Photo by Kevin Leclaire – UltiPhotos.com
MAY 8, 2026
By Will Stuntz
The DC Breeze (1-1) will travel up to New York for their first “Friday Night Frisbee” action of the season against the New York Empire (1-0) this Sunday. This weekend's matchup will be the first of two for the longtime rivals with a rematch coming less than two weeks later on May 23rd in DC.
The Empire started their season off strong in week two with a statement victory in the East Division, beating the Toronto Rush 24-15. New York’s D-line was a huge piece in their win, forcing 17 turnovers out of Toronto. A similar performance from the Empire defense could prove to be a major hurdle for a Breeze team that’s averaging 16 turnovers a game. New York’s deep game was also on full display, as they completed 82% of their hucks in the match, which will also be a challenge for the Breeze, as improving their deep defense has been a focal point for the team this year.
The Breeze also found their first win in the division in week two with a closely-contested victory over the Montreal Royal. DC looked like they had the ability to dominate Montreal, but continued break opportunities and easy O-line scores allowed the Royal to keep it close until the end. A monster run in the fourth quarter by the Breeze ultimately kept the Royal out of reach with DC winning 20-18.
The New York Empire have made two of the biggest signings in the UFA this year in Alex Atkins and Daan De Marrée. Atkins's move to New York comes after four prominent seasons with Colorado. In 2024, he threw 42 assists, scored 25 goals, and accumulated over 6,000 total yards. In New York, he’s started right where he left off with five assists, two goals, and a 100% completion rate in his Empire debut. Atkins was in discussions with a few East Division teams prior to 2025, including DC, but ultimately decided to stay out west for one more year before opting to sign with New York ahead of 2026.
De Marrée made the move to New York after his Rookie-of-the-Year campaign in Chicago but has yet to suit up for New York and will be absent yet again in week three.
DC and New York faced off three times in 2025, splitting the regular season series 1-1. The first match in DC ended with the Breeze up eight scores, thanks to an eight-assist performance from former Breeze star Rowan McDonnell. The second matchup in New York saw the Empire squeak by with a controversial one-score victory in double overtime over a DC Breeze team that was without head coach Lauren Boyle, Miles Grovic, and Isaac Lee, who were en route to Spain for the U-24 World Championships. Video clearly showed that Jack Williams's equalizer at the end of regulation should not have counted, and the Breeze should have swept the regular season series for a second consecutive season. The Breeze left no doubt in the third bout, which came in the first round of the playoffs and ended up as a lopsided 23-12 victory for the Breeze. It was DC's first postseason victory over the Empire since 2016.
Other than De Marrée, New York will be mostly at full strength on Sunday with longtime New York stalwarts Williams, Ben Jagt, John Randolph, and Marques Brownlee all listed as active, but they'll be without new addition Braden Eberhard, and Elliott Moore is currently listed as "Dressed." DC will still be without Cole Jurek, Aidan Downey, and Gus Norrbom. Coby Loveranes will also be unavailable for the game.
The absence of Loveranes will be critical for the Breeze, as the sophomore cutter has gotten off to a hot start this season with five goals. The Breeze will hope for another great cutting performance from AJ Merriman, as well as for Gabe Dowd to continue his hot rookie campaign that started with four goals in his debut. Grovic and Lee will also be returning to the lineup after helping the University of Maryland secure a trip to the D-I College National Championship, and defensive standout Micah Wagner will make his 2026 debut against the Empire
Catch the Breeze and Empire clash for the first time in 2026 this Sunday at The Stadium at Memorial Field in Mt. Vernon, NY, or stream for free on YouTube. First pull flies at 1:00 p.m. ET.
