BREEZE PODCAST: In this episode host Greg Esser discusses the first two games of 2019 before sitting down with 2019 Breeze Captain David Bloodgood. They discuss collar bone breaks, the relationship between DC and Philly Ultimate, and playing the road trip game Mafia as a form of team bonding.
It is one thing to find yourself with the disc in the end zone, but equally important is the throw that got the disc to you. Unlike in soccer and hockey, each and every goal scored in the AUDL also gets an offensive assist…. well, at least 99+ percent of the time — there is that rare Callahan when the opposing team gets the dreaded defensive ‘assist.’
The 2017 DC Breeze season finished in a very similar fashion to the previous year. With a 10-4 record, the team claimed the No. 2 seed in the East Division Playoffs. After winning their hard earned home playoff game, the Breeze moved on to play division winners Toronto Rush, and for the second straight year they lost to the Rush in the Division Final.
During a season in which consistency from week-to-week was one of the biggest issues for the DC Breeze, one player was a permanent fixture on the roster. AUDL Rookie David Bloodgood has been awarded as the Breeze’s only recipient of the AUDL’s Steel Spirit Award for the 2017 season for appearing in every regular season game.
Throughout the 2017 DC Breeze season it seemed that offensive consistency was the theme for the team and the highlight of most contests. If the offense played well the team would walk away with a victory, and it often did just that. However, the full season statistics may tell a different story.
In the final game of the 2017 regular season for the DC Breeze, mid-season addition Joe Freund shined brightly. Leading the team with four goals and matching the team-high of three assists, Freund was was the key element of the Breeze’s 23-20 win over the Philadelphia Phoenix.
For the first time in franchise history, the DC Breeze have finished a regular season with a perfect home record. It is not unheard of for AUDL teams to go undefeated in front of their home crowd, a feat often reserved for those destined for top playoff seeds in the respective divisions.
The 2017 season is almost over. There is only one game separating the DC Breeze from the end of the regular season. Fortunately for the Breeze, there will at least be two more games with a playoff berth clinched this past weekend. In that victory, DC maintained consistency that has led them to their 9-4 record at this point season: offensive dominance and constant defensive pressure.
One point may be a difference maker when this season is all said and done for the DC Breeze. No, not one point that a player gets injured. Not one point that decided the game, perhaps not even the double overtime point over the New York Empire.
When the DC Breeze needed their top stars to step up, they did. In fact, not a single player on the squad had a bad game against the Toronto Rush on Sunday. Sure, there were the occasional mistakes and poor decisions throughout the course of a grueling game in very hot conditions, but as a whole every player’s performance stood out as strong and productive.
