San Diego Super Bloom Wins First-Ever WUL Championship

THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM | SAN DIEGO STRIKES GOLD AT LAST

San Diego Wins First-Ever WUL Championship

San Diego Super Bloom pose with the WUL Championship Trophy after earning their first ever gold medal finish. Photographer: Rodney Chen, Ultiphotos

Bay Area came out firing in front of their home crowd, jumping to a quick two-goal lead—but San Diego stayed composed. Super Bloom evened the score by the end of the first quarter and followed with a 3-point run into the second to take control. Bay battled back to stay within striking distance, but San Diego’s discipline and depth proved too much. With a final score of 12–10, Super Bloom closed out their historic title run and claimed their first WUL championship.

After falling short in 2022 and 2023, San Diego finally reached the top—led by standout performances across the board, including newly crowned league 2025 WUL MVP Kaela Helton (WUL MVP in 2022 & 2023). 

Bay Area capped off their most successful season ever with outstanding performances across the board, a second-place finish and a bright future ahead.

Championship Game Gallery

Photographer: Rodney Chen, Ultiphotos

See the entire gallery on Ultiphotos.com

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2025 WUL Championship Weekend: Championship Sunday Preview

Written by Noam Gumerman
WUL Lead Writer

A thrilling day of action saw San Diego Super Bloom reach their third title game with a 17-16 win over Seattle Tempest, and Bay Area Falcons reach their first with a 19-16 upset over previously undefeated Colorado Alpenglow. Catch a recap of all the action from yesterday here. Today is the grand finale. Seattle and Colorado will play for the first time all year to get us started, then San Diego and Bay Area will each play for the chance at their first title.

3rd Place: Seattle Tempest vs. Colorado Alpenglow – 12:00 p.m. PDT

The two teams that have won the first three WUL Championships are the ones relegated to the third-place game on Championship Weekend. It’s a tough ask for both of these teams to come back for one more game after losing two heartbreaking semi-finals, but given how hard both teams competed yesterday, they’ll both be more than up for the challenge. For Seattle, a win would secure a top-half finish after a truly disappointing 2024 saw them miss Championship Weekend entirely. For Colorado, a win would mean avoiding a disappointing 0-2 weekend after a 6-0 regular season, and a truly impressive display of their mentality and desire to win despite a shocking day one result.

For both of these teams, it’s one last opportunity to play alongside their 2025 squads. In all likelihood, both of these teams will have a lot of continuity going into 2026, but there will still be changes. This game is an opportunity for these players to honor the hours they spent working together and building their teams into championship contenders, even if they fell one step short.

Seattle and Colorado have yet to play in 2025, so the result could be anyone’s game. Can Colorado bounce back after a shocking loss in semi-finals? Will Seattle shut down Colorado’s offense to secure the bronze? 

Championship Game: San Diego Super Bloom vs. Bay Area Falcons – 3:00 p.m. PDT

After the incredible regular seasons and disappointing results at Championship Weekend 2024 for both teams, it was a little disappointing to not see a 2025 regular season matchup between San Diego Super Bloom and Bay Area Falcons. But the WUL always provides the drama and storylines in the end, as the Falcons will host an all-California matchup for the 2025 WUL Championship this afternoon.

“Is this finally the year?” is the question players and fans alike of both San Diego and Bay Area have been asking themselves all night after they both took their penultimate steps towards WUL glory yesterday. For Super Bloom, a win would be a storybook ending to a tale that stretches back to the first year of the league, and cap four years of regular season dominance and postseason heartbreak. While the Falcons have not been as consistently dominant for four years as Super Bloom has been, their past has plenty of regular season success and postseason disappointment (including against SD) they have a chance to erase today too.

The story all year long for Super Bloom has been how they have improved and deepened their squad from previous years. The depth around their core of Kelli Iwamoto, Dena Elimelech, and Kaela Helton is better than it’s ever been. Their defense is now their calling card, including an increased use of zone, rather than how top-heavy their roster construction felt in previous years. But Bay Area may be better equipped to handle that zone than anyone else in the league, thanks to the addition of Robyn Fennig, who shredded Colorado yesterday any time they tried to mix up defensive looks. The Falcons also roll deep, with a D-line led by standouts Han Chen and Georgia Cardosa. 

All eyes on these two super teams as they square off for the 2025 WUL Championship. Don’t miss it.

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The stage is set, and the title is up for grabs—today we crown a new champion. After a shocking semi-final loss to the Bay Area Falcons, top-seeded and defending champs Colorado Alpenglow will now face Seattle Tempest in the 3rd Place Game—two powerhouse teams looking to close the weekend with a statement win. Watch the 3rd place game here.

In the Championship Game, San Diego returns to the final for the third time in franchise history, still seeking their first-ever championship. They’ll face Bay Area, who earned their first trip to the final with a massive upset in front of their home crowd.  Watch the Championship Game here.

At the end, a new team will lift the WUL trophy for the very first time.

2025 WUL Championship Weekend: Saturday Semi-Finals Recap

Written by Noam Gumerman
WUL Lead Writer

What a first day of Championship Weekend action in the Bay Area. No matter what, the WUL will crown a first time champion on Sunday. It’ll be an all-California final as San Diego Super Bloom and Bay Area Falcons will compete for the first title in program history, while Seattle Tempest and Colorado Alpenglow will battle for third place. Here’s how it all went down.

San Diego Super Bloom 17 - 16 Seattle Tempest

For the first time in their three postseason meetings, San Diego Super Bloom vanquished Seattle Tempest 17-16 to return to the Championship Game since losing to the Seattle squad in the 2023. For Super Bloom, this game was the perfect example of how this team has evolved and grown over the last two years. They won with their defense, the zone they’ve relied on all year, this time paying dividends in a gusty upwind-downwind game. Despite their stars, they won with their depth, letting players like Kaela Helton and Dena Elimelich avoid playing two-thirds of their points like they have in years past. Regular season stalwarts showed up in full force for the postseason as well, with Kristen Pojunis, Kelli Iwamoto, Rebecca Ellis, and Kaitlyn Weaver all showing out with solid performances. And because of that, Super Bloom will have their third chance to capture their first-ever WUL title tomorrow.

During the game, it was Seattle who struck first as Sadie Jezierski skied a pile of defenders to come down with the game’s first break (upwind) and a 5-4 Seattle lead. Maybe a harbinger of things to come, Tempest was unable to convert the downwind break on the next point, despite earning a turn and using a timeout to get their O-line on the field. Once we hit the second quarter though, the San Diego defense got to work. They stacked three breaks in a row to claim a two-goal lead before Seattle responded. Super Bloom held and broke again to complete a 5-1 run in the second quarter, sitting on the verge of blowing the game wide open. Super Bloom let Seattle back into the game, though, first by pulling the disc out of bounds, giving Tempest a short field which they scored from, then Super Bloom dropped the ensuing pull. When the dust settled, SD had a 10-8 halftime lead.

In the second half, Super Bloom largely picked up where they left off. A hold and a break continued their theme, and they played the role of confident, poised favorites, closing out the game despite Seattle bringing it back within one at the end. Their mixture of person and zone defenses slowed the Seattle offense for large portions of the second half. San Diego’s offense wasn’t perfect, but their O-line defense was good enough to hold Seattle until a couple of scores at the very end made the game tighter than it seemed the rest of Q4.

For Seattle, losing to San Diego for the third time in a row, and to be knocked out of championship contention has to sting. But ultimately, this season was a step in the right direction for Tempest. After a surprise down year in 2024, they bounced back with a season more reminiscent of their championship runs in years past. There is still more to work on for Tempest to return to the top of the mountain, but they’ve found their way again.

Bay Area Falcons 19 -16 Colorado Alpenglow

For the second straight year, the underdog Championship Weekend hosts have found their way into the finals, despite matching up against a team that had a much better regular-season resume. Bay Area Falcons dispatched of the previously undefeated defending champion Colorado Alpenglow 19-16 in a game they led wire-to-wire. The Falcons have a chance to make it a three-peat for the home teams at Championship Weekend tomorrow, following in the footsteps of Seattle and Colorado the last two years in their first-ever WUL final.
It was a physical, contentious game between these two teams in just their second-ever meeting. But Bay Area seized control immediately with a dominant first quarter, clearly prepared with an effective game plan to slow down Colorado’s high flying offense. Across the next three quarters of play, every time Colorado made a run and snagged a break or two, or every time the Falcons seemed to have the nerves kick in, they managed to steady themselves and score goals despite some tremendous Alpenglow pressure.

It was a huge, team-wide defensive effort from the Falcons to secure this win. Everyone other than 2024 league MVP Abby Thorpe was held in check by Bay Area. (Thorpe had the night of her career, putting up a league record 8 goals in a single game.) No one has matched up with Colorado this year the way Bay Area did in the semifinal. Additionally, the continued swap of Han Chen from O-line to D-line really helped give Bay Area’s D-line offense enough juice to put serious pressure on Colorado, who had to defend the whole field with their O-line. Splitting Chen from Robyn Fennig on offense has allowed both of Bay Area’s best handlers to control even more touches, and set both the O and D-lines up for success by utilizing their throwing prowess. And it’s worked, as both players left their mark all over this game.

The Alpenglow undefeated run finally came to an end. There will be no undefeated season in 2025, and no repeat champions. Colorado’s depth downfield – the players that turned Colorado’s high-risk, high-reward offense into a nearly unstoppable juggernaut – were held in check by excellent gameplanning from Bay Area. And while Colorado nearly just kept shooting their way back into the game on the back of ratcheting up defensive pressure, it wasn’t enough to overcome Bay Area’s impressive team defense.

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The stage is set, and the title is up for grabs—today we crown a new champion. After a shocking semi-final loss to the Bay Area Falcons, top-seeded and defending champs Colorado Alpenglow will now face Seattle Tempest in the 3rd Place Game—two powerhouse teams looking to close the weekend with a statement win. Watch the 3rd place game here.

In the Championship Game, San Diego returns to the final for the third time in franchise history, still seeking their first-ever championship. They’ll face Bay Area, who earned their first trip to the final with a massive upset in front of their home crowd.  Watch the Championship Game here.

At the end, a new team will lift the WUL trophy for the very first time.

2025 WUL Championship Weekend Preview

Written by Noam Gumerman
WUL Lead Writer

It’s here! Championship Weekend is this Saturday and Sunday, June 7-8 in Oakland, California. Bay Area Falcons play host to themselves, Colorado Alpenglow, San Diego Super Bloom, Seattle Tempest – and the eyes of ultimate fans around the world. It’s been a season where the best four teams in the league have proven themselves worthy many times over, and this weekend we get to see them go head-to-head when it matters most.

Each of the four qualifiers has their own compelling story behind a possible championship. Colorado wants to repeat as WUL Champions on the heels of an undefeated season. San Diego is looking to get over the hump, finally, as the league’s most consistently solid regular season team in history, but without any 1st place trophies d to show for it. After a down year in 2024, Seattle is readyto return to their perch on top, winning a third title in four years. And the hosts, Bay Area, has eyes on the prize, ready to redeem themselves after a disappointing 2024 Championship Weekend.
It’s the best time of the WUL season. Here’s how it’s going down: 

Game Schedule:

Saturday 6/7

Semifinal 1 - 4:00 pm PDT: (2) San Diego Super Bloom vs (3) Seattle Tempest
Semifinal 2 - 7:00 pm PDT: (1) Colorado Alpenglow vs (4) Bay Area Falcons

Sunday 6/8

3rd Place - 12:00pm PDT: Loser of Semifinal 1 vs Loser of Semifinal 2
Championship Game-3:00pm PDT: Winner of Semifinal 1 vs Winner of Semifinal 2

Game Previews: 

San Diego Super Bloom vs. Seattle Tempest

San Diego and Seattle face off in the first game of the weekend, renewing the league’s biggest rivalry, and a rematch of this season’s thrilling 16-15 Week 6 overtime game. San Diego won after tying it up on a hail-mary huck after time expired in the fourth, and finally, an overtime buzzer-beater to avoid a second overtime. But Super Bloom only needed the late heroics after blowing a five-point second-half lead to Tempest. If we are treated to half the game these two teams gave us in April, we’ll be set up for an all-time Championship Weekend classic. That game was Seattle’s only loss of the season. Otherwise, they looked nearly perfect, with a resume highlighted by two wins over fellow Championship contenders, Bay Area.

This rivalry cuts deeper than just one good game earlier this year. In both Tempest’s 2022 and 2023 Championship wins, Super Bloom is the team they went through to do it in the final. For San Diego, this is an opportunity to exorcise some organizational demons, prove once and for all that this year’s team is different (despite a familiar core), and foster a sense of belief that they are destined to win it all. For Seattle, this is an opportunity to remind San Diego of who owned the first two years of the league, and why SD hasn’t won yet. It would foster a near-mythical sense of the way this program has consistently elevated its play come the postseason, and only cement to Tempest players and fans that this rivalry should be charitably described as “one-sided.”

It’ll be a special collection of talent on the field, too. Super Bloom is led by their two 2025 MVP finalists in Kaela Helton and Dena Elimelech (the WUL’s 2022 and 2023 MVP, and 2024 DPOTY winners, respectively), DPOTY finalist Kaitlyn Weaver, and 2024 MVP finalist and 2025 OPOTY finalist Kelli Iwamoto, forming a star-studded core. As has been mentioned before, the big difference from this year’s Super Bloom to previous iterations has been the way everyone has stepped up and contributed around the big stars. For Seattle, the ascension of Sadie Jezierski (2025 league leader in blocks, 2025 DPOTY finalist, and all-around menace on the field) behind the steady strength of Seattle’s deep roster has lifted Tempest back into prime contention for a title. All signs point to this game being an incredible one. Don’t miss it.

Colorado Alpenglow vs. Bay Area Falcons

In a reversal of fortunes from last year, Colorado comes into Championship Weekend undefeated since Week 9 of the 2024 regular season, and the favorite to win the 2025 WUL Championship. This year, Bay Area is the host, coming off a positive but inconsistent regular season, and looking to make some magic happen in the postseason, just as their opponents were a year ago. And Colorado will play the part of the best regular season team coming into Championship Weekend with momentum, looking to finish off an impressive record, just as Bay Area was a year ago.

What’s even more interesting is that these two teams have only played once before, back in 2023, a game that Bay Area won 15-14. Unlike our first 2025 Championship Weekend semifinal, these two teams are not very familiar with each other, having played in opposite divisions last year and not meeting this year. Falcons have not yet faced the elite downfield cutter depth that Alpenglow can roll out point after point with players like 2025 MVP finalist and 2024 MVP winner Abby Thorpe, 2025 MVP finalist Rory Veldman, 2025 BPOTY finalist Rena Kawabata, or a thrower like 2024 OPOTY winner and 2025 OPOTY finalist Ari Nelson. But the Falcons should feel confident in their defence with players like 2025 BPOTY and DPOTY finalist Georgia Cardosa to attack big matchups. Additionally, Colorado hasn’t faced a backfield with power throwers like 2025 MVP Finalist Robyn Fennig and 2024 MVP Finalist Han Chen either, who can move the disc from one side of the field to the other in an instant.

While these teams may not have the same history and knowledge of each other as the first semifinal has, there is no doubt they will be well prepared for what needs to happen in order to secure a berth in the WUL Championship Game. For Colorado, this is a chance to take one step closer towards the second undefeated season in WUL history, and the second back-to-back dynasty. For Bay Area, this is a chance to pull off an incredible upset, and set right the disappointment of last year’s team falling short so close to the finish line. The lights will be bright, it’ll be a primetime matchup with star-studded rosters, where both teams hope to continue their march towards WUL history.

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Don’t miss the action over championship weekend! Grab your tickets early to claim your space in the stands, find a watch party near you or catch the action live on the WUL YouTube Channel! On Semifinals Saturday, first catch 5-1 San Diego Super Bloom taking on 5-1 Seattle Tempest; then, undefeated 6-0 Colorado Alpenglow face off against 4-2 hosts Bay Area Falcons. Then on Sunday, watch the winners play for the 2025 WUL Championship!

2025 WUL Full Season Recap

Written by Noam Gumerman
WUL Lead Writer

Just like that, the 2025 WUL regular season has come and gone. Championship Weekend is  just a week away. Colorado Alpenglow, San Diego Super Bloom, Seattle Tempest, and Bay Area Falcons will all head to Oakland to compete for a WUL Championship. But a lot happened during the last few months to get us to this point–from the debut of a new team in the league, the first player in WUL history to hit 10,000 career yards gained, thrilling games going down to the wire, and so much more. Here’s a look back at all the action ahead of the postseason. 

The most obvious trend when looking at the standings is the clear division of the standings between the top four headed to Championship Weekend (Colorado, San Diego, Seattle, Bay Area) and the bottom three (Utah, Oregon, Arizona) who are not. So stark was the contrast between the top and bottom halves this year that we saw no upsets. The best four teams in the league took care of business against the bottom three. In past years, there were a couple of upsets that caused some late-season drama for Championship Weekend spots, but the top half of the league was fully locked in this year.

Another interesting league-wide trend was the uptick of zone defense used across the league. After a low usage year in  2024 (other than Seattle), zone came back with a force in 2025. The top two regular-season teams led the charge. Both San Diego Super Bloom and Colorado Alpenglow ran zone one-fifth of the time on defense, which helped propel them to 5-1 and 6-0 records, respectively. All year long these two teams used their zones to prevent opposing offenses from ever getting in rhythm against them, and it worked. Interestingly, after playing zone nearly 30% of the time last year and missing Championship Weekend for the first time, Seattle Tempest completely flipped their defensive philosophy to great success, and are returning to the final four this year.

COLORADO ALPENGLOW | Season Record: 6-0

Colorado Alpenglow finished as the only undefeated team during the regular season. Simply put — they dominated. After a 3-3 regular season last year, they were a bit of a Cinderella story winning twice in the postseason to take home the WUL Championship. However, this year they seem to have reached a new level. Last year, Ari Nelson and Abby Thorpe dominated the stats on offense for Colorado on their way to OPOTY and MVP honors. This year, Nelson and Thorpe had impressive seasons as well, but they picked up even bigger contributions than last year from returners like Rory Veldman, Bristol Lovoy, Jade McLaughlin, Sarah Itoh, and others. Alpenglow went 6-0, including a regular season finale 10-7* win over previously undefeated San Diego.

*game shortened due to inclement weather

San Diego Super Bloom | Season Record: 5-1

Speaking of San Diego, Super Bloom also had another incredible regular season. Five wins, one loss and looking dominant while doing so. Yes, Kaela Helton, Dena Elimelech and Kelli Iwamoto were stars once again, but the improved depth on Super Bloom was the big story. Helton and Elimelech did not play as much as they have in the past, and new additions and familiar faces alike came together to lighten the load. Kaitlyn Weaver, Rebecca Ellis, Avery Jones and Yu Ishii became the heart of a powerful engine that drove this team to another impressive season. They’ve done it with a much more balanced, sustainable method this year, and perhaps it will finally bear fruits on Championship Weekend for San Diego.

SEATTLE TEMPEST | Season Record: 5-1

Seattle Tempest also finished 5-1, and were just a point away from going 6-0, falling to San Diego in an OT thriller for their only loss. They will get a rematch for that universe point game at Championship Weekend against San Diego soon, though. After a down year in 2024, Tempest are back in the mix for a WUL title after winning two back-to-back in 2022 and 2023. This past year, Tempest made a lot of scheme changes that worked out well. They transitioned to a more traditional O-D line subbing system, played more tight person defense, and rode both decisions to five wins. But perhaps the biggest impact on their fortunes came from the otherworldly play of Sadie Jezierski this year. Jezierski was one of our preseason X-Factors, and played towards her ceiling this year. The league’s blocks leader was all over the field at all times, earning extra possessions for Tempest and helping convert them for extra scores. In addition to veterans like Cheryl Hsu who, as always, was a driving force, Julia Hasbrook was a breakout star for the Tempest as well. Seattle’s depth has always been one of their standout traits, and this year was no different. 

BAY AREA FALCONS | Season Record: 4-2

Bay Area Falcons are headed back to Championship Weekend, but unlike last year (top seed with the best regular season record), they come in as the fourth seed this year. The addition of Robyn Fennig made all the headlines across the regular season with her big numbers and impressive play with this squad. Han Chen had another solid campaign alongside her in the Bay Area backfield. But in the big moments for this team in the regular season, the team just didn't look as in sync as they did last year. They largely took care of business, but if Bay Area wants to play for a title, they are going to have to be peaking at the right time this year. 

UTAH WILD | Season Record: 1-5

For Utah Wild, a 1-5 regular season was a step back after an underdog run to the WUL Championship game last year. Last year, Wild made a name for themselves playing every team close, winning some games they shouldn’t have, and losing some games they shouldn’t have. This year, they couldn’t put themselves in those situations to steal games. They never found their rhythm on offense or defense. Paige Kercher, despite hitting 10,000 career yards during the season, was moved back and forth between offense and defense, and the chemistry on both lines suffered. There were some losses from the 2024 team that the 2025 version never really found the replacement production for, and while Kat Songer and Justine Cherwink stepped up with phenomenal seasons, the depth of the Wild lagged far behind those in the top four.

OREGON SOAR | Season Record: 0-6

Oregon Soar’s inaugural WUL season was marked by some flashes of brilliance coupled with the expected results of a team composed mostly of pro rookies. A winless season for the Soar is certainly disappointing, but they found some franchise cornerstones for Championship Weekend in the future. Noelle Takahashi, Jackie Riley, and Kimber Coles, amongst others, all provided big sparks for this team. Soar pushed Bay Area (twice) and Colorado to the brink more than any team outside the top four did. They showed a high ceiling and a low floor. If in 2026 this squad can raise their floor level of play and keep their ceiling high, they could be pushing for a spot in the final four sooner than we think. 

ARIZONA SIDEWINDERS | Season Record: 0-6

Arizona Sidewinders dropping from one win last year to no wins this year isn’t a big change in the grand scheme of things, but the way in which their games this year played out vs. how they did last year was disappointing. Last year, Sidewinders were another team that prided themselves on being a tough matchup for anyone. They didn’t manage to close games out very well, but they played just about everyone close. This year was a different story. Sidewinders were on the wrong end of some big blowouts. Their offensive core that served them so well last year was less productive than last year, as teams could really key in on the Arizona backfield as their engine. But the most significant regressions were on defense.  Back-to-back games with no breaks made dubious league history, but notching just 12 total across six games made it impossible to find a win.  Returners Paige Applegate and Melissa Dunn had standout individual seasons, and newcomer Brittay Stettmeier was a revelation. But for the team, it’s back to the drawing board for 2026.

2025 WUL Championship Weekend

Don’t miss the action over championship weekend! Grab your tickets early to claim your space in the stands, find a watch party near you or catch the action live on the WUL YouTube Channel! On Semifinals Saturday, first catch 5-1 San Diego Super Bloom taking on 5-1 Seattle Tempest; then, undefeated 6-0 Colorado Alpenglow face off against 4-2 hosts Bay Area Falcons. Then on Sunday, watch the winners play for the 2025 WUL Championship!

2025 WUL Season: Week 9 Recap

Written by Noam Gumerman
WUL Lead Writer

Week 9 saw six teams in play: Seattle made a statement win on the road over Oregon, Bay Area showed they know how to seal the deal at home against Utah Wild, and Colorado claimed the top seed over San Diego by gaining a lead through three quarters before weather ended the game early. Here’s how it all went down:

Seattle Tempest 17 - 10 Oregon Soar 

The Seattle Tempest swept the renewed Cascadia rivalry in 2025 with a comfortable 17-10 win over Oregon Soar to finish their season 5-1, while their rivals fell to 0-6 on their debut season. Soar hung tight for the second and fourth quarters, but it wasn’t enough to match Seattle’s output.

Seattle used a mix of tight person and zone defense to force Oregon’s offense into repeated arrows. No matter where on the field, Tempest defenders were hot on Soar’s heels. The first four points were marked by Soar near misses followed by Tempest conversions, allowing them to build a solid lead before Oregon stabilized. The windy conditions and Seattle’s stifling defense prevented Oregon from making any ground up. Seattle once again jumped out on Oregon at the start of the second half, and built their commanding halftime lead into an insurmountable one, as the Soar struggled once again to find their identity on offense as they closed out their season.

Sadie Jezierski turned in an otherworldly performance (2G, 5A, 2B, +5.5, 362Y) to lead Seattle to victory, while Hana Kawai (4A, 376Y) was an unstoppable throwing partner across from Jezierski. For Oregon, Clea Poklemba (1G, 3A, 4B) was once again a bright spot in a rough team game, as well as Emma Bartlett (3G, 247Y).

Bay Area Falcons 24 - 14 Utah Wild

The Bay Area Falcons captured some significant momentum ahead of hosting Championship Weekend with a 24-14 dismantling of Utah Wild. The Falcons finished the regular season 4-2, while Utah fell to 1-5. The Falcons’ first half against the Wild was functionally flawless. Across the first two quarters of play they dismantled Utah before coasting through the second half. They put up nine points in the second quarter alone on their way to a 14-5 halftime advantage. During the game, Bay Area converted 12 breaks (of 26 opportunities), which is more than the total number of break opportunities (11) the Wild generated.

The Bay Area defense forced Utah throwers to throw into tight windows and had the Wild giving up unforced or short field turnovers. Falcons are a team that thrives on making their opponents pay for their mistakes. At the end of the first quarter, Utah had the chance to get a stop with just 20 seconds left, but Bay Area easily marched down the field and converted a hold as time expired. Falcons carried that momentum into the second quarter where they ran away with the game - starting by going into half up 15-4.

Malina Wiebe (6G, 1B, 228Y) was unguardable downfield for Bay Area, and Robyn Fennig (2G, 3A, 3B, 438Y) turned in yet another masterpiece. This week though, the Falcons got big-time contributions from up and down their roster, really showcasing the depth that will make them dangerous in just a few weeks at Championship Weekend. For Utah, Kat Songer (1G, 3A, 430Y) and Paige Kercher (1G, 3A, 1B, 499Y) led the way again, but couldn’t get enough support around them to make it a competitive game.

Colorado Alpenglow 10 - 7 San Diego Super Bloom 

Unfortunately, the headline matchup between undefeated titans was marred by lightning delays, and eventually called early at with 9:40 left in the fourth quarter, Colorado Alpenglow up 10-7. The action we got largely lived up to the hype. San Diego jumped out to a 3-1 lead after the first quarter, effectively utilizing their zone to slow down the potent Colorado offense. However, they left a point or two on the table, missing break opportunities on Colorado’s first score of the game, and on the final point of the quarter. Super Bloom showed a way to prevent Colorado from scoring, which is something other teams have yet to find a recipe for.

As the clouds began to roll in though, Alpenglow found their stride. Their defense began to match Super Bloom’s and they began to create more opportunties and win some of these long points. They erased a 3-1 deficit and the teams ended the half tied at 4-4. But as the second half was set to begin, the first lightning delay began.

After a 90-minute halftime, the game began again. With Colorado picking up right where they left off, Abby Thorpe reopened the scoring on a beautiful deep shot from Rory Veldman. This set the tone out of the delay, as Colorado broke twice more to take a three-goal lead they would maintain throughout the third quarter. Alpenglow looked readier to return from the delay than Super Bloom did, but Super Bloom stabilized, finishing the quarter holding their deficit at just three points. 

We were all set for a thrilling finish before the bad weather returned and forced another delay with Colorado in possession, looking to break to start off the fourth quarter. But this one lasted for over an hour before the game was ended due to continued lightning. It is hard not to feel cheated as a fan - was San Diego going to pull off the upset? Would Colorado assert dominance on their home turf? Who knows how an uninterrupted game would have played out.

The stars were out in full force on Sunday, especially Rory Veldman (2G, 2A, 425Y, 0T) and Abby Thorpe (2G, 1B, 276Y) for Colorado, and Kaela Helton (2G, 1B, 221Y) for San Diego. We may get this matchup again at Championship Weekend in a few short weeks, but until then we’ll be left with an unfinished feeling.

Championship Weekend!

Don’t miss the action over championship weekend! Grab your tickets early to claim your space in the stands, find a watch party near you or catch the action live on the WUL YouTube Channel! On Semifinals Saturday, first catch 5-1 San Diego Super Bloom taking on 5-1 Seattle Tempest; then, undefeated 6-0 Colorado Alpenglow face off against 4-2 hosts Bay Area Falcons. Then on Sunday, watch the winners play for the 2025 WUL Championship!

2025 WUL Season: Week 9 Preview

Written by Noam Gumerman
WUL Lead Writer

It’s the final week of the 2025 WUL regular season already. But as a little teaser before Championship Weekend, there are three games this weekend. All four teams going to Championship Weekend are playing, and the game between undefeated San Diego Super Bloom and undefeated Colorado Alpenglow for the number one seed caps it off. Here’s everything you need to know:

Game 1: Seattle Tempest @ Oregon Soar
Saturday, May 17 | 2:30pm PT
Portland, OR

Seattle and Oregon face off once again in the Cascadia rivalry to close their regular seasons. For each team, there is still a lot at stake. Seattle can leapfrog into second over Alpenglow though if their win is big enough and San Diego wins over Colorado. Beyond seeding implications, this is a chance to make a final statement ahead of the postseason. After a rough 2024, they have surpassed all expectations so far in 2025. They have proven themselves among the league's best, and can solidify a spot as title contenders by taking care of business and finishing the season 5-1. These teams played back in Week 2, and it was a blowout for Seattle. A similar result this weekend would reflect positively on the Tempest’s growth throughout the season.

For Oregon, they have a chance to end their season with a win against their local rivals and one more chance to avoid going winless in their debut as the Soar. A winless 0-6 wouldn’t do justice to their 2025 debut season. They’ve put together some flashes of electric ultimate on the field this season. However, they have not been able to find that extra gear consistently across four quarters of a game to earn a win yet. Their first game against Seattle back in Week 2 was the first game in franchise history, and the first ever WUL game for most of the players on the Soar’s roster. Now, with a full season of experience, the Soar have a tough task ahead of them. Seattle has been cruising all season long, and look more like the franchise that won back-to-back WUL titles in 2022-23. A win this week for Oregon will be the result of their team coming together at the right time and showing their best across four quarters of the game.

Staff Pick: Seattle 18- 14 Oregon


Game 2: Utah Wild @ Bay Area Falcons
Saturday, May 16 | 6pm PT
Oakland, CA

Bay Area gets to settle in for Championship Weekend even earlier than everyone else, hosting their season finale ahead of hosting Championship Weekend in a few short weeks. Meanwhile, Utah is on the road looking to string together two wins in a row to end their season on a high note, and to force the Falcons into some tough conversations ahead of the postseason. So far, the Falcons have taken care of business against the teams below them in the standings, and have lost two tight games to Seattle where they were still able to put on a strong performance. The backfield of Robyn Fennig and Han Chen has been exciting, but the Falcons haven’t been the best team top to bottom in the regular season like they were in 2024. A best-case scenario might be getting pushed more than they think and getting more reps in high-pressure situations ahead of Championship Weekend. An up-and-down regular season won’t matter at all if they can pull off some magic in a few weeks, and this is their last chance to prep for that.

Utah Wild aren’t battling for playoff positioning or prepping for Championship Weekend. Their season ends after this game, and regardless of whether or not they win, it’ll be disappointing not to return to Championship Weekend after finishing last year one game away from a title. But they found a winning formula against Arizona last week and have another opportunity to build positive momentum going into the off-season. Paige Kercher’s O-line return was a success and helped the whole team find its stride for the first time all year. Look for more of the same this week. It’ll be an uphill battle for sure, but this core showed an ability to win games like this last year. Do they still have it in them to end 2025 on a win?

Staff Pick: Bay Area 14 - 12 Utah

Game 3: San Diego Super Bloom @ Bay Area Falcons
Sunday, May 17 | 11am PT
Thornton, CO

This is the big one. The final game of the 2025 WUL regulal season features the two heaviest hitters of the year: 5-0 San Diego Super Bloom travelling to 5-0 Colorado Alpenglow. The defending champs hosting the most dominant regular season team in the league’s history vs the best team not to win it all. What more could you ask for to whet your appetite ahead of Championship Weekend? For San Diego, their defense has led the way. They’ve been stifling opponents with a variety of defensive looks and roster 3 of the league’s top 10 block getters (Elimelich, Helton and Weaver, with Pojunis lacing up this weekend as well). Offensively they still have the stars, but it’s more of a balanced effort than it’s been in the past, and there’s a deeper squad behind the biggest names. This may be the best iteration of the Super Bloom yet. But they still have to win when it counts. Finishing the season undefeated will cement their belief that this could finally be their year.

Colorado doesn’t need to win this week to know they can at Championship Weekend–they did it last year. But a win this week would be something truly special. An undefeated title defense will be on the the table going into the postseason. Not to mention it would come off the backs of their biggest challengers to their throne of the 2025 season so far. This group is experienced, but they’ve also been ruthless, blowing teams away that aren’t up for the challenge. And while they haven’t always found that top gear, they’ve still gutted out wins when they did not play their best. They’ve displayed the championship mentality that powered them to two wins at Championship Weekend last year. And you just know they are relishing this battle of the undefeated teams the same way Super Bloom are. 

This is possibly the most exciting matchup in the regular season ever in the WUL. Both teams undefeated. One defending last year’s title, the other hoping to use this as a launching pad to their first. Not to mention league awards like MVP could very well be decided based on this game. You do not want to miss it.

Staff Prediction: Colorado 18 - 16 San Diego

2025 WUL Season: Week 8 Recap

Written by Noam Gumerman
WUL Lead Writer

Week 8 was not a week for surprises in the WUL. The final two undefeated teams in the league took care of business and will face off next week to determine who will remain undefeated and take the top overall seed into Championship Weekend. San Diego Super Bloom blew out Oregon Soar 22-10, while the Arizona Sidewinders played Colorado much closer in their second meeting of the year but still lost 22-16. Here’s how it all went down:

Game 1: San Diego Super Bloom 22 - 10 Oregon Soar

For a team with the most regular season in WUL history, you would think raising the bar each year would be challenging. But this may be the best San Diego has ever looked in the WUL. They cruised to a victory against Oregon in which they hardly seemed to break a sweat. With 6:24 left in the second quarter, Super Bloom scored on a Dena Elimelech to Kaela Helton connection. That score was a break to put them up 11-5 over Oregon, and effectively erased a break Soar had earned just two points prior. At this point, even if San Diego had not scored the rest of the game, they wtill woul have won. That’s how stifling Super Bloom played against Oregon. 

While San Diego has been succeeding with contributions from up and down the roster this year, this game was a bit of a throwback where they simply had the best players on the field wreaking havoc on their opponent. Not only did Kaela Helton and Dena Elimelech put up huge numbers (2G 4A 2B 426Y and 1G 2A 5B 240Y, respectively) but they repeatedly bailed out San Diego whenever they looked remotely stressed by Oregon’s defense. Speaking of San Diego’s stars, there were plenty of opportunities for other Super Bloom players to shine (especially when Oregon threw some zone defense). Rebecca Ellis had a big day (4A 3B 268Y) and Kelli Iwamoto (3G 2B 277Y 0T) showed off her quiety efficiency, driving the team team forward out of the handler space.

Ultimately, this week was a step backwards for Soar. They’d put together three competitive performances in a row prior to this game, and while there were growing pains that were evident as they’ve navigated their inaugural season, there were a lot of bright spots too. This week’s trip south showed more of their growing pains. They had moments where they could’ve pushed the game closer, but never capitalized, unlike in previous weeks. One moment that stuck out was at 11-6 they used both first half timeouts on the same point trying to punch a break in, and couldn’t convert and still gave up the hold. It was always going to be an uphill battle against one of the best teams in the league, but the increased pressure from Super Bloom only made it more apparent that the Soar are still trying to settle in to WUL offense and find their primary options. Jackie Riley (2G 1A 2B 190Y 0.5T) was one of the lone bright spots. Oregon has another tough matchup against Seattle Tempest next week, but they face Tempest at home and last time Oregon had a big loss, they brought the fire the following week. Don’t count them out just yet.

Game 2: Colorado Alpenglow 22 - 16 Arizona Sidewinders

Colorado Alpenglow matched their opponents for next week (San Diego) at 5-0 with a convincing win against the Arizona Sidewinders in the late game Saturday evening. Meanwhile, the Sidewinders finished 2025 winless at 0-6. Colorado turned an early 5-4 advantage into a 9-5 lead, and then, before Arizona could react, quickly stretched that into a 16-5 lead. They have an ability to just chain together breaks in a way that no other team in the league has been able to match. The 2024 MVP Abby Thorpe (1G 4A 3B 569Y) had her best game of the season, working into the handler set a little more than we’ve seen previously. But all that did was free up more space downfield for Alpenglow’s other athletes to run wild over the Sidewinders: Jade McLaughlin (6G 261Y 0T), Rory Veldman (3G 1A 1B 346Y 0.5T,) and Rena Kawabata (3G 1A 2B 342Y) were all unstoppable. This Colorado team is so potent, and can deliver from any number of their players in any given game. As Championship Weekend approaches, their opponents will need to find a way to slow down the Colorado offense. 

For Arizona, they kept some bright spots including a break to open the game and also winning the fourth quarter. Both mark significant improvements over their first matchup against the Alpenglow, but not anywhere near enough to earn a win. Sidewinders had some key departures (Carly Garrett, Nora Landri, Maggie O’Connor) and injuries (Kez Gesell, Kody Lippincott, Lindsey Doyle) from last year, making their winless season disappointing, but not surprising. Nearly every game the Sidewinders played last year they were in, even if they only won one. But this year they were not able to hang with teams in the same way. This game was a just a microcosm of that. There were some big individual moments, Paige Applegate (4A 592Y) had her best game of the year, and really made you wonder about this team’s potential had she been uninjured for all six games rather than just four. Melissa Dunn (3G 2A 315Y) also put a bow on an impressive individual season. But the team as a whole just couldn’t gel as much as they needed. Too many times they were unable to move the disc down the field against Colorado’s pressure, and gave Alpenglow short field opportunities. It’ll be a long offseason for the Sidewinders as they try to find the right fit for the pieces they have (or maybe recruit some fresh talent!)

2025 WUL Season: Week 8 Preview

Written by Noam Gumerman
WUL Lead Writer

There are just two weeks left of the 2025 WUL Regular Season, and Week 8’s action starts tomorrow! This weekend, the two undefeated league leaders take on the two still-winless teams as Oregon travels to San Diego, and Colorado travels to Arizona. While these matchups may look lopsided on paper, both Oregon and Arizona are desperately running out of time to find their first wins of the season and that may fuel tight games. Here’s what you need to know ahead of Week 8.

Game 1: Oregon Soar @ San Diego Super Bloom
Saturday, May 10 | 4pm PT
San Diego, CA

In past years, despite consistently impressive regular season performances, San Diego had always fallen short of the crown. This year they are sitting 4-0 with three dominant victories – this may be the best a Super Bloom team has ever looked in the regular season. And that is really saying something. Yes, we will find out more about this team as they finish out the season and head to Championship Weekend, but they’ve risen to every challenge so far this year. The core of Kaela Helton and Dena Elimelech remains as dominant as ever, but the pieces they’ve added  around them in Kaitlyn Weaver, Avery Jones, Alex Diaz, and many more, have all taken some of the load off in a way that was sorely needed last year. Additionally, the real game changer has been their vastly increased usage of zone defense, the most they’ve run since 2022, that has stifled every opponent they’ve faced so far. Their offense hasn’t needed to be as explosive and their stars haven’t had to carry as heavy a load when their defense has set them up for so much success. Oregon will first and foremost need to crack the zone consistently and efficiently to find success in this matchup. 

For Oregon Soar, their challenge remains the same, it’s been this whole inaugural season: can they play four complete quarters of professional ultimate? Can they put themselves in a position to battle for a win on equal footing rather than frantically coming back from a large deficit? Slow starts and inconsistent play through the middle halves of games have doomed their last three contests. They’ve consistently shown flashes of brilliance against the top four teams, better than any team outside that group has, but they have yet to put it all together. Part of that is what comes naturally with being a new team and lacking the pro experience other teams have. They haven’t fully fleshed out their identity yet, they don’t have their go-to options in big moments yet either. But this is all valuable experience for the large portion of this team that will likely be back in 2026. They’re very capable of pulling off an upset this season. San Diego cannot afford to overlook them this week.

Staff Pick: San Diego 23- 16 Oregon


Game 2: Colorado Alpenglow @ Arizona Sidewinders
Saturday, May 10 | 7pm PT
Tempe, AZ

Colorado Alpenglow have won a league-best six games in a row dating back to the start of 2024 Championship Weekend, and look poised to extend that streak to seven this week. Their formula has largely remained the same across all games: electrifying, impossible-to-stop offense. Despite the majority of the league having already played five games to Colorado’s four, Alpenglow have still scored the most goals in the league across the 2025 regular season. At the hub of their success remains Ari Nelson. Colorado’s center handler has followed up their 2024 OPOTY win with one potentially worthy of MVP. Their 18 assisst and nearly 1,900 throwing yards in just four games leads the team and league, and Nelson has been spoiled for choice with the best array for downfield targets in the WUL. No team Alpenglow has faced has had an answer for Rory Veldman, Sarah Itoh, Bristol Lovoy, Abby Thorpe, Sarah Levinn, Allysha Dixon, or any other Colorado receiver. This group blew Arizona away 26-12 last time they played in a game that got out of hand really quickly. All signs point to the same outcome being most likely this weekend.

Arizona has a monumental mountain to climb to get a win this weekend. Their last game against the Alpenglow was a historic blowout where they did not register a single break. Last week they traveled to Utah looking to get their first win of the year against their easiest (on paper) opponent. They started strong but faded late, surrendering an 8-3 fourth quarter in favor of the Wild to put the game well out of reach. Additionally, they are the only team finishing out their schedule this week, so it’s now or never if they are going to avoid going winless in 2025. It’s not like they are coming in with no momentum though. Melissa Dunn won WUL Week 7 Player of the Week with her 4G/4A 455Y performance, and Brittany Stettmeier had five goals of her own last week. For receiving yards, Arizona had the top 4 leaders last week including Stettmeier and Dunn. It’s going to take more than great individual performances for the Sidewinders this week though. Colorado looks to be an unbreakable team, so if the Sidewinders want to end 2025 on a high note, they're going to need to turn in their first great team performance of the year, up and down their entire roster.

Staff Pick: Colorado 20 - 14 Arizona

2025 WUL Season: Week 7 Recap

Written by Noam Gumerman
WUL Lead Writer

In a packed Week 7, Utah Wild secured their first win of the season over Arizona Sidewinders, and Bay Area Falcons split their road trip at Seattle Tempest and Oregon Soar, resulting in Tempest and Falcons securing the third and fourth spots at Championship Weekend. Here’s how it all went down:

Game 1: Utah Wild 22 - 15 Arizona Sidewinders

Utah Wild won its first game of the season with a seven-point victory over the still-winless Arizona Sidewinders. Arizona jumped out to a lead to start the game, going up 3-1 to start and ending the first quarter up 4-3. The first half was hotly contested ending 8-8, but, at home and in front of a big crowd, Utah cruised in the second half. For Arizona, Paige Applegate (3A, 410ThY) and Melissa Dunn (4G, 4A, 458Y) got off to hot starts and stayed unstoppable all day long. But even adding five goals from Brittany Stettmeier wasn’t enough for the Sidewinders, and they fatigued as the game went on. Whether from playing at altitude, the pressure Utah put on their offense, or the pressure to win a tight game, it was too much. Even throwing and catching the centering pass became too much at times. The Utah Wild defense ran, well, wild, in the second half chaining breaks together multiple times across a dominant 14-7 second half.

For Utah, their first win of the season came from finding part of their identity from last year again. Paige Kercher’s (1G, 3A, 1B, 499Y) big day saw her back to playing exclusively O-line, and become the first WUL player to cross the 10,000 total career yards threshold. She got support via big days from Kat Songer (1G, 3A, 368ThY), and Liz Bunderson (3A, 2B, 301ThY). In fact, there were big performances from up and down the entire Wild roster. Everyone got in on the action giving Utah a true team win. Utah used relentless efficiency to put the game out of reach. And as the Sidewinders' short field turnovers piled up, so too did the Utah break conversions. Wild ended the day converting 9/17 break opportunities, and 80% of their red zone possessions. That killer instinct from the entire team powered them to a big win.

Game 2: Seattle Tempest 11 - 10 Bay Area Falcons

The winner of this game would clinch a spot at Championship Weekend, and the loser would be left with work to do and a mounting sense of pressure. Seattle’s comeback win left Bay Area picking itself up off the mat to take care of business on Sunday. It was a tight, windy, physical defensive battle that the Falcons got the better of for the first three quarters. Each team had numerous opportunities to score, but the elements and defensive pressure were both incredibly effective at stifling offense. Eliza Pugh (3A, 1B, 346Y), Robyn Fennig (1G, 522Y), and Han Chen (1G, 2A, 296Y) led the way as the Falcons built an 8-5 lead part-way through the third quarter.

Sometime in the third quarter, Tempest flipped a switch. Through the final stretch of the game, Tempest went on a 6-2 run to take an 11-9 lead before Bay Area finally punched in a goal with under a minute left to bring it back to a one-point game. The Seattle defense had slowly built pressure across four quarters of ultimate until it was impossible for Bay Area to navigate. Once Seattle had the disc, they operated with ruthless efficiency to put the game away and complete the comeback. 

Ikran Elmi (1A, 4B, 195ThY) was a huge part of Seattle’s late turnaround, turning in her best performance of the season highlighted by some lockdown defense in the critical moments. Sadie Jezierski (1G, 1A, 3B, 200Y) continues to be an absolute menace up and down and all over the field, but especially on the defensive side of the disc. Drea Baroma (2A, 2B, 212Y) played a key role downfield for Seattle, helping move the disc and earn blocks in a game where nothing was easy. Tempest’s win leaves them in a good position - when they travel to the Bay for Championship Weekend, they’re unlikely to be the fourth seed (and thus face the regular-season winner in semifinals). While there was little remaining doubt, this win for Seattle fully solidifies it: Tempest is back.

Game 3: Bay Area Falcons 11 - 9 Oregon Soar

After their second loss to Seattle this season on Saturday, Bay Area Falcons dug deep and delivered a solid performance to lock up their second win over Oregon Soar this year and their spot at Championship Weekend. And unfortunately for Oregon, they let their best chance of their final three games to find that first win get away from them. It was another slog for the Falcons; they got the better of the early half of the game. A sloppy, long, first quarter ended up just 1-1, with both teams missing numerous chances to grab an early lead during some marathon points. But the Falcons responded across the middle half of the game, going 9-3 for a 10-4 lead after three quarters. Oregon was able to bring it back within two, but once again they were unable to dial it in for a complete game. And once again, if they’d started stronger, their late-game push could’ve been enough to pick up a win, instead of just shortening the gap. 

McKinley McQuaide (3A, 203Y) stepped up big for the Falcons as they established and built their lead. So did Eliza Pugh (1G, 2A, 171Y) with a very solid game of her own. Soar just didn’t have any answers for the poise of Bay Area’s veterans, and didn’t get any kind of rally going until it was too late. A 5-1 fourth quarter made the final score more respectable, but once again Oregon had dug themselves in a hole too deep to climb out of. Eliana Norton (4B, 177Y), Raina Kamrat (3B), and Jackie Riley (1G, 1A, 4B) all tried their best to pull off what would have been a second stunner against Bay Area, but to no avail. It’s been incredibly evident over the last three games that for Soar, many of the pieces to be successful are in place. They’re just not all connecting yet. But once they are…watch out.

2025 WUL Season: Week 7 Preview

Written by Noam Gumerman
WUL Lead Writer

Week 6 of the WUL season is the first where Championship Weekend clinching scenarios are officially in play! By the end of this week, two teams might have locked up their spot in Championship Weekend 2025. If Colorado Alpenglow win at home against Utah Wild this weekend, they will clinch a spot at Championship Weekend where they will seek for back-to-back WUL titles. Additionally, the winner of Seattle Tempest and San Diego Super Bloom’s clash of undefeated 3-0 teams will clinch a spot in the top four heading to Championship Weekend. There is so much to look forward to this weekend with the top 3 teams in the league on the cusp of clinching. Here’s what you need to know:

Game 1: Arizona Sidewinders @ Utah Wild
Saturday, May 3 | 3 pm PT
Zions Bank Stadium | Herriman, UT

Arizona and Utah are each looking for their first win of the year. For both teams, 0-4 starts means they are just about out of contention for a Championship Weekend spot with only two games still to play. And while their postseason ultimate dreams are long shots, these may be the two hungriest teams in the league. Arizona has had a brutal schedule to start, playing San Diego twice, Colorado, and Bay Area, three teams with a combined 10-1 record. To come away with their first win of the year, Sidewinders will have to play four consistent quarters on both sides of the disc, and be efficient on offense to maintain holds and convert break opportunities. Utah’s schedule tells a similar story, having seen Colorado twice, San Diego, and Seattle. But Wild have shown more spark in their defeats, especially recently. They had a strong start against Super Bloom in Week 3, and against Colorado last week they jumped to a lead, then later had multiple late opportunities to tie. Wild probably have a little more firepower to work with on paper than Sidewinders, Lily Terpstra continues to be incredible on the offensive line with Kat Songer and Kyra Khoroujnikova, but Paige Kercher has not found her stride yet since switching to the defensive line. Arizona has heavy hitters who can show up when it counts too in Chip Chang and LP Aragon. It’s anyone’s game to kick off Week 7 action.

Staff Pick: Utah 17 - 14 Arizona


Game 2: Bay Area Falcons @ Seattle Tempest
Saturday, May 3 | 7:30pm PT
Seattle Memorial Stadium | Seattle, WA

Bay Area head North to Seattle for part one of their weekend double header. Both the Falcons and Tempest have had fantastic starts to their season, with just one loss each to one of the two undefeated teams still remaining. For Falcons, their deep, talented roster has been bolstered as expected by a big time addition in Robyn Fennig. And while they’ve looked good through their first three games, this is their chance to further gel as a team and assert themselves as the next biggest contenders for the WUL Championship behind Colorado and San Diego. It’s a similar story for a resurgent Tempest squad. Cheryl Hsu and Sadie Jezierski have been the beating hearts behind the Tempest’s rise back up the WUL standings. A win this Saturday would heal the wounds from a brutal one-goal overtime loss last week to San Diego. At home, in the likely windy conditions, Seattle should be in their comfort zone and feast. But Bay Area are one of the few teams that can match Seattle throwing and strategizing in such conditions. This game has big implications across the league. Whoever wins is still in contention for number one overall seed, plus with a win Seattle clinches a Championship Weekend spot, and if Bay Area can beat either Seattle or Oregon, they eliminate Arizona and Utah from Championship Weekend.

Staff Pick: Seattle 18 - Bay Area 17

Game 3: Bay Area Falcons @ Oregon Soar
Sunday, May 4 | 3:30pm PT
UO Portland Campus | Portland, OR

Bay Area travels south on their way home for a game against Oregon Soar. Their stakes for this game will largely depend on how they do against Seattle. Either Bay Area will be looking to put the pressure on Colorado and San Diego by moving to 4-1 with two wins on the weekend, or they’ll be looking to avoid Oregon making the final playoff spot with a 0-2 road trip if they lose to Oregon on Sunday. Like Arizona and Utah, Soar are desperate for their first win of the year. Unlike their counterparts though, Oregon has one fewer game played and are more in control of their destiny. They’ve been an exciting team to watch through three games played in their inaugural season. Besides their opening thwacking by Seattle, Soar have played the Alpenglow and this Falcons team tight. They’ve yet to put together a full game of elite play though. They’ve had spurts, bursts, and dramatic comeback attempts where they’ve shown spats of playoff level play. But it hasn’t all come together just yet. Can they hit their stride at home against a team on their second game of the weekend? It won’t be easy, but if Soar want to push for a playoff spot in their first season, this is the time to start winning.

Staff Pick: Oregon 15 - 13 Bay Area

2025 WUL Season: Week 6 Recap

Written by Noam Gumerman
WUL Lead Writer

Week 6 was blockbuster nonstop action across both games. Two tightly contested matches, ending in two clinched spots at Championship Weekend. First, Colorado got the best of Utah for the third time in their last 3 matchups, dating back to the Championship Game last year. Alpenglow have locked up a spot back in the final four and will be defending their title on the biggest stage in the WUL. Down south in San Diego, the Super Bloom beat Seattle Tempest in an instant classic between the two rivals and previously undefeated teams, in a back-and-forth game that ended in overtime with a buzzer-beater for the win. Here’s how it all went down.

Game 1: Colorado Alpenglow 18 - 15 Utah Wild

The Colorado Alpenglow have clinched a spot at 2025 Championship Weekend the same way they ended the 2024 Championship Weekend, with a win over the Utah Wild. It wasn’t as dominant or in control as their previous two wins though. Utah came out hungry to start the game, taking an early 5-2 lead with just under 30 seconds left in the first quarter behind a hot start from Lily Terpstra (5G, 2A, 2B, 412Y) who would go on to have an incredible day despite the loss. Unfortunately for Wild, Alpenglow were able to move the disc down the field and finish the first quarter with a beautiful Rena Kawabata huck to Jade McLaughlin to bring the score within two. From there, this 2025 version of the Alpenglow came to life. No single or small group of players dominated their matchup, instead, the full team showed their chemistry as they turned that 30 second possession into the beginning of an 8-3 run to take half up three.

To Utah’s credit, their second half showed a level of resilience they’d yet to display this season. They fought tooth and nail with one of the strongest teams in the league til the end of the game. In previous weeks, when they got in a hole, they were unable to recover. But this week they stayed in contact with the Alpenglow through the third quarter, and were able to bring it back within one point at 15-14 and 16-15 late in the fourth quarter. They had the disc with an opportunity to tie the game on both points as well. Devastatingly though after forcing a short field turnoverat 16-15, Utah called a timeout they didn’t have, and with their ensuing possession Colorado scored to put the game beyond Utah’s reach in just two throws. There are no moral victories this late into the season. This will just be a tough pill for Wild to swallow, but shows just how resilient this team is.

Game 2: San Diego Super Bloom 16 - 15 Seattle Tempest

Saturday night in San Diego was an all-time WUL classic. Not only was it a matchup between two 3-0 teams vying for a playoff spot (with the inside track towards the top seed), not only was it a battle between two of the biggest powerhouses in the league (with history between them), it was an absolute thriller - ending on a game-winning overtime buzzer-beater for San Deigo. This win was huge for San Diego. They started the game in control, cruising through the first half despite missing six big names at home, including Kaela Helton and Kirsten Pojunis, and built a 9-6 halftime lead. The high usage of zone defense by Super Bloom remains effective, as their opponents struggle to be both patient and assertive enough to swing the disc during the seven-second stall.

As the second half progressed, Tempest began to claw their way back into he game. Beyond some absolute heroics from Sadie Jezierski (4A, 5B, 400Y) and Lauren Page (4G, 3B, 0.5T) Seattle found their rhythm against San Diego. Under more confident Seattle pressure, Super Bloom felt their missing stars and started to slow down. At 13-10 SD with under five minutes left, Tempest put together a goal line stand coming off of a San Diego timeout, marched down the field and cut the lead back to two. Seattle then broke three times in a row to take a 14-13 lead with just 27 seconds left. But San Diego stabilized just in time, and Avery Jones (2G, 3A, 511Y) pulled down a contested deep shot with the clock showing 0:00 to send the game to overtime. 

In overtime, a tightly contested period started with a Super Bloom break and Tempest hold leaving us tied at 15-15 as the game approached its dramatic conclusion. Once again Super Bloom received a pull with under a minute left to play, but this time they had a chance to win. They worked the disc all the way down to just yards outside of the end zone, and seemed to turn over the buzzer-beater attempt, but got a timeout in with two seconds to go. Out of the timeout, Kelli Iwamoto broke free on a front-of-stack, breakside play for the win, leaving Tempest stunned. Dena Elimelech (3G, 1A, 1B, 491Y) and Kaitlyn Weaver (2G, 1A, 3B, 380Y) carried San Diego and showed they can get it done no matter who of their stars are on the field. Seattle showed their ability to fight back into a game, and got a chance to flex their overtime chops which could prove useful heading deeper into the season.

2025 WUL Season: Week 6 Preview

Written by Noam Gumerman
WUL Lead Writer

Week 6 of the WUL season is the first where Championship Weekend clinching scenarios are officially in play! By the end of this week, two teams might have locked up their spot in Championship Weekend 2025. If Colorado Alpenglow win at home against Utah Wild this weekend, they will clinch a spot at Championship Weekend where they will seek for back-to-back WUL titles. Additionally, the winner of Seattle Tempest and San Diego Super Bloom’s clash of undefeated 3-0 teams will clinch a spot in the top four heading to Championship Weekend. There is so much to look forward to this weekend with the top 3 teams in the league on the cusp of clinching. Here’s what you need to know:

Game 1: Utah Wild @ Colorado Alpenglow
Saturday, April 26 | 1 pm PT
Pinnacle Athletic Stadium | Thornton, CO

The two participants in last year’s Championship game are on opposite trajectories this year. The defending champions, Colorado Alpenglow, have not let up,, racing out to a 3-0 record. The 2024 runners-up, Utah Wild, have yet to find their stride from last season, starting out 0-3. However, Utah has had a brutal schedule to start the season, playing all three currently undefeated teams, including a Week 1 22-15 loss to Colorado. It’s do or die for a return to Championship Weekend for Utah. The O-line has struggled for chemistry at times this year and will need to step up if they want to match the efficiency of Colorado. Part of that struggle to find chemistry has been the result of Paige Kercher moving to Utah’s defensive line, which has also limited her usually staggering production. 

For Colorado, it’s been smooth sailing. They are entering Week 6 after a week off and a dominant win over Arizona in which they did not allow a single break. With almost their whole offensiveline returning from 2024, their offense has only been more dynamic and harder to stop in 2025. If they play like they have all season, they will clinch a chance to defend their title at Championship Weekend.

Staff Pick: Colorado 26 - 16 Utah


Game 2: Seattle Tempest @ San Diego Super Bloom
Saturday, April 26 | 6pm PT
Mission Bay High School | San Diego, CA

This is the biggest game of the 2025 WUL season so far! Two 3-0 teams going head to head to secure their spot at Championship Weekend. The history between these two teams make it even more dramatic. Tempest beat Super Bloom twice for WUL titles in 2022 and 2023, and when San Diego finally beat them for the first time ever (1-4 all time against Seattle) in 2024, they were still unable to take the trophy at champ weekend. San Diego is hungrier than they’ve ever been, but they’ll be missing key pieces in Kaela Helton, Abbi Shilts and Kristen Pojunis this weekend. This is their biggest test of 2025. They’ve looked incredible in wins over Utah and Arizona (twice) and this is their first chance to prove they can do it over another title contender as well. They’re deeper than they’ve ever been, and are a well-oiled machine. A win here would be an incredible boost to confidence and belief. 

After Seattle missed out on Championship Weekend last year, there’ll be no better way to make the “we’re back” statement than to clinch a spot over San Diego this weekend. This is a chance to reclaim their spot at the top of the pecking order (for now) and remind San Diego of 2022 and 2023. It would put the rest of the league on notice, and likely rocket the number one favorite status across the league. Seattle has their main stars traveling to San Diego, only missing Hana Kawai. The weather calls for possible rain in the forecast, and with the Helton/Pojunis combo missing, can Seattle impress their will on San Diego? Catch this one live at 6pmPT  on the league YouTube channel!

Staff Pick: San Diego 15 - Seattle 16

2025 WUL Season: Week 5 Recap

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).

2025 WUL Season: Week 5 Preview

Written by Noam Gumerman
WUL Lead Writer

During this weekend of WUL action, we will cross the halfway threshold for the 2025 regular season! Oregon Soar, Bay Area Falcons, and San Diego Super Bloom will all play their third game of the season while Arizona Sidewinders will be the first team to hit four games. Each team has something different they are playing for, and the playoff picture is beginning to solidify. Here’s everything to look out for in Week 5 of the 2025 WUL Season.

Game 1: Oregon Soar @ Bay Area Falcons
Saturday, April 19 | 4pm PT
Fremont High School | Oakland, CA

Oregon Soar traveling to the Bay Area to take on the Falcons may just be the most compelling matchup of the 2025 season so far. Oregon is still looking for their first win as a franchise, however, they nearly pulled off a furious comeback against Colorado Alpenglow in the second half of Week 3. Soar really looked like they turned a corner in their second game, in large part thanks to the incredible duo of Noelle Takahashi and Kimber Coles. With a win this weekend, Oregon would have the inside track to a playoff spot. The Falcons meanwhile, are coming off a tight loss to a resurgent Seattle Tempest squad, and have fallen behind after being the best regular season team in the league last year. If Bay Area can rebound and find their form, they will build a clear divide between the top four teams in the league, and everyone else. A loss here would raise some concerns and doubts about Bay Area’s ability to make Championship Weekend, and offer a lot of hope to the three currently winless teams. But Bay Area will still be the heavy favorites, despite the results from Week 3. Bay Area’s experience and deep roster, as well as playing at home, should leave them as favorites, but Oregon has all the momentum, and are hungry for their first win.

Staff Pick: Bay Area 13 - Oregon 9


Game 2: San Diego Super Bloom @ Arizona Sidewinders
Saturday, April 19 | 7pm PT
Tempe High School | Tempe, AZ

In our second Week 5 matchup, we have a very David vs. Goliath battle. On one side, we have a humming, in-sync machine of a team in San Diego Super Bloom, who are 2-0, have won both games by an average of nine points each, and are deeper and more star-studded as a roster than they’ve ever been. On the other, we have an Arizona Sidewinders team on the heels of a huge blowout loss to Colorado, still looking for their identity, their first win, and 0 - 6 all-time record against San Diego. It’s going to take a herculean effort for Arizona to pull off the upset. Last year, they were able to take San Diego down to the wire both times these teams played. Three weeks ago though, San Diego cruised to a 23-14 win over Arizona. In that matchup, Arizona could not create even half as many break opportunities as San Diego did, and converted less than a quarter of what their opponents did. They’ll have to play better on both sides of the disc, and rise to the occasion in the clutch moments in a way they couldn’t last year if they want to pull off the upset.

Staff Pick: San Diego 20 - Arizona 16

2025 WUL Season: Week 4 Recap

Written by Noam Gumerman
WUL Lead Writer

Another week has come and gone, and with it the top half of the league continues to separate themselves from the bottom half in the standings. In last weekend’s games, two of the top teams of the 2025 WUL season made clear statements about their 2025 goals, with defending WUL Champion Colorado Alpenglow and the only two-time champion franchise Seattle Tempest each cruising to 3-0 records. Meanwhile, both the Arizona Sidewinders and Utah Wild fell to 0-3, digging themselves into big holes that push this year’s championships further out of reach. Here’s how it all went down:

Game 1: Colorado Alpenglow 26 - 12 Arizona Sidewinders

It was two complete halves of domination from Colorado on Saturday afternoon, contrary to their weak second half against Oregon in Week 3. Colorado had a pinnacle week as they accumulated the most yards in a single game in WUL history (2117), threw the most completed hucks in a game (15), tied the largest margin of victory ever (14) and became the fifth team ever to allow no breaks in a game. The returns of Abby Thorpe and Sarah Levinn to the Alpenglow O-line after their week off was immediately and predictably helpful with Levinn scoring the first Colorado O-line goal and Thorpe scoring and assisting early and often. Colorado is the most dangerous downfield team in the league when their whole offense is present. Ari Nelson is spoiled for choice on who to throw to, and this week Arizona had no answer for Thorpe, Levinn, Allysha Dixon, Sarah Itoh, and just about everyone else playing offense for Colorado. Because Alpenglow’s O-line is so fast and comfortable stretching the field, it’s a nightmare for teams to try to break against.

It was a rough day across the board for Arizona, as they struggled to get much going on offense throughout the game. They had some success on defense where they extended points and forced Alpenglow into timeouts, but they were never able to get the better of those points. Two big factors in Arizona’s struggles were a lack of composure on the goal line and an inability to move the disc with ease on offense. When Arizona did manage to work the disc into the red zone, they were often let down by that final throw or cut, lacking the composure to score the point. Arizona felt the pressure of quick offensive points from Colorado, hardly letting the Sidewinders offense recover before returning to the field.

Abby Thorpe and Rory Veldman were two of the multitude of players with fantastic days for Colorado. Thorpe finished with four goals, one assist, one block and 464 total yards, while Veldman had one goal, five assists, two blocks, and 406 yards. Rookie Rena Kawabata had a breakout day with three goals, one assist, one block and over 300 yards. Melissa Dunn was a bright spot for Arizona with three goals, two assists, 376 yards, and just two turnovers.


Game 2: Seattle Tempest 19 - 14 Utah Wild

Saturday’s game between Seattle and Utah was a tale of two teams on opposite trajectories. Seattle Tempest kept on rolling, putting their tumultuous 2024 season in the rearview mirror. Meanwhile, Utah Wild remain winless in 2025 as they struggle to recapture the late-season magic they found last year that propelled them to the 2024 WUL Championship Game. Once again, Utah started the game stronger than their opponent, starting 2-0 and then 3-2 up on Seattle. But once again, they were unable to hold onto their early advantage. Utah never recovered after Seattle scored three points in a row to end the first quarter. During this run, Seattle maintained nearly 45 seconds of possession in the red zone after the clock expired to punch in an incredibly calm and collected break to go up 5-3. Seattle effectively utilized the gusty home conditions and some excellent defense to force short field turnovers from Utah. They built a six-goal lead with 20 seconds left in the half before Wild scored their own end-of-clock goal to go into halftime down 12-7.

Similar to the Alpenglow-Sidewinders game, this one was again a tale of a team playing with their full identity, and one still finding it. Throughout the game, Tempest looked at ease with Sadie Jezierski back in action, who made plays up and down the field all game, finishing with three assists, one block and 376 total yards. Tempest looked comfortable running a variety of defensive sets and getting contributions from their entire roster. They used that comfort to extend their lead in the third quarter before Utah ultimately pulled back within a few points in the fourth. Meanwhile, Utah Wild, are still looking to their groove. With Kercher spending another week on the D line, the offense needs to find a way to be more consistent. On the D-line, they need to figure out how to utilize Kercher’s throwing ability to be significantly more efficient with break opportunities than they’ve been, as her 80 yards of output this weekend was a career-low. 

In addition to Jezierski, Seattle’s Lexi Garrity scored four goals, and Hana Kawai had a fantastic all around day with three goals, two assists, one block and 337 total yards. For Utah, Kyra Khoroujnikova scored four times and Kat Songer had five assists and over 400 total yards on the day.

2025 WUL Season: Week 4 Preview

Written by Noam Gumerman
WUL Lead Writer

It’s already Week 4 in the 2025 WUL season, and this Saturday features two teams looking to continue hot starts and push to 3-0 records, and two teams sputtering to start their seasons and hoping to avoid 0-3 starts. To kick off Week 4 action Arizona Sidewinders will travel to the unbeaten defending champs Colorado Alpenglo. Then, last years runners-up Utah Wild head north to face a refreshed and dialed-in Seattle Tempest squad. Here’s what you need to know:

Game 1 Arizona Sidewinders @ Colorado Alpenglow
Saturday, April 13 | 5pm PT
Pinnacle Athletic Stadium | Thornton, CO

Arizona was the only team to get last week off, and are hoping their extra time in the lab will give them the boost they need to pull off an upset and right the ship. At their best, Arizona has been a gritty underdog capable of pushing the best teams in the league, and they will get an opportunity to do just that this weekend. They are playing a Colorado Alpenglow team that looked vulnerable in the second half against Oregon last week. Yes, they were on the road, and yes, they were missing some big contributors on offense, but Colorado’s second half showed that they do not always use that extra gear on offense that powered them to the 2024 WUL Championship. Their offense can be inefficient, and their defense is still hovering around league average. If Arizona can coalesce as a cohesive unit this week, they could catch the defending champions off-guard. I’m not sure I’d count on it though, as getting Sarah Levinn and Abby Thorpe back from absences last week will give Colorado a larger margain for error, and Arizona still needs established stars like LP Aragon and Chip Chang to hit their stride, as well as some role players to step into extra responsibility if they want to pull this off.

Staff Pick: Colorado 20 - Arizona 17


Game 2: Utah Wild @ Seattle Tempest
Saturday, April 13 | 1pm PT
Seattle Memorial Stadium | Seattle, WA

Sure Arizona has a had a tough schedule to start the season, but what about Utah? Drawing the three teams undefeated through the first weeks of play is tough, and they travel to Seattle to complete the gauntlet. Their first two games were both big losses t Colorado and San Diego. Their game last week against San Diego was especially rough as the Utah offense went ice cold after the first quarter, scoring just once in the second, then just once in the entire second half. In large part this appeared to be in part caused by switching Paige Kercher onto the D-line. Kercher is Utah’s offensive engine, and while a team wants fire power on their D-line, Utah couldn’t stop San Diego’s offense at all last week to give her the chance to contribute. On offense, the Utah handlers struggled to gain momentum, resulting in short-field giveaways to San Diego. Seattle on the other hand, earned a statement win last week against Bay Area. They are looking to put the league back on notice with a 3-0 start to the season. And they are winning the same way they did in 2022 and 2023, with depth. Players like Cheryl Hsu and Sadie Jezierski carry more of the load, but Seattle has contributors up and down the entire roster that few teams in the league can match. Twelve different players had a goal contribution on just 12 goals scored last week against the Falcons. They showed they can earn an away win in bad weather, and will be the favorites to keep rolling unless Utah finds the rhythm they’ve been lacking so far in 2025.

Staff Pick: Seattle 20 - Utah 14

Additionally, keep an eye on Paige Kercher’s yardage output this weekend, as she is just 525 away from being the first player in WUL history to eclipse 10,000 total yards!

2025 WUL Season: Week 3 Recap

Written by Noam Gumerman
WUL Lead Writer

Week 3 saw all teams get to two games played. Oregon Soar looked much cleaner than last week in a loss to 2024 champions Colorado Alpenglow, outscoring Colorado in the second half. San Diego continued to lean on their plethora of stars in a thorough dismantling of Utah Wild, and Seattle Tempest gritted out a win on the road against Bay Area Falcons.

Game 1: Colorado Alpenglow 17 - 14 Oregon Soar

For much of the first half, both teams looked set to offer repeat performances from their season opener. Colorado was humming on offense, unlocking the entire field with big throws, content to play multi-possession points they felt confident they’d win. Oregon, on the other hand, continued to struggle to capitalize on the opportunities Colorado gave them. Soar had some trouble moving the disc when facing a zone look, and struggled converting red zone offensive opportunities. However, they did earn those turnovers through high defensive pressure. All of that amounted to a 12-5 dominant first half by Alpenglow, capped by an incredibly composed red zone possession to end the second quarter and finish the half on a score.

The second half was a different story. The lack of Colorado downfield anchors Sarah Levinn and Abby Thorpe became apparent. Alpenglow offense looked out of sync, missing throws and catches, while Soar began to get their legs under them. Oregon began converting break opportunities more efficiently, running their offense with more flow than we’ve seen yet, and unlocked a new electric duo in Noelle Takahashi and Kimber Coles. Takahashi and Coles’ chemistry on the field together was obvious as they threw four scores just to each other throughout the game, including some hockey assists to boot. Soar pulled a 12-5 halftime deficit back to a 15-13 game with 5:20 left in the fourth quarter. However, after a long Oregon hold, Colorado responded with a quick score off an Ari Nelson huck over the entire Soar zone to Allysha Dixon in the endzone for a momentum-turning goal. On the next point, Soar fell victim to the Alpenglow zone, and Colorado found their lethal efficiency once again, punching in the break and putting the game out of reach for Oregon

Dixon, Nelson and Jade McLaughlin were three of the standouts for Colorado. Dixon had three goals, two assists, and 245 yards; Nelson had one goal, four assists, one block, and 343 throwing yards; McLaughlin added three goals and an assist, alongside 381 yards. For Oregon, Takahashi and Coles were electric up and down the whole field, with Takahashi ending the day with one goal, five assists, two blocks, and 417 yards, and Coles with three goals, one assist, and 435 yards. Zoe Luke also had an outstanding game with four goals and three blocks.

Game 2: San Diego Super Bloom 17 - 8 Utah Wild

For most of the first quarter, Utah looked poised to push San Diego to the end and fight for a big early-season upset. Lily Terpstra set the tone with an incredible layout score on the first point of the game to cap a calm, confident, and collected Utah first possession against a San Diego zone. Then Wild jumped out to an early 5-2 lead highlighted by two breaks scored by Eva Hayes, as Super Bloom struggled to find their footing on the road. Ultimately, San Diego stabilized, scored, and began to settle in, breaking back to end the first quarter down just one goal (5-4) after Wild failed to run out the 55 second clock before giving the disc to San Diego.

From there, the rest of the game was all Super Bloom. Utah scored three times in the final three quarters, twice in the second, zero in the third, and only once in the fourth. Kaitlyn Weaver continues to be seamlessly integrated into this San Diego squad, paired with the return of Avery Jones, and the addition of Margot Nissen to the backfield. Nissen’s stabilizing presence and ability to get the disc moving off of stoppages allowed heavy hitters like Kaela Helton and Dena Elimelech to do what they do best: dominate the downfield space. San Diego got all of that flowing after Q1 and never looked back. Utah looked lost on offense at times after their hot start, struggling to throw and catch simple swing passes against a zone, let alone push the disc down the field. Paige Kercher played a lot of D-line on Saturday, and the O-line didn’t look comfortable at all without her.

Despite playing mostly D-points, Kercher still had a big day, scoring once and clocking 365 yards for Utah. Abbie Davis, 2024 Breaking POTY, was another standout, logging three blocks and one goal for the Wild. Dena Elimelech was the downfield engine for San Diego in this game, scoring four times, throwing one assist, and adding two blocks alongside 355 yards. Additionally, Kaitlyn Weaver had five assists for San Diego, alongside Abbi Shilts’ three goals, one assist, two blocks performance.

Game 3: Seattle Tempest 12 - 10 Bay Area Falcons

In a windy, gritty, and tightly contested game, Seattle Tempest managed to cling to a narrow lead throughout the second half to hold off Bay Area Falcons and secure a big road win. This was very easily a game that could have swung the other way, or even been a blowout if one team was able to convert on offense just a little more efficiently than they did. For much of the first half, things went the hosts’ way. Bay Area won a brutally long third point, featuring timeouts from both teams, and used that to take a 6-3 lead early into the second quarter. Cheryl Hsu was the anchor that kept Seattle in the game early with four assists in the first half, before Tempest found their best stretch of play across the entire game. Seattle scored four times on their next five possessions to claim a 7-6 lead, with Bay Area missing a huck that would have tied the game on the last throw of the half.

The second half was even more of a grind than the first. Time after time, both teams would work the disc down the field only to lose possession on a drop or turfed throw (partially thanks to an unpredictable wind). It was a slog of a third quarter that finished tied up at 9-9, Bay Area receiving the pull with the opportunity to retake the lead for the first time all half. They worked into the Seattle red zone not once, not twice, but three times on the over-four-minute point that ended after multiple timeouts and a Seattle break. With this momentum, Seattle broke again to go up 11-9. Bay Area finally scored their first and only point of the fourth quarter, followed by Seattle holding on a 38 second, one possession point to remove any thought of a comeback from the minds of Falcons players and fans. 

Julia Hasbrook was one of the sparkplugs for Seattle this week, with three goals and 293 yards, and only being credited with 0.5 turnovers despite rough conditions. Lauren Page also had an impressive day with one goal, two assists, one block and 283 yards of offense with no turnovers. Cat Chung also played a clean game, scoring three times and contributing 243 yards. Robyn Fennig was the driver for Bay Area’s offense, scoring three times with 464 total yards. Alexi Zalk, a long time Bay veteran, contributed a well-rounded game with one goal, two assists, two blocks, and 212 yards.

2025 WUL Season: Week 3 Preview

Written by Noam Gumerman
WUL Lead Writer

It’s a full Saturday of action for Week 3 of WUL action. First, Colorado Alpenglow travel north looking to continue their title defense 2-0 against an Oregon Soar team hosting their first-ever home game. Next, San Diego Super Bloom make their way to Utah to face off against the Wild in just the third-ever matchup between these two teams, with the last one coming back in 2023 at Championship Weekend. And finally, a resurgent Seattle Tempest head south to face off against the Bay Area Falcons, a team that was flying high in Week 2. Here’s what you need to know:

Colorado Alpenglow @ Oregon Soar

The newest team in the league hosts the defending champs to kick off Week 3 action. We last saw Alpenglow in Week 1, where they jumped out to a quick first-quarter lead in their 2024 title rematch against Utah, then maintained that lead on their way to a convincing win.Their defense looked a level up from where it was throughout the 2024 regular season, and their offense was its typical explosive self that we’ve come to expect from Alpenglow. If the offense keeps humming like it has over the last year, they will be hard to stop. 

For Oregon, they have an opportunity to match the intensity of an established powerhouse, a feat they couldn’t quite manage last week against Seattle. There were periods of success for Oregon, breaking twice to start the second half, and earning multiple chances at a third in a row. Late in the game, however, they struggled to find success against Seattle’s poachy and zone looks. How they handle the start of the game and any non-person defense (which Colorado already has played in Week 1) will be deciding factors for Oregon’s success. 

Seattle Tempest @ Bay Area Falcons

Week 2’s winners face off immediately in Week 3, and both Bay Area and Seattle showed a lot to like during their convincing season-opening wins. They were similar games too, with each team using a dominant stretch of play or two to put the game far out of reach from their opponents. Bay Area ended the first half on a 9-2 run to take a six-goal lead into halftime, which never got closer than five in the second half, while Seattle ended the game on an 11-1 run, including shutting Oregon out in the fourth quarter. Both of these teams showed they have a switch they can flip that separates them from teams that lack the depth and experience up and down the roster than both Tempest and Falcons have in spades. 

One team will come out of this game with the potential to be top of the league standings early in the 2025 season, while the other will have to stew on this loss for a month until these teams finish their season series against each other in a month. Last week, Seattle looked incredibly comfortable in their gusty conditions at home, able to navigate windy conditions with a complete suffocating team effort on defense. Can they replicate that on the road, against 2024’s best regular season team that looks like they’ve only gotten better?

San Diego Super Bloom @ Utah Wild

Both San Diego and Utah had byes in Week 2, which means we’ll get a clear look at whose extra week of preparation paid off the most. San Diego went into their break on the heels of a big season-opening win against Arizona that saw them back to their usual selves: the most consistent regular season team in the league over the last four years led by a core of some of the best players in the world. Utah, on the other hand, failed to avenge a Championship Game loss to Colorado in their opener and went into the break needing to build more chemistry on their roster of multiple rookies. They are dealing with more roster turnover than league-average, and they will need people to step into playmaker roles if they want to make another deep postseason run in 2025.

Their biggest challenge this week will be finding ways to slow down and contain San Diego’s stars… something no one else has fully figured out yet. San Diego may not give Utah as many chances to break as Colorado’s huck-happy offense, so the Wild will need to be more efficient with their offense on break opportunities (the Wild only converted 2/16 break opportunities in Week 1). For San Diego, the name of the game is continuing to integrate the new pieces that are carrying a heavy load, and to engage as much of the team as possible so they can practice playing sustainable, winning ultimate that will last beyond just the regular season.

2025 WUL Season: Week 2 Recap

Written by Noam Gumerman
WUL Lead Writer

Week 2 of the WUL has wrapped and all seven teams have now officially begun their 2025 seasons! Two more teams added statement wins to their resumes, matching the dominance shown by San Diego and Colorado a week ago. Here’s what went down on Saturday:

Game 1: Seattle Tempest 24 - 10 Oregon Soar

In Oregon’s league debut, Seattle came out looking like the two-time WUL Champions they are, and never let off the gas. Oregon heavily relied on 2023 Breakout Player of the Year Nominee Raina Kamrat to keep the disc moving in tight spots, and newcomers Jackie Riley and Wren Vogel to move the disc up the field (357 total yards and 424 total yards, respectively). Notably, Oregon was missing Julia Sherwood and Mariel Hammond, two of their most experienced players. After giving up nine points in a row, with Seattle forcing Soar into 32(!) break opportunities, Oregon has some major strategy adjustments to make if they are going to stay in the running in their inaugural season.

On Seattle’s end, Sadie Jezierski feasted with an unreal +9 game with 296 total yards, two goals, four assists, and five blocks. Alexa Kirkland and Cheryl Hsu lead the way for the Tempest offense and backfield, Kirkland throwing for 307 yards and assisting five goals, and Hsu throwing 286 yards and assisting four goals. It’s a positive sign that the Soar hung in against Tempest for three quarters, but they’ll need to find a way to maintain that intensity throughout the entire game to prevent another fourth-quarter shutout in future games.

Game 2: Bay Area Falcons 23 - 17 Arizona Sidewinders

Likely in part due to high player retention, Bay Area looked in mid-season form as they cruised to a six-goal win over Arizona. After a 2024 season full of eye-popping throwing numbers, Han Chen has a new lethal backfield partner in WUL newcomer Robyn Fennig. Those two are the likely favorites to be the best backfield duo in the league as they continue to develop their chemistry. Chen and Fennig combined for nearly 800 throwing yards, while Fennig added over 100 receiving yards and six assists and Chen scored three goals. 

Downfield, Bay Area was deadly at creating space for their players, led by Amanda Meroux (262 receiving yards / 2 goals) and Jackelyne Nguyen (4 goals / 237 receiving yards). They looked like a well-oiled machine in their first game, converting on half of their 16 break opportunities and going 7/8 on hucks. Arizona on the other hand had another rough game; they were unable to operate as efficiently as their opponents going just 3/13 on break opportunities, and struggling to get the disc back after turning it over on offense. Bright spots included Chip Chang with 2 goals, 2 assists with 343 yards, and downfield target WUL rookie, Brittany Stettmeier, who also logged 2 goals, 2 assists, 1 block and 354 total yards. Arizona has a bye week for Week 3, and will look to get back on track when they travel to Colorado during Week 4.