DC Breeze

The DC Breeze is an open professional ultimate team based in the District of Columbia, competing in the Atlantic Division of the American Ultimate Disc League.[1][2] The team first played in the 2013 season. The Breeze play at Carlini Field (Catholic University).[3]

DC Breeze
SportUltimate
Founded2013
LeagueAmerican Ultimate Disc League
DivisionAtlantic
Based inWashington, D.C.
StadiumCarlini Field
ColorsBlue, Silver, Red
OwnersDon Grage, Ty Simpson, Kellen Furness, Aaron Foreman
Head coachDarryl Stanley
General managerSean Banks
Overall record56-41-1
Playoff berths5 (2-5)
Websitethedcbreeze.com
Uniforms

History

2013

In the Breeze's inaugural season the team played its home games at Anacostia High School in East DC.[4] They went 4-12 in the regular season and did not qualify for the playoffs.[5] The Breeze finished 5th in the East Division.

2014

The Breeze moved to the University of Maryland Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex for their second season after playing their 2014 home opener at George Mason High School in Falls Church, VA.[3] The opener was the professional debut for highly touted University of Pittsburgh graduates Alex Thorne and Tyler DeGirolamo, and was a nail biter to the end as the Breeze fell one goal short of heavily favored AUDL defending champions Toronto Rush, 20-19.[6] To date this is still the only Breeze game played in Virginia. The team went 10-4 in the regular season, finishing in 3rd place in the East Division and making its first playoff appearance, where the team lost to the Rush again.[7] 2014 also marks the first season that Alex "Dutchy" Ghesquiere served as head coach.[8]

2015

The Breeze moved to Gallaudet University in 2015, and were again coached by Alex Ghesquiere.[9] League expansion to Pittsburgh and Raleigh took regional talent away from the Breeze, and the team went 7-7 in the regular season, failing to qualify for the playoffs.[10]

2016

The Breeze again played home games at Gallaudet University, and were again coached by Alex Ghesquiere.[3] They got back to winning ways, going 10-4 in the regular season for a 2nd place finish and earning a home playoff game for the first time.[11] The team won its home playoff game vs the New York Empire for its first ever postseason victory, but then lost the East Division final to the Toronto Rush.[12]

2017

The Breeze made a coaching change in 2017, hiring Darryl Stanley as head coach while Ghesquiere moved into an oversight role as Technical Director after leading the team from the sideline the previous three years.[13] The team again went 10-4 and finished in 2nd place, and once again won a home playoff game, this time against the Montréal Royal. And for the second consecutive season, the Breeze lost to Toronto in the Division Final.

2018

Head Coach Darryl Stanley returned to lead the Breeze again in 2018, serving the first of a two-year contract extension. He guided the team to an 8-5-1 record, a second place finish in the AUDL East, and the team's fourth playoff appearance in the last five years. The season ended July 21st with a rain-soaked playoff loss, 19-15 to the New York Empire.[14] However, this was the year of Matthew "Rowan" McDonnell on the field. McDonnell served as a team captain while collecting 38 goals, 47 assists and 11 blocks. The goal and assist totals both led the team, and he won the league's 2018 AUDL MVP Award.[15]

2019

Reigning AUDL MVP Matthew "Rowan" McDonnell returned as captain of the Breeze in 2019, and Head Coach Darryl Stanley also returned to lead the team from the sidelines for the third consecutive season. The duo guided the team to a 7-5 record, a third place finish in the AUDL East, and the team's fifth playoff appearance in the last six years. The season ended July 20th with another heartbreaking playoff loss, this time 22-21 to the Toronto Rush in a game played in New York.[16] The season was once again highlighted by McDonnell's performance on the field. He followed up his MVP 2018 season with 67 goals, 51 assists and 5 blocks in a campaign that earned him both All-AUDL 1st Team[17] and MVP Finalist[18] honors. The 2019 Breeze roster also produced two All-AUDL Rookie 2nd Team members in AJ Merriman and Garrett Braun.[19]

Year-by-year
Year Reg. Season Goals For Goals Against Finish Playoffs
2013 4-12 293 379 5th East Failed to Qualify
2014 10-4 335 307 3rd East Lost Division Semifinal
2015 7-7 302 316 5th East Failed to Qualify
2016 10-4 351 286 2nd East Lost Division Final
2017 10-4 338 293 2nd East Lost Division Final
2018 8-5-1 328 305 2nd East Lost Division Semifinal
2019 7-5 281 262 3rd East Lost Division Semifinal
Total 56-41-1 (57%) 1901 1843 2-5 (29%)

All-time record by opponent
Regular Season
Opponent Wins Losses Ties Win %
New Jersey Hammerheads (folded) 3 0 0 100%
Pittsburgh Thunderbirds 1 0 0 100%
Ottawa Outlaws 8 2 0 80%
Philadelphia Phoenix 16 5 1 76.2%
Rochester Dragons (folded) 5 2 0 71.4%
Montreal Royal 7 6 0 53.8%
Raleigh Flyers 1 1 0 50.0%
New York Empire 10 12 0 45.5%
Toronto Rush 5 14 0 26.3%
Playoffs
Opponent Wins Losses Win %
Montreal Royal 1 0 100%
New York Empire 1 1 50%
Toronto Rush 0 4 0%

References
  1. "Breeze | AUDL". AUDL. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
  2. "DC Breeze | Team News, Stats, History & More | Ultiworld". Ultiworld. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
  3. "Breeze To Play At Catholic University". AUDL. 2018-03-06. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
  4. Sludge (2013-01-16). "Sludge Output: DC Pro Ultimate Schedule 2013". Sludge Output. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
  5. "2013 Schedule/Results - DC Breeze". DC Breeze. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
  6. "Alex Thorne, Tyler Degirolamo Sign With AUDL's DC Breeze | Ultiworld". Ultiworld. 2013-12-22. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
  7. "2014 Schedule/Results - DC Breeze". DC Breeze. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
  8. "Alex "Dutchy" Ghesquiere To Coach AUDL's DC Breeze | Ultiworld". Ultiworld. 2014-01-07. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
  9. Yates, Clinton (2015-04-09). "D.C. Breeze wants to draw young professional crowd with move to Gallaudet". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
  10. "2015 Schedule/Results - DC Breeze". DC Breeze. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
  11. "Breeze to host first-ever home playoff game Saturday". WTOP. 2016-07-14. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
  12. "2016 Schedule/Results - DC Breeze". DC Breeze. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
  13. "2018 Coaching Staff - DC Breeze". DC Breeze. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
  14. "Breeze Fall To Empire In Playoffs". AUDL. 2018-07-23. Retrieved 2019-01-09.
  15. "2018 AUDL MVP: Rowan McDonnell". AUDL. 2018-10-24. Retrieved 2019-01-09.
  16. "Recap: Rush Cut Breeze Season Short". AUDL. 2019-07-24. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  17. "2019 All-AUDL First Team". AUDL. 2019-09-09. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  18. "2019 AUDL MVP Finalists". AUDL. 2019-09-18. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  19. "2019 All-AUDL Rookie Teams". AUDL. 2019-09-26. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
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