Shred wrap up Colorado, Vegas road trip 9-1
July 4-5, 2025
Picture by: Tim Jackson
Written by: Jason Christensen
The season continues to roll on, and the Salt Lake Shred continues to show their place atop the West Division is not by accident. Since dropping their first game of the season against Atlanta, the Shred has won nine straight games.
The latest dominoes to fall? The Colorado Summit and the Vegas Bighorns. Salt Lake held confident leads in both games, holding off the Summit 24-18 and dominating the Bighorns 32-11.
Huck defense tightens up
One of the most impressive stats coming out of the road trip for the Shred is its huck defense. Colorado and Vegas completed eleven hucks between the two of them, combining for a 38% success rate. That mark is lower than the average of any team in the UFA this season. Eleven hucks is also how many the Shred gave up in their one loss to Atlanta.
Salt Lake has given up the second-most hucks in the league as of this article’s publishing at 9.2 per game. Their progress toward taking those away bodes well, especially against a Colorado team that is attempting the second-most in the league at 8.8 per game. The rematch against Colorado at home on July 11 will be a good test to see if their defense can stay consistent.
Standout Performances
Speaking of difference makers, Matt Russnogle continued his amazing scoring season with a dominant showing against the Summit. He brought in six goals and two assists to lead the field with a +/- of nine. Russnogle currently sits at 38 goals on the season, good enough for fifth place in the entire league.
Jace Duennebeil followed up his stellar game against Oakland with another great performance against Colorado, notching four goals and three assists. Neither Russnogle nor Duennebeil had any turnovers during the game.
Masterclasses on Offense and Defense
Salt Lake continues to show poise on the road on both offense and defense. Their offensive performance against Colorado was one of their most efficient ever. The offense held on all but one offensive possession. They converted in the red zone all but one time. They completed eleven hucks on thirteen attempts. They and the defense had only nine turnovers–their second-fewest ever in a game. And they scored 24 points in a game where they only threw the disc 206 times.
It is difficult to single out one statistic of note from the Vegas game, the Shred’s largest margin of victory in team history and tied for their highest scoring game on record. If I had to pick one, I would have to go with the staggering 21 breaks the defense notched. That is the highest number of breaks the Shred has ever recorded. The entire 21-point margin of victory came from breaks. Incredible.
The Regular Season Finale Approaches
There is one major asterisk to attach to the Vegas game: the Bighorns are yet to win a game this season, and only have two games to go. This will not be the case with the remaining opponents on Salt Lake’s schedule, who combine for a 13-5 record.
The good news is that the Shred gets to play for a home crowd the rest of the way. They will face Colorado again July 11, hoping to sweep the series and finish the season undefeated against the West Division. The Minnesota Wind Chill will give the Shred one last test before the postseason begins. Salt Lake’s home field advantage is one of the strongest in the UFA, and the team will need their fans’ help in order to finish the regular season 11-1.
