Ryan Baker
This Friday night, the Madison Radicals will host Pittsburgh in the second matchup between the two teams this year. The 5-4 Radicals have a chance to essentially eliminate the 2-6 Thunderbirds from playoff contention and nearly solidify their home playoff game spot.
A win would officially clinch a playoff spot for Madison and put them within one more win or an Indy loss of the second seed. In the previous matchup, the Radicals took down Pittsburgh 21-17 in their second game of the season.
While both teams have improved, Madison is well-positioned this weekend to bounce back after losing to the AlleyCats last weekend. Pittsburgh will be missing key players like Anson Reppermund, Dylan Best, and Jimmy Towle. The Radicals also have not lost to the Thunderbirds in the last five games, dating back to early 2023.
“We don’t get too high or too low from any individual game,” Head Coach Jacob Spiro said. “A loss like that is a great motivator to improve, so we are taking an opportunity to revisit some things over the last couple of weeks of the season.”
On Madison’s side, the roster doesn’t have that many changes. Luke Marks will be out once again, while Kai Chun-Moy will sit out after aggravating his shoulder injury that kept him out for a few weeks. Jack Nelson’s status is also up in the air, currently listed as questionable. On the flip side, it’s good to see Sterling Knoche active for this one after playing against Indy despite being a game-time decision.
There are four players poised to have big games: Sam Stark, Nico Ranabhat, Anthony Gutowsky, and Pieran Robert. The latter three have been strong all season, and they were the top performers in the last game against Pittsburgh.
Ranabhat had six assists and 265 throwing yards, Gutowsky had five goals, and Robert had four goals and four blocks. Stark was one of the few players last weekend to produce a respectable stat line. He had three assists, two goals, and over 300 total yards. Since his role changed, Stark has looked more comfortable and more connected with the O-line.
“I plan on playing the same role I have been,” Stark said. “I think just getting more experience with this offense is allowing me to read the flow better and contribute more.”
Whether or not Madison comes out sluggish will be one of the biggest factors in this game. We have seen this team get down early and fail to recover, yet we have also seen great comebacks in the fourth quarter. This Pittsburgh defense allows opponents the most goals per game, though their offense can also do damage when given opportunities.
“It’s always the same goal each week: focus on the opponent at hand, learn and build on previous games and practices,” Stark said.
With games against Chicago and Minnesota remaining next weekend, it will be important for the Radicals to leave with a win. The good news is that, despite last weekend's loss, they hold the tiebreaker over the AlleyCats. So Madison would have to drop two of their last three, and Indy would need to win their last three for them to give up the two seed.
This game will be of the utmost importance for Madison to get back into its groove against a weaker opponent. They need to smooth out operations and be prepared for their toughest two games of the season, which are just a few weeks away. The game against Minnesota will conclude their regular season, so the odds are that their playoff game will be against the AlleyCats. Because those two teams are mid-stride, Madison needs to focus and rebound well.
To purchase tickets to the Friday night game at 7 p.m. CT at Breese Stevens Field, go here!
To watch the game Friday night, go here!
