Glory Battle Winds, Come Out on Top in Tampa

It was a windy night in Tampa, as Boston Glory traveled south for a battle with Cannons, with both teams desperate for a win to keep playoff hopes alive.

Winds stayed calm through the first quarter, lulling offenses into a false sense of security. Tampa would record the game's first break, as a Ben Sadok huck would fall short and lead to a sequence that ends in a D-Line score for Cannons (but not before a colossal Halkyard sky-block gave Boston a brief second chance).

After trading a few more holds, Glory would earn a pair of breaks, the first on a Brian Wyer block and Ethan Fortin goal; and the second a block by Dean Bullock that would lead to a Boston timeout and goal. Boston's 9-7 lead after one quarter wouldn't hold, as Tampa would earn a break to bring it back even at 12.

From here, the wind would begin to play a major factor, blowing right to left, against the run of play and playing tricks with the disc. Both teams would record 8 turnovers caused by under-or-overthrows affected by the wind; with Boston's 17 total turnovers eclipsed by Tampa's 20.

The second half began tied at 13, before a quick Boston hold-and-break saw Glory go up 15-13. Tampa would quickly respond with one of their own, returning the game to a deadlock at 15-all. Boston, before the end of the quarter, would record another break after another Bullock block led to Ilya Yudkovich finding Gustav Haflin on a monster huck, ending the 3rd up 21-19. The third would end with Boston upset at some of the calls from the officiating crew, with Sadok especially upset at some pick calls late in the quarter.

Glory would both begin and end the fourth with breaks, by this point playing dominantly through the classic combination of Sadok and Tanner Halkyard, taking the game by a final of 26-23.

Boston continued to excel in their handler movement Saturday, especially through the ever-slippery Ben Sadok who added 2 goals to his six assists. Downfield, Boston’s cutting movement showed signs of improving from weeks past, an area helped by the long-awaited return of Orion Cable to the lineup, who notched 2 goals, an assist, and an astounding 9 hockey assists for Glory, a stat that perfectly highlights Cable's game: he likes to cut deep and if he cant find the endzone, look for a quick reset and get all 6'+ of himself back into the cutting lanes.

Cable's 9 hockey assists is an individual stat dwarfed by only Bobby Ley's 10 assists. Boston's inability to shut down Tampa's primary handler is concerning, and likely the reason this match was such a high-scoring affair. Ley was forced into just three throwaways, producing 926 yards of total offense, more than 300 yards above Sadok in second.

Tampa remains at home next weekend, hosting New York Empire, fresh off their second loss of the season in a one-point margin to Atlanta Hustle. Cannons, sitting at 1-8 are virtually eliminated from playoff contention, needing a miracle to claim the fourth seed (which they would claim with, at best, a 4-8 record).

Glory, on the other hand, enjoys a bye next weekend, before hosting Raleigh Flyers. Sitting at 3-4, Boston found themselves in 5th in the Atlantic; behind 4-2 New York who gave a game-in-hand. Boston will also need help to claim a playoff spot, but with Empire sliding comparatively to previous seasons, it's not quite at the "miracle," stage. As of now, no date has been set for the make-up game between New York and Glory, to make up for the weather cancellation of their July 17th matchup in Boston.

Finally, a pair of shoutouts and congratulations. First, to Orion Cable who postgame, showed off his 11 foot, 6 inch vertical while barefoot. Second, to Glory's Jay Talerman, as his 2 points played made him the oldest player in AUDL history.