a team is a necessity, not just a luxury for us right now.”
2. Oakland Stomps San Diego To Continue Historic Start
The only UFA game on Sunday looked enticing on paper, but the Oakland Spiders pretty quickly showed the world how they’re the top team on the west coast, and at the moment, it does not seem particularly close. Oakland began the game with back-to-back breaks, won all four quarters, and led wire-to-wire in their 25-15 victory over San Diego, the Spiders’ fifth straight double-digit triumph to start the 2026 season.
It’s the first time in UFA history that a team has won its first five games all by double-digit margins.
“We knew these guys were dogs,” said Spiders defender Carter Lankford, reflecting on the team’s view of the Growlers heading into the game in a postgame interview on WatchUFA.tv. “They’ve competed with some of the best in the league and won some really, really close games and tough games. We just knew playing our matchup D, our best seven could beat their seven, and I think we proved that today.”
Led by Lankford, the Spiders’ defense finished with 16 blocks and 10 breaks. The Growlers, meanwhile, were only credited with two blocks, and only produced one break.
“We’re lucky we have a lot of good offensive players on the defensive side of the ball,” said Lankford, whose four-block game on Sunday gave him a league-leading 11 blocks through the end of Week 4. “So knowing we can run through our really, really good handlers and short-field movement, and then connecting deep when we had to. We had a couple deep goals, but really our handler movement brings us up the field a lot, and it showed today.”
Even as the only 5-0 team in the UFA through four weeks, the Spiders still have their next three games at home. Oakland hosts San Diego again on May 30, welcomes Colorado on June 6, and then will ready for an interdivisional showdown on June 12, as Minnesota invades the East Bay three and a half weeks from now on "Friday Night Frisbee".
3. The Wind Chill’s Convincing 2-0 Road Trip
Speaking of the Wind Chill, Minnesota cruised to a pair of Week 4 road wins, improving to 3-0 on the season after dispatching Indy 21-13 and Chicago 20-15. The Chill only had 25 turnovers on the weekend, a new franchise low for any outdoor two-game span in team history.
“Overall, I was really pleased with the O-line this weekend,” said Gordon Larson, who led the Wind Chill with six assists in Saturday’s victory over the Union. “We dictated the pace and rhythm of the game better than we maybe ever have before. I think that started with the handler group and being extra patient, being willing to throw more resets and then hitting easy targets instead of being too ambitious.”
Minnesota’s signature defense was also efficient, converting 20-of-30 break chances across the two games.
“Sometimes it feels unfair to have [Lukas] Ambrose, PK [aka Paul Krenik], [Justin] Burnett, Noah Hanson, etc. all on the same team,” said Larson. “Young Zach Morton had a great game as well; he out-jumped [William] Wettengel for a block, then tracked down a big flick huck for bookends at the very end of the game. It was a sick play that encapsulated the whole game.”
4. Are the Radicals Rising Again?
Time will tell whether the Central is indeed a two-team race, but so far the Madison Radicals have handled their business in back-to-back road games, including Friday’s 21-17 victory at Pittsburgh to stay side-by-side with the Wind Chill at the top of the standings.
“Obviously it feels great to start 2-0 on the road, but I don’t think anyone on the team feels like we arrived or anything like that,” said Nico Ranabhat, who led the Rads with six assists in the victory over the Thunderbirds. “If anything, there’s a sense that we’re still pretty early in the process and improving fast. I really believe this group is capable of growing quicker than anybody else in the division once everything starts clicking together.”
Madison only turned the disc over 14 times on Friday in Pittsburgh. Last season, the team’s season-low for turns was 15.
“This team is different from last year, top to bottom,” said Noa Chun-Moy. “We’ve leveled up, and it’s showing. People put in work on their fitness and disc skills in the offseason, and our coaching staff has done a great job at putting our guys in positions to succeed.”
The Radicals’ next game is May 31, when they host the three-time reigning Central Division champs at Breese Stevens Field.
“Minnesota is a great team, and we know that,” said Chun-Moy. “But we’re not intimidated. When it gets tough, and it will, we’re going to lean on our training, our legs, and the chemistry we’ve built. That’s what’s going to carry us. We’re ready for the challenge.”
Ranabhat added that he’s excited to see how his team handles the hurdle that’s ahead.
“I think the biggest challenge is going to be handling sustained pressure mentally,” he said. “[Minnesota’s] defense is elite, and they’re the kind of team that forces you to stay composed possession after possession. We really haven’t seen that level of intensity yet in preseason or through two games, so I’m honestly excited for the opportunity to see how we respond when things get uncomfortable. Those are usually the games where you learn the most about your team.”
5. DC and New York Both Clobber Colorado
The Apex probably won’t be eager to travel to the east coast again anytime soon.
On Friday, DC crushed Colorado 32-16. One night later, New York rolled the team from the Rockies 31-14. Combined, it was a 63-30 whopper of a weekend for the two East Division powers against the recently rebranded Apex.
“We tend to use the hamburger method,” Colorado Coach Joe Durst explained at halftime on Saturday night, “where we acknowledge the good, talk about the bad, and then focus on the good. There was no cannibalism that was putting our heads down. There was no infighting, and I love that regardless of whether or not we’re completing passes.”
The message was laudable, but the Apex’s inability to complete enough passes or disrupt opposing offenses prevented them from being competitive. Colorado endured 49 turnovers in the two games, while only forcing eight each night.
Sean Mott led the Breeze with seven assists, while John Randolph orchestrated the Empire counterattack, finishing with five assists, three goals, and two blocks. Both the Breeze and Empire had a bunch of breakout performers too. Micah Wagner’s three goals, two assists, and two blocks represented the best game of his young career for DC, while Charlie Panarella, making his UFA debut, grabbed five goals and tallied two blocks for New York.
“When I came to the Empire, I was the young guy,” said Randolph, speaking postgame on WatchUFA.tv. “Growing older, I was afraid that the team would start to age out. Obviously, we’ve had some stars who’ve aged out or left. And the influx of youth this year has been incredible. Charlie, I don’t even know what I can say about him because everyone’s gonna be talking about him for the next 10 years.”
6. Vegas Stays Winless in Texas
The Bighorns were only marginally more competitive than Colorado on their two-game Week 4 journey through Texas. On Friday, Houston led for the entire second half in a low-scoring 15-13 victory. One night later, Austin blanked Vegas in the opening quarter and cruised to a 25-8 blowout win.
While the Havoc know that their level will need to rise if they’re going to challenge one of the top four teams in the South, experiencing their first win of 2026 was still super satisfying.
“I was happy with our O-line execution in the second half, as we were able to prevent breaks, and our overall completion percentage as a team was the best of the season so far,” said Mark Turner, who led the Havoc attack with three goals, three assists, one block, and a game-high 443 total yards. “The key to maintaining our upward trajectory is continuing to build on the foundation we’ve created so far this season. We continue to grow as a team, not only in gameplay, but also in overall mindset and culture.”
Saturday’s Bighorn beatdown also represented some notable growth for the Sol, considering they had struggled to stymie an inferior foe just a few weeks prior. In Austin’s first ever matchup against Vegas, there were very few hiccups.
“I think everyone had that Week 2 Houston game in the back of their minds,” said Sol veteran Joey Wylie, who had two goals, one assist, and 211 total yards in Saturday’s 17-goal win. “We walked into that game expecting to crush them and we ended up down five at half and barely squeaking out an overtime win. Our focus before the Vegas game was much better, and it showed on the field…I am stoked for the rest of the season and seeing our team continue to build chemistry and solidify our identity.”
7. Seattle Wins ‘Wet and Windy’ Struggle Over Steel
The Cascades held the Steel to just seven goals in the first three quarters in their 18-12 victory at Oregon on Saturday. In less than ideal conditions, Seattle still won every quarter and improved to 2-1.
“The weather was definitely a factor in the first half,” said Seattle’s Garrett Martin. “It was very wet and windy, which is a tough combination. The weather held off throughout warmups but as soon as we took the field for the game it was ugly…We definitely didn’t show our best stuff and weren’t sharp for large stretches, but we took care of business on the road, even if it wasn’t pretty.”
After missing the playoffs in 2025 following their Championship Weekend appearance in 2024, the ‘Scades appear poised to re-enter the postseason this summer. Currently tied for second in the West with 2-1 Salt Lake, Seattle has already registered wins over both Colorado and Oregon, who sit at 1-4 and 0-5, respectively, through the first four weeks of the season.
Up next for the Cascades: an interdivisional trek to Texas for a Week 6 doubleheader against the Havoc and Sol.
“Personally, I’m really excited to go back to Texas and play some teams we don’t play often,” said Martin. “I haven’t played a Texas team since my rookie year [in 2021], so it’ll be a fun weekend to head down south and try to come out with a couple wins.”
The Hammer
With the annual College National Championships scheduled to start this Friday in Rockford, IL, the UFA will be silent on Friday evening, the only Friday without pro frisbee all season long.
But Saturday should more than make up for it.
Even though there are only four games, three of them are absolutely massive rematches of recent one-goal thrillers.
The action starts at 1:00 PM/ET with Toronto and Montreal, truly a must-win at home for the Royal if they’re going to have any chance at rallying for an unlikely playoff berth.
In the evening, two monumental matchups get underway at 7:00 PM/ET, with Atlanta and Carolina in the “Friday Night Frisbee” slot, meaning that it’ll be free to watch on UFA YouTube. But I’d encourage every single frisbee fan to subscribe to WatchUFA.tv and get a second screen going for New York and DC as well.
Personally, I’ll definitely have the Empire-Breeze tussle on the iPad while broadcasting the Hustle and Flyers. As a professional multitasker, I embrace this challenge.
There’s also one UFA matinee on Sunday, as Philly travels to DC.
And Sunday’s also when the action really heats up at Nationals, with quarterfinals in the morning and semis in the afternoon/evening, paving the way for a couple championship games on Memorial Day Monday.
The first time I attended College Nationals was 20 years ago. In May of 2006, I was a 20-year-old college junior, who caravanned with frisbee friends to Columbus, Ohio to witness the best of our sport. I remember watching stars who would become ultimate legends, people like Beau Kittredge, Kurt Gibson, and Dylan Tunnell.
Then, in 2013, I had the privilege of broadcasting College Nationals for the first time. Ever since, it’s been an annual joy and responsibility that I truly treasure.
Adding it all up, this weekend will be my 16th time experiencing College Natties in person, and my 14th year calling the finals on ESPNU.
It should be another incredible weekend, and I remain extraordinarily grateful for this magical journey that I get to live.
