Photo by Cullen Clark – UltiPhotos.com
APRIL 28, 2024
By Marissa Kleckner
Saturday night, the DC Breeze opened up their season in Salt Lake, falling to the Salt Lake Shred 23-20 in a highly-anticipated matchup between two championship contenders.
The Shred came out strong, getting three break opportunities in the first four points, converting two into scores. It created the initial deficit in the contest, from which DC was never able to fully recover, despite keeping it a one-goal game deep into the second half.
While DC has been known for their dynamic offense, the team seemed to be out of sync with new faces and thin air in Zions Bank Stadium.
The Breeze fought till the end of the game having a close comeback in the third quarter when the D-line was able to convert a 19-yard toss from Rowan McDonnell to Thomas Edmonds to bring the game back within one point. This was followed up by a chase-down block by AJ Merriman on the next point. After the block, the team was able to intentionally work the disc down the field, but Merriman was unable to convert on the final toss into the end zone that would have tied the game going into the fourth quarter.
While the offense may not have been on point, second-year player Thomas Edmonds, who had a breakout season for the Breeze last year had a stand-out game recording three goals, four assists, a block, and a 29/30 completion rate to start his season. Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) rookie Elliot Bonnet was also an integral part of the DC offense and scored his first-ever UFA point in the third quarter.
Where the Breeze fell behind was in their breaks and huck completion percentage. The Breeze only managed to get three breaks and converted on just 20% of their hucks, while Salt Lake was able to get six breaks and a perfect 10/10 huck completions.
Having one game under their belt, the Breeze have a quick turnaround before facing their first Eastern Division foe. Next Sunday, the Breeze will travel to Philadelphia and face off against the Philadelphia Phoenix (0-0).
