Written by Noam Gumerman
WUL Lead Writer
Week 5 was a big one to stratify the standings. San Diego and Bay Area both earned big wins, solidifying their place in the top half of the WUL standings, looking to clinch a playoff spot with just one more win each. On the other end of the games, Arizona and Oregon missed big opportunities to throw their names in for a spot at Championship Weekend. All teams have played at least half their games now, so we’re officially entering the business half of the regular season. Here’s how Week 5’s action shook out, and what it means for each team moving forward.
Game 1: Bay Area Falcons 14 - 12 Oregon Soar
Oregon continues to forge its identity as the plucky underdogs of the 2025 WUL season. They have proven they are capable of putting together excellent stretches of play against some of the best teams in the league. Still, a disappointing trend of being unable to do it for all four quarters continued last weekend against the Falcons. Soar had early promising flashes in the first quarter. After going down 0-2, Soar rallied to take a 4-3 lead with possession late in the first quarter, but they turned it over, giving a short field to Bay Area who tied the game. Later, Soar started off the fourth quarter with a furious 4-0 run to pull the game back to 14-12 after tumultuous second and third quarters. Oregon had the disc on the goal line to bring the game back to a one point deficit, but an open five-yard forehand for the score caught the wind and bounced over the intended target, eventually leading to a Bay Area score to put the game away.
To Bay Area’s credit, they were absolutely dominant across the end of the first quarter through the second and third, going on an 11-4 run during that stretch of play. They looked the more comfortable team in the gusty conditions they often play in at home. And is there a backfield in the league you’d trust more to move the disc in the wind than Han Chen and Robyn Fennig? Both handlers were able to just move the disc with far more ease than anyone else on the field.This was a big statement (admittedly with a slight scare at the end) for Bay Area to make after losing at home to Seattle. A loss here would’ve left them fifth, behind Soar on a head-to-head tiebreaker for the last playoff spot. But instead they are cleanly in fourth, and have a two game lead on everyone chasing them entering the second half of the season.
Han Chen (2G, 2B, 268Y) and Fennig (2G, 1A, 295Y) were the offensive engines for sure, but it was a spread-out, well-rounded, team effort for the win from Bay Area this week. Beth Daviess, was another standout, however, with four assists, nearly a third of all Bay Area goals. The Falcons effectively quieted the previously unstoppable duo of Kimber Coles and Noelle Takahashi this week, but new contributors stepped up big time for the Soar. In particular, Jackie Riley (3G, 1A, 1B, 327 RecY) had another big day.
Game 2: San Diego Super Bloom 20 - 12 Arizona Sidewinders
For the second time this year, San Diego handily beat Arizona to remain undefeated and put itself in position to clinch a spot at Championship Weekend. It’s easy to forget that just last year San Diego and Arizona played two games that went down to the wire. San Diego’s statement wins this year speak to the leaps Super Bloom have made as a team since last season. San Diego forced Arizona to play a ton of zone offense, stifling a team that really liked to run and make big plays last year, especially with Paige Applegate in the lineup for just the second time this year so far. They ran so much zone that despite gaining 200+ more yards than Arizona, they threw 140 fewer passes.
The turning point in the game came early in the second quarter. San Diego turned a slightly better first-quarter performance into a three-goal lead after 12 minutes of play. Despite Super Bloom starting the quarter on offense, a long point and inability to hold meant that after a timeout was called, Sidewinders had their offense on, looking to break. Several opportunities and five minutes of game clock later, the point ended in a San Diego hold to go up four, and the game would never be closer than three points again. In fact, for the second week in a row, Arizona failed to register a single defensive break in a game. They really struggled playing offense when their D line generated a turn. Despite registering eight clean holds of the 12 they scored, their red zone efficiency for the game ended barely above 50%, meaning they had a lot of opportunities they couldn’t complete.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Sidewinders, though. As mentioned, Paige Applegate (4A, 383ThY) provided both a spark and a steadying presence in the backfield. Chip Chang (3A, 1B, 316ThY) also had her best game of the season, and Lauren Pisani (3G, 1B, 286RecY) was incredibly effective downfield too. And yes, for the Super Bloom, there are greater tests coming, but this team looks better than it’s ever been. The stars are out, shining, and there are more of them than ever before. Dena Elimelech (4G, 1A, 1B, 310Y) led the way today but Kristen Pojunis (1G, 2A, 2B, +/- 4.5), Kaela Helton (1G, 3A, 1B, 364Y), and Kaitlyn Weaver (1G, 1A, 2B, +/- 3) were all over the stat sheet. That doesn’t even touch on the the big days from Abby Shilts (4A, 3B, 0T) and Rebecca Ellis (2G, 3A, 1B, 362Y).