JUNE 19, 2023
By Aidan Delehanty

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Breeze won their second home game of the year against a team from across the northern border, the Montreal Royal, 23-14 on Friday night. The win marked the halfway point for the Breeze's season with a record of 4-2. DC now sits in second place in the East Division, behind the rival New York Empire. 

The Breeze’s defense appeared to make a 180-degree change compared to their performance two weeks ago against the Carolina Flyers. The Breeze’s D-line conversion rate increased exponentially from the last game going from 44% to 59% (13-22).

Defender AJ Merriman, when asked if there was a mindset change for the defense going into this game from the last against the Flyers said teammate Alexandre Fall kept repeating throughout practice earlier in the week, “Treat [every point] like a national championship game.”

The Breeze – where most of the roster plays on the D.C.-based club team Truck Stop – have that experience after falling in the USA Ultimate club championship final last year. Merriman went on to say, “We felt all the pressure from within this time. We didn’t feel anything from the outside.” 

Coach Darryl Stanley echoed the same sentiment about treating this as a national championship game and added, “We know what we’re trying to play for and here’s another opportunity for us to get better. We got punched in the mouth [the past two home games] and this is us punching back.”

This mindset seemed to be the key for the Breeze’s defense as they had multiple turnovers in the first half and fourth quarter, which resulted in multiple break trains.

One of the standout players for the game this week was Jasper Tom. Tom was not only the highest goal-scorer this game with five goals, but he also tied Merriman and Thomas Edmonds with two blocks.

Roster newcomer Edmonds was also crucial to the Breeze's success posting a team-high three assists and also scoring two goals. 

Though the Breeze ended up outscoring the Royal by nine points, it did not come without its challenges. In the third quarter, Montreal went on a 5-1 run, to get within two points of the lead.

“We slacked a lot on offensive possession," O-line player Benjamin Oort said when asked about the third quarter. "Cleaning that up is going to be even more pressure against teams like the Flyers and Empire.”

With the championship already on the Breeze’s mind, they head into a doubleheader on the road next weekend. DC starts next week by playing the Royal again on Friday in Montreal at the Complexe Sportif Claude-Robillard. The game is slated to begin at 5:00 pm ET on June 23rd. 

After that game, the Breeze will travel down to Boston on Saturday, June 24 to take on the Boston Glory for the first time this season. That game will start at 5:00 pm ET at Hormel Stadium.