Photo by Derek Frazer – UltiPhotos.com
JULY 16, 2023
By Aidan Delehanty
The DC Breeze have clinched the No. 2 seed in the AUDL East Division and with it a home playoff game, following the team's tight 20-18 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Phoenix.
From the first quarter of the game, the Breeze had very little wiggle room for errors. They only had a one-point lead going into the second quarter. Then things started taking a turn for the worse for the Breeze with their lowest second-quarter score all season, getting outscored by the Phoenix 6-2. With DC trailing 11-8 at halftime, the task of winning seemed daunting with the issues surrounding third-quarter fatigue they have experienced all season.
However, that frame is where the dramatic comeback began. The Breeze were able to pull through the third quarter and outscore the Phoenix 5-3 to insert themselves back into the matchup. In that quarter, the Breeze started to find their offensive rhythm once again and overcome their mistakes and errors in the first half. After that, they put together a masterful performance in Philadelphia to show why they deserve to be the second seed going into the East Division playoffs.
Back after an injury earlier in the season was Cole Jurek. He was one of DC's top performers this game, just as he was in the first few weeks of the season. Jurek overall had a team-high four goals and one assist. His final goal of the evening came on the first point of the overtime period, proving to be the team's game-winning score, after which the Breeze would hold on and win the game.
Jurek caught a 23-yard pass in the endzone from Jacques Nissen with 3:08 left on the clock that gave them that extra point they needed to get the edge on Philadelphia. Jonny Malks then closed up the game with another 23-yard goal with three seconds to go thrown by Andrew Roy. It was the lone break of overtime and put the game out of reach for the Phoenix.
Another stand-out player that backed up Jurek for much of the game was Breeze veteran Tyler Monroe. Monroe became the team's primary downfield option on the O-line and was rewarded with an impressive stat line. He finished the game with three goals and two assists.
With this win over the Phoenix, the Breeze (8-3) will host the first round of the East Division Playoffs on Saturday, July 29th. The question of who will be their opponent as the third seed has yet to be answered. The Boston Glory currently sit in third place with a record of 6-5. Right behind them, though are the Toronto Rush at 5-5. Following the loss, Philadelphia (5-6) was eliminated. If the Glory win next week against the winless Montreal Royal, they will clinch the third and final seed for the playoffs.
For the Rush to make the postseason for the first time since 2019, they will have to win both their final two games and hope for a Boston loss. One of those final games will be next week in DC as they play in the Breeze's final game of the regular season. First pull for the Friday, July 21st contest is at 7:00 PM. As always, it will be played at the Catholic University of America’s Carlini Field. Tickets are available here.
