The DC Breeze have announced that they will be playing their home games at Catholic University of America’s Cardinal Stadium for the 2018 season, as the team moves from Gallaudet University’s Hotchkiss field where they had played since 2015.
With the move, the Breeze postgame destination is now Murphy’s Grill on the CUA campus, a short walk from the stadium on the way back to the CUA Metro stop.
About The Stadium and University
Cardinal Stadium is home to the Catholic University football, field hockey, lacrosse, and track and field NCAA Division III teams. The 3,500-seat venue located in Northeast DC, originally built in 1985, was converted from natural grass to state of the art artificial turf in 2006 and renewed with fresh turf in 2016. The stadium is also equipped with a large scoreboard, press box, and high capacity internet connectivity for HD broadcasts and live streaming.
Catholic University is located in the Brookland neighborhood of Northeast DC, commonly known as “Little Rome.” The neighborhood is full of Catholic institutions, giving it the nickname. The Brookland-CUA Metro Red line station is next to campus and just a short walk away from Cardinal Stadium, providing a convenient option for public transportation to Breeze games.
The University was founded in 1887 by Pope Leo XII and began undergraduate education in 1904. The University has 12 schools within it and offers 72 different undergraduate degrees including Pastoral Ministry, Secondary Education, and Media and Communication studies. Catholic University had 6,699 students enrolled as of 2014.
More Info: Catholic University of America | Cardinal Stadium
Catholic University and Ultimate
The Breeze organization is excited to be moving to a university with well established women’s and men’s club Ultimate teams. Catholic University’s women’s team plays under the name “Nun Betta,” while the men’s team goes by the name of “Bad Habit.” Both squads play in Division III of USA Ultimate during the fall and spring seasons. The women’s team finished the fall season 15-10 and ranked 125 out of 304 women’s college teams by USA Ultimate. The men’s team finished with an identical record and were ranked 257 out of 499 men’s college teams. The Breeze plan to work with both teams to advance awareness of and participation in the sport on campus and throughout the DC area.
Catholic University is no stranger to hosting a pro Ultimate team. The DC Current of Major League Ultimate (MLU) played at Cardinal Stadium from 2013-2015 before finding new confines due to the 2016 field re-turfing. The Current no longer compete, as the MLU suspended operations after their third season in 2016.
New Postgame Destination
Also on the campus of Catholic University is Murphy’s Grill, a brand new, beautiful Irish style restaurant and bar. The Breeze, Murphy’s Grill and 2nd-year exclusive Beer partner Port City Brewing Company have partnered this season to make the grill the postgame party spot after Breeze home games, with meet-the-player opportunities and specials for fans who present their ticket stubs.
Breeze Venue History
Cardinal Stadium is the fifth venue the Breeze have called home in their five year existence. The team played at Anacostia High School in 2013, DC’s inaugural season. The Breeze then played their 2014 home opener at George Mason High School in Falls Church, VA before settling in on the opposite side of the DC area at the University of Maryland’s Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex in College Park for the remainder of that season. The most recent home of the Breeze was Hotchkiss Field at Gallaudet University, where the Breeze played all their home games from 2015 through 2017.
By Noah Fleischman
Staff Writer
The Current did play 3 early season games there in 2016 before the returffing. Then 1 at W-L HS in NoVA and 1 at Wilson HS in DC.