Written by Noam Gumerman
WUL Lead Writer
The first weekend of WUL action in 2025 is in the books. And what a weekend it was! Colorado and San Diego picked up big wins over Utah and Arizona. There were big-time performances from big-time players all weekend as well, giving exciting previews for the rest of the season still ahead of us. Here is how it all went down:
Game 1: Colorado Alpenglow 22 - 15 Utah Wild
In our long-awaited 2024 Championship Game rematch, Colorado picked up right where they left off. In their second straight big win against Utah, they demonstrated a similar team identity to their 2024 WUL Championship team: running the offense through 2024 WUL Offensive Player of the Year Ari Nelson, who set the single-game throwing yards record with 622, and their big athletic receivers. Seven Colorado players had more than 145 receiving yards, led by Rory Veldman with 307.. Interestingly, Colorado’s approach to efficiency seems opposite to what one might expect. On offense they only converted clean holds three times out of their 13 total holds. However, Utah was only able to convert two of 16 break opportunities, as Colorado’s offense was routinely able to get the disc back and convert. Meanwhile, Colorado’s defense was ruthlessly efficient by comparison, converting nine of 17 opportunities.
The stats show that Utah was fielding a less experienced roster than Colorado. The zone look they used on occasion was successful at generating turnovers against Alpenglow, they just couldn’t convert their early opportunities and the game slipped out of reach. Individual performances were a different story for Utah: Paige Kercher continued to add her name to different spots in the WUL record book finishing with 650 throwing plus receiving yards, good for the sixth highest number all time*., Cass Williams had a career day scoring four goals to go along with 175 receiving yards.
Game 2: San Diego Super Bloom 23 - 14 Arizona Sidewinders
Early signs indicate the Super Bloom machine is once again humming in 2025. Despite getting broken to start the game, San Diego rolled to a very quick four goal lead that they carried into halftime and maintained through the third quarter. Then they scored the first five points of the fourth in a row to crush any thoughts of a comeback. San Diego’s defense feasted, converting 9 of a staggering 23 break opportunities. They completed nearly 50% of their 16 hucks, and were incredibly efficient near the end zone. Arizona couldn’t generate the same pressure or operate at the same efficiency Super Bloom did. They struggled to advance the disc to the endzone, but were usually able to generate a few looks per possession. By the end of the game the Sidewinders had completed over 150 more passes than San Diego, a reflection of Super Bloom’s defensive pressure. Once again, the more experienced team looked readier for Week 1.
And speaking of experience, the field is Kaela Helton’s world that we all merely inhabit around her. The 2023 league MVP is showing her choice as a selection for the World Games roster right now, tying the league record with 11 G+A (Maggie O’Connor vs BAY in 2023) dropping the second game in WUL history with at least three goals, three assists, and 300 yards of throwing and receiving, and marking the first time she did it with at least three blocks. She also played a league-high 27(!) points, and continues to redefine what is possible on an ultimate field. New addition Kaitlyn Weaver looks poised to pick up where she left off with Los Angeles back in 2023 as an MVP finalist, with her usage entering the same tier as Helton and co-star Dena Elimelech. Watch out for when she gets more comfortable playing with the entire Super Bloom roster.
For Arizona, despite a frustrating result, stalwart snake LP Aragon had a standout game leading the offense with 572 throwing yards and five assists. The team was able to cycle through their looks, as evidenced by completing more passes than their opponent, but they couldn’t carry those possessions through to the endzone. In addition to Aragon, Arizona used veteran Chip Chang to distribute to receivers like Lauren Pisani and highlight machine Cynthia Thomas. The Sidewinders were without offensive staple Paige Applegate for this game who will certainly provide a boost upon her return, and with some extra team chemistry under their belt, the Sidewinders will look to find their form ahead of their next game. They will get to play at home, making it more likely their key pieces will be present.
*This weekend two other players earned spots in the top 5 total yards with Kaela Helton earning the 658 yards for 5th best and Ari Nelson earning the 3rd best single-game performance here with 685 yards.