Ryan Baker - Journalist

It might have been déjà vu for the Radicals traveling back to Highmark Stadium to play the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds for their season opener, but this time the results were completely different. 

On May 11, the Radicals made quick work of the Thunderbirds 23-14, trailing just twice during the game when they got scored on during the first point of the game and just a couple points later when they were down 2-3. From there, Madison took over. Taking the last two points of the first quarter, and the first four in the second allowed for the Radicals to lead 8-3 midway through the second quarter. 

“I think a lot of times you practice stuff and then you get on the field and it doesn't look the same, so I was really happy. Everyone was just more confident and less frantic than last year. Everything looked like it was connected,” said head coach Tim DeByl.

DeByl’s crew looked a lot different than last year. A common theme last year was slow movement by getting from handler to cutter to handler to cutter, however in the first game of 2024, there were more chunk yardage plays. Victor Luo was able to work from the second level with Kai Marcus and Brian Hart returning, and the cutters looked a lot more comfortable with the disc in their hands.

“I think everybody right now is really dialed in and focused and that is awesome. I think that was one of our biggest problems last year. It seemed like in-game, we had our foot on the gas the whole way,” said DeByl.

Dialed in was definitely the case, even after a small weather delay, and the weather continuing to be poor, the Radicals were able to force 27 turnovers, generate 19 blocks, and convert 16 out of their 19 red zone trips. Furthermore, for a team that historically doesn’t take long shots, Madison was 8 for 10 on hucks.

“We executed on everything we wanted to and the results were really positive for us. But we know it's a long season, and we've had plenty of positive results in the past. We know that one thing doesn't lead to another necessarily, and so we're going to continue to make it happen every week,” said DeByl.

Rookie Peiran Robert had three of 19 blocks with Andrew Meshnick getting three himself. Anthony Gutowsky and Jake Carrico had two each as well. Gutowsky continued his play right off of last year as he racked up 206 total yards with four goals and one assist. Carrico played incredibly efficiently with a 6 plus/minus, two blocks, two goals, and two assists, along with a Callahan playing in just 14 points.

Coming into the first game of the year, there were a ton of guys who hadn’t seen the field at all last year or barely saw the field due to injury. Well, they are back and healthy and showed exactly how they can impact the game. Marcus had 592 total yards, leading the team, with Hart in second with 337 total yards. Other guys like Mitchell McCarthy and Max Sample had their hand in the cookie jar too with McCarthy totaling 231 total yards and Sample snagging three goals on the day. 

“We were really happy with how that crop of players came in. They showed leadership too. We have some other leaders on the field but I felt like some of those new guys came in and helped dictate for the full game which was awesome,” said DeByl.

While the team looked crisp, they understand that they beat a team in Pittsburgh that has now struggled immensely in their first two games of the season and lost some big names in the offseason. It’s just going to get harder from this point on, and the cherry on top is that there are no more bye weeks for Madison until the end of the year. 

“I think it was a great first win, but it's probably going to get much harder as the season wears on and so we want to make sure that the offense is ready for anything. Whereas I think this game played out pretty straightforward how things were going and they didn't have to think too much,” said DeByl.

They might not have to think too much next week either taking on the Detroit Mechanix, a team that hasn’t won a single game in years, tough matchups with the Minnesota Wind Chill and Chicago Union will respectively follow suit. Madison is off to a better start than last season, but it’s just one game, so we will see if the Radicals can stay focused, healthy, and connected in a long journey to returning to the playoffs.