Ryan Baker

The Madison Radicals will have a chance to take down the undefeated Chicago Union this Sunday night, as both teams play in the last regular-season game of the 2025 season.

It will be a tall task for Madison, but after their dogfight last week against the Wind Chill, it doesn’t seem too far out of reach. Last week, it was mentioned that this team is on an upward trajectory and improving at the right time, but we will see if that continues or gets stopped in its tracks.

“I think our O-line played its best game all season last week. We were operating on an incredibly high level, and I’m super proud of how the group played. One of our cleaner games, given the wind, and when we turned it, we played incredibly hard defense and worked to get it back. Our O-line hasn’t had the best defense in the past, and it’s amazing to see the growth,” said Gabe Vordick.

Looking back at the last matchup between the two, it was the classic Madison derailment. It was tied at halftime, then by the end of the third quarter, Madison was down by four. The duo of Paul Arters and Daan De Marrée, combined with a few layout blocks by Chicago, was too much in the second half for the Radicals to handle.

“When we played Chicago earlier this season, we came out hot and played a great first half, but once we got on the field after halftime, we faltered. If we can play a complete game and not fall flat in the third, we have everything we need to take them down. As the season has progressed, we’ve gotten more consistent and better at closing out games. I’m confident we can take the growth we’ve had so far this season and put it to the test on Sunday,” said Vordick.

It will most definitely be a test on Sunday night, and the biggest matchup to look out for will be De Marrée versus Anthony Gutowsky. While guarding each other won’t happen a whole ton in this one, these two are playing some of the best ultimate across the entire league and are clear sparkplugs for their respective teams.

“It will be a team effort to stop De Marrée and Arters. We have to communicate well, trust what we've been working on at practice, and bring even more intensity on defense. We’ve gotten so much better since the beginning of the year. Every game, we’re improving and working more as a unit. We just have to put it all together now,” said Mitchell McCarthy.

Gutowsky has a chance to grab the scoring title, the first time a Radical would ever lead the league in goals, being up six goals on second place. He is also tied for leading the league in +/-. If trends continue, fans at Breese Stevens Field will be watching history on Sunday night.

However, Gutowsky has the mindset that his goals don’t matter if his team doesn’t get the win. Getting the win will take a near-perfect game from Madison. Both teams have stellar defenses that produce scores almost as good as any other team in the league, but the key for the Radicals is staying within themselves and understanding their strengths.

“From an offensive perspective, we need to keep the game clean. We are way down on our turnovers as a team this year, but even giving this Chicago team a few chances is too many. Our O-line has a much different identity from last year. We are hucking less and swinging the disc much more efficiently. If we can get the deep game going early, I don’t see how they can stop us,” said Vordick.

Madison will once again be without Jack Nelson, which is a big hit to their offensive unit. Also, Pieran Robert will be a game time decision, and if he doesn’t play will be hit to the D-line, especially with what he offers when that squad gets on offense.

Can Madison put together a complete game and compete when the game is close with the clock winding down? Even a close loss would push them into the conversation of being a dark horse candidate in the playoffs. While this game means nothing in terms of playoff seeding, it has the chance to be a momentum and confidence builder for Madison.

To buy tickets to the final home game at Breese Stevens Field this Sunday at 5 p.m. CT, click here!

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