Ryan Baker, Journalist

New scenery will be in play for the Madison Radicals when they travel to Indianapolis to take on the AlleyCats on June 29. 

The two division rivals will be playing a game outdoors at Beech Grove High School for the first time in AlleyCats history. Now, that may raise some eyebrows, as it is known that when Indy hosts a game, the indoor setting is always in play.

The AlleyCats have seen recent success against the Radicals, winning four of their last five matchups against them. It’s been over two years since Madison has seen a mark in the win column against Indy, regardless of the location, but playing outdoors is something that team-leading goal scorer Anthony Gutowsky thinks can work in favor of the Radicals.

“For our team to win, I think we just got to play calmly, all work together, and be on the same page for defense and offense. We won’t be playing Indy inside, which is a huge advantage for us. As long as we take advantage of our break chance opportunities we should give ourselves a chance to win,” said Gutowsky.

Last year, Gutowsky had his breakout game against the Alleycats. He put up a six-goal performance, and followed it up with a five-goal performance in the teams’ next matchup in 2023. 

“Honestly, I don’t think there really is a reason for my success against Indy last year. I had my breakout game against them last year at the beginning of the season, and just played well the other two games doing what I do best,” said Gutowsky. 

A few other players who had success last year in the three matchups against Indy were Ted Schewe, who combined for nine assists, and Victor Luo, who put up over 1,400 total yards over those three games. However, one player who was unable to suit up last year but put up a glorious performance against them in 2022, with eight assists in one game, is Kai Marcus. 

The big name that highlights the absentee list for Madison is Jack Nelson. Nelson has been one of the bigger targets on offense, going for 17 goals and over 1,300 receiving yards so far on the year. This may bring up some limitations in options for the Radicals to utilize down the field. 

It will be an interesting matchup this weekend, with the new offensive play style that Indy brings. Historically, the AlleyCats have been a team with an O-line full of veterans and guys that have played with each other for a long time. This year, the O-line looks a tad different, and that has brought on a play style of small and fast swing and dump throws. They currently sit at the top in rankings across the league in completions with 70 more than the next team.  

“I think there's a lot of reasons why we want to win. From a coaching and GM perspective, the playoffs are a big part of it, but I think Indy has just kind of had our number indoors and out since 2019,” said head coach Tim DeByl. “We have watched some film this week, and it’s hard to figure out what we should do against this offense. We haven't run into something so handler heavy or so small pass heavy before.”

A win would put Madison at 6-3 on the season, guaranteeing a .500 or better record. A loss would make reaching the playoffs much more difficult, but not impossible. The Radicals will look to get back on track this week and are still trying to take it one game at a time.

 “We're really trying not to look at the big picture as much this year as we have in past years, because it hasn't worked for us. We're looking at this as an important game, but we're not going to try to contextualize it at all,” said DeByl.

To tune in to the matchup between the Radicals and AlleyCats this Saturday at 5:30 p.m. CDT, click here!