Article by Nate Church

In their first ever inter-divisional matchup, the Salt Lake Shred took down the Madison Radicals 23-19 in the mecca of Ultimate, Madison, Wisconsin, on Thursday night.

After last weekend’s last-minute loss to the Seattle Cascades, the Salt Lake Shred came to Madison with a chip on their shoulder. Dropping to 4-3 and with their playoff hopes in peril, the Shred was looking for a solid win.

Thanks to a stellar offensive performance from Chad Yorgason and Matt Russnogle, the Shred found the fire they have been looking for.

Finishing the night with 485 total yards, 6 assists, a goal and a block, C. Yorgason had himself a night and led the offensive line, with the help of Russnogle, who ended the night with 243 receiving yards and six goals.

It was Russnogle who put the first points of the game up on the board with an easy wide-open catch in the back of the end zone and began a strong start for the Shred. After having an up-and-down offensive line for the last couple of weeks, the Shred posted their highest hold efficiency rating since May 30.

Salt Lake led for almost the entirety of the first quarter, winning the quarter 8-6. Various players saw the end zone including Russnogle, who scored two of the eight points, Derick Knighton, Carson Armstrong, Ben Ashton, Simon Dastrup and Kaden Froebe. The quarter also saw a Yorgason to Yorgason connection with Chad throwing a smooth forehand to his brother McKay.

However, before the first quarter was up, injury struck Salt Lake’s ranks. On a routine pass from Ashton, Armstrong followed the disc and casually went up for the catch. On his stutter step coming off the completion, Armstrong injured his leg. He quickly sat on the ground and then tried to walk it off.

He did not return to the game and at halftime Salt Lake head coach Bryce Merrill informed the broadcast that he would not play for the rest of the weekend.

Despite the loss, Salt Lake continued to fire on all cylinders throughout the entire first half. By the 7-minute mark of the second quarter, the Shred had turned the disc over just once and scored every time they had the disc on both offensive and defensive lines.

Capping off the first half the same way he opened the match, Russnogle came up with a big score assisted by C. Yorgason, who fired the disc into the end zone with two seconds left on the clock.

Halftime score: Salt Lake 14, Madison 10

Coming out of the half, Salt Lake continued to roll. Scoring four straight, the Shred pulled away 18-11. Many players got on the board including Jared Scheinberg, who scored his first goal of the game and second of the season. Scheinberg’s big goal kept the fire lit and they continued their third-quarter domination.

As the sun set and the competition moved into the fourth quarter, the Madison Radicals found a glimmer of hope after a few quick breaks. The Radicals brought themselves within four points with four minutes to go.

After a quick score from Russnogle, Salt Lake needed one more point to put the nail in the coffin. That nail was a 46-yard huck from Anthony Mounga and subsequent catch by Knighton. With a defender matching his every step, Knighton sprinted after the disc as it floated down towards the end zone.

In a last-ditch effort, Radicals’ Donte Buckingham laid out to block the catch. Getting his hands on the disc, it tumbled through the air and was somehow caught by Knighton. The dramatic final score from the Shred sealed the win, one that Salt Lake was in desperate need of.

Final score: Shred 23, Radicals 18

Salt Lake will take on the Minnesota Wind Chill tomorrow night at 8 pm ET in the Twin Cities.