2019 American Ultimate Disc League season
The 2019 American Ultimate Disc League season was the eighth season for the league. It began on April 5, 2019, and concluded on August 11, 2019, when the New York Empire defeated the Dallas Roughnecks to earn the team's first title. Ben Jagt of the Empire won his first league MVP award after the season.[1] The season marked Steve Hall's first as league commissioner, and was the first with an all-star game for the league.
Offseason
In early October 2018, AUDL franchise owners selected Steve Hall, a co-owner of the Atlanta Hustle, to be the new league commissioner for a three-year term. He succeeds previous commissioner Steve Gordon.[2] Around the same time, the league announced tentative plans for a women's ultimate league to be started as early as 2020.[3] Adding to the new endeavors, AUDL added an all-star game for the first time in league history and accordingly shortened the schedule from 14 to 12 regular-season games.[4] 2019 marked the second year of the league's television agreement with Stadium.
Two teams folded over the offseason, the San Francisco FlameThrowers and the Nashville NightWatch.[5] No new teams joined the league for the 2019 season.
Regular season
Each team played twelve games, contested over fifteen weeks in the regular-season schedule.
Week 1
| Date | Home | Goals | Goals | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4/5 | Dallas Roughnecks | 19 | 17 | Raleigh Flyers |
| 4/6 | Austin Sol | 22 | 28 | Raleigh Flyers |
| 4/6 | Seattle Cascades | 27 | 28 | San Jose Spiders |
| 4/6 | San Diego Growlers | 20 | 18 | Los Angeles Aviators |
| 4/6 | Tampa Bay Cannons | 18 | 17 | Atlanta Hustle |
Week 2
| Date | Home | Goals | Goals | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4/12 | San Jose Spiders | 18 | 22 | Los Angeles Aviators |
| 4/13 | New York Empire | 21 | 18 | DC Breeze |
| 4/13 | Austin Sol | 19 | 17 | Dallas Roughnecks |
| 4/13 | San Diego Growlers | 25 | 24 | San Jose Spiders |
| 4/13 | Atlanta Hustle | 21 | 24 | Raleigh Flyers |
| 4/14 | Indianapolis AlleyCats | 20 | 22 | Madison Radicals |
The Austin Sol beat Texas rival Dallas Roughnecks for the first time in franchise history, snapping a twelve-game skid.[6]
Week 3
| Date | Home | Goals | Goals | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4/20 | DC Breeze | 20 | 18 | Philadelphia Phoenix |
| 4/20 | Seattle Cascades | 20 | 24 | Los Angeles Aviators |
| 4/20 | Minnesota Wind Chill | 25 | 26 | Chicago Wildfire |
| 4/20 | Madison Radicals | 26 | 17 | Pittsburgh Thunderbirds |
| 4/20 | San Jose Spiders | 16 | 21 | San Diego Growlers |
| 4/20 | Indianapolis AlleyCats | 26 | 22 | Detroit Mechanix |
| 4/20 | Dallas Roughnecks | 21 | 17 | Austin Sol |
| 4/20 | Tampa Bay Cannons | 17 | 14 | Atlanta Hustle |
Week 4
| Date | Home | Goals | Goals | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4/26 | San Diego Growlers | 20 | 18 | Seattle Cascades |
| 4/27 | Ottawa Outlaws | 13 | 19 | Toronto Rush |
| 4/27 | Detroit Mechanix | 16 | 19 | Indianapolis AlleyCats |
| 4/27 | Minnesota Wind Chill | 25 | 22 | Pittsburgh Thunderbirds |
| 4/27 | Philadelphia Phoenix | 16 | 25 | New York Empire |
| 4/27 | Atlanta Hustle | 15 | 21 | Raleigh Flyers |
| 4/27 | Los Angeles Aviators | 25 | 19 | Seattle Cascades |
| 4/28 | New York Empire | 23 | 19 | Montreal Royal |
Week 5
| Date | Home | Goals | Goals | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/4 | Toronto Rush | 21 | 16 | Montreal Royal |
| 5/4 | Atlanta Hustle | 23 | 19 | Austin Sol |
| 5/4 | DC Breeze | 24 | 15 | Ottawa Outlaws |
| 5/4 | Chicago Wildfire | 23 | 17 | Minnesota Wind Chill |
| 5/4 | Pittsburgh Thunderbirds | 16 | 19 | Indianapolis AlleyCats |
| 5/4 | Seattle Cascades | 25 | 21 | San Diego Growlers |
| 5/4 | San Jose Spiders | 16 | 25 | Los Angeles Aviators |
| 5/5 | Detroit Mechanix | 22 | 31 | Minnesota Wind Chill |
| 5/5 | Raleigh Flyers | 23 | 18 | Austin Sol |
| 5/5 | Philadelphia Phoenix | 21 | 16 | Ottawa Outlaws |
Week 6
| Date | Home | Goals | Goals | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/11 | Toronto Rush | 26 | 25 | Ottawa Outlaws |
| 5/11 | Los Angeles Aviators | 21 | 27 | San Diego Growlers |
| 5/11 | Madison Radicals | 19 | 20 | Minnesota Wind Chill |
| 5/11 | Pittsburgh Thunderbirds | 21 | 18 | Chicago Wildfire |
| 5/11 | New York Empire | 26 | 25 | DC Breeze |
| 5/11 | San Jose Spiders | 24 | 19 | Seattle Cascades |
| 5/11 | Indianapolis AlleyCats | 22 | 27 | Atlanta Hustle |
| 5/11 | Austin Sol | 21 | 25 | Dallas Roughnecks |
| 5/11 | Tampa Bay Cannons | 19 | 24 | Raleigh Flyers |
Week 7
| Date | Home | Goals | Goals | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/17 | San Diego Growlers | 32 | 20 | San Jose Spiders |
| 5/18 | Los Angeles Aviators | 24 | 21 | San Jose Spiders |
| 5/18 | Chicago Wildfire | 22 | 25 | Madison Radicals |
| 5/18 | Minnesota Wind Chill | 11 | 13 | Indianapolis AlleyCats |
| 5/18 | Pittsburgh Thunderbirds | 24 | 11 | Detroit Mechanix |
| 5/18 | Ottawa Outlaws | 22 | 21 | DC Breeze |
| 5/18 | Raleigh Flyers | 25 | 22 | Atlanta Hustle |
| 5/18 | Austin Sol | 17 | 19 | Tampa Bay Cannons |
| 5/18 | New York Empire | 22 | 17 | Toronto Rush |
| 5/19 | Montreal Royal | 19 | 20 | DC Breeze |
| 5/19 | Dallas Roughnecks | 28 | 21 | Tampa Bay Cannons |
| 5/19 | Philadelphia Phoenix | 18 | 16 | Toronto Rush |
Week 8
| Date | Home | Goals | Goals | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/25 | New York Empire | 20 | 15 | Ottawa Outlaws |
| 5/25 | Toronto Rush | 22 | 15 | Madison Radicals |
| 5/25 | Philadelphia Phoenix | 15 | 25 | Montreal Royal |
| 5/25 | Chicago Wildfire | 18 | 17 | Indianapolis AlleyCats |
| 5/25 | Pittsburgh Thunderbirds | 24 | 17 | Minnesota Wind Chill |
| 5/25 | Atlanta Hustle | 23 | 14 | Tampa Bay Cannons |
| 5/25 | Dallas Roughnecks | 20 | 15 | Austin Sol |
| 5/26 | DC Breeze | 27 | 17 | Montreal Royal |
| 5/26 | Detroit Mechanix | 14 | 16 | Madison Radicals |
Week 9
| Date | Home | Goals | Goals | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/1 | Madison Radicals | 15 | 18 | Indianapolis AlleyCats |
| 6/1 | Detroit Mechanix | 12 | 17 | Pittsburgh Thunderbirds |
| 6/1 | Minnesota Wind Chill | 27 | 26 | Chicago Wildfire |
| 6/1 | DC Breeze | 19 | 20 | New York Empire |
| 6/1 | Ottawa Outlaws | 19 | 21 | Montreal Royal |
| 6/1 | Seattle Cascades | 22 | 25 | San Jose Spiders |
| 6/1 | Tampa Bay Cannons | 24 | 16 | Austin Sol |
| 6/1 | Los Angeles Aviators | 18 | 20 | San Diego Growlers |
| 6/2 | Atlanta Hustle | 24 | 25 | Austin Sol |
| 6/2 | Toronto Rush | 19 | 13 | Montreal Royal |
Week 10
No regular season games were held in week 10; instead, the inaugural AUDL All-Star contest was held.
Week 11
| Date | Home | Goals | Goals | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/14 | Tampa Bay Cannons | 20 | 25 | Dallas Roughnecks |
| 6/15 | New York Empire | 19 | 14 | Philadelphia Phoenix |
| 6/15 | Montreal Royal | 21 | 22 | Ottawa Outlaws |
| 6/15 | DC Breeze | 23 | 22 | Toronto Rush |
| 6/15 | Minnesota Wind Chill | 21 | 19 | Madison Radicals |
| 6/15 | San Diego Growlers | 17 | 18 | Los Angeles Aviators |
| 6/15 | Raleigh Flyers | 27 | 18 | Dallas Roughnecks |
| 6/15 | San Jose Spiders | 25 | 26 | Seattle Cascades |
| 6/16 | Chicago Wildfire | 24 | 16 | Detroit Mechanix |
| 6/16 | Philadelphia Phoenix | 16 | 21 | DC Breeze |
Week 12
| Date | Home | Goals | Goals | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/22 | DC Breeze | 21 | 18 | Philadelphia Phoenix |
| 6/22 | Detroit Mechanix | 11 | 24 | Chicago Wildfire |
| 6/22 | Pittsburgh Thunderbirds | 21 | 20 | Madison Radicals |
| 6/22 | Seattle Cascades | 25 | 30 | San Diego Growlers |
| 6/22 | Montreal Royal | 23 | 22 | Toronto Rush |
| 6/22 | San Jose Spiders | 27 | 31 | Los Angeles Aviators |
| 6/22 | Indianapolis AlleyCats | 24 | 23 | Minnesota Wind Chill |
| 6/22 | Raleigh Flyers | 24 | 25 | New York Empire |
| 6/22 | Dallas Roughnecks | 29 | 22 | Tampa Bay Cannons |
| 6/23 | Austin Sol | 23 | 14 | Tampa Bay Cannons |
| 6/23 | Ottawa Outlaws | 17 | 22 | Toronto Rush |
Week 13
| Date | Home | Goals | Goals | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/28 | Madison Radicals | 18 | 21 | Chicago Wildfire |
| 6/29 | Toronto Rush | 24 | 26 | Philadelphia Phoenix |
| 6/29 | Minnesota Wind Chill | 27 | 12 | Detroit Mechanix |
| 6/29 | Pittsburgh Thunderbirds | 20 | 23 | Indianapolis AlleyCats |
| 6/29 | Montreal Royal | 19 | 22 | New York Empire |
| 6/29 | San Diego Growlers | 26 | 25 | Seattle Cascades |
| 6/29 | Dallas Roughnecks | 18 | 15 | Atlanta Hustle |
| 6/29 | Tampa Bay Cannons | 20 | 22 | Raleigh Flyers |
| 6/30 | Austin Sol | 21 | 22 | Atlanta Hustle |
| 6/30 | Chicago Wildfire | 12 | 6 | Detroit Mechanix |
| 6/30 | Los Angeles Aviators | 27 | 14 | Seattle Cascades |
| 6/30 | Ottawa Outlaws | 23 | 27 | New York Empire |
Week 14
| Date | Home | Goals | Goals | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7/4 | Montreal Royal | 25 | 22 | Ottawa Outlaws |
| 7/5 | Raleigh Flyers | 22 | 15 | Dallas Roughnecks |
| 7/6 | Detroit Mechanix | 23 | 24 | Pittsburgh Thunderbirds |
| 7/6 | Toronto Rush | 26 | 21 | DC Breeze |
| 7/6 | Seattle Cascades | 23 | 31 | Los Angeles Aviators |
| 7/6 | Madison Radicals | 22 | 17 | Minnesota Wind Chill |
| 7/6 | Philadelphia Phoenix | 20 | 22 | New York Empire |
| 7/6 | San Jose Spiders | 20 | 26 | San Diego Growlers |
| 7/6 | Atlanta Hustle | 23 | 19 | Dallas Roughnecks |
| 7/6 | Indianapolis AlleyCats | 24 | 21 | Chicago Wildfire |
Cameron Brock of the Indianapolis AlleyCats became the first player in AUDL history to score 500 career goals, a feat he accomplished in the Week 14 matchup against the Chicago Wildfire.[7]
Week 15
| Date | Home | Goals | Goals | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7/13 | Chicago Wildfire | 16 | 29 | Pittsburgh Thunderbirds |
| 7/13 | Ottawa Outlaws | 20 | 19 | Philadelphia Phoenix |
| 7/13 | Raleigh Flyers | 25 | 24 | Tampa Bay Cannons |
| 7/14 | Madison Radicals | 33 | 9 | Detroit Mechanix |
| 7/14 | Montreal Royal | 20 | 21 | Philadelphia Phoenix |
| 7/14 | Indianapolis AlleyCats | 17 | 25 | Pittsburgh Thunderbirds |
Standings
East Division
| Team | W | L | Qualifying position |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York Empire | 12 | 0 | East Division Final |
| Toronto Rush | 7 | 5 | East Division Playoff |
| DC Breeze | 7 | 5 | |
| Montreal Royal | 4 | 8 | |
| Philadelphia Phoenix | 4 | 8 | |
| Ottawa Outlaws | 3 | 9 |
Midwest Division
| Team | W | L | Qualifying position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis AlleyCats | 8 | 4 | Midwest Division Final |
| Pittsburgh Thunderbirds | 8 | 4 | Midwest Division Playoff |
| Chicago Wildfire | 7 | 5 | |
| Minnesota Wind Chill | 6 | 6 | |
| Madison Radicals | 6 | 6 | |
| Detroit Mechanix | 0 | 12 |
The Madison Radicals did not participate in the postseason for the first time in franchise history, having made playoff appearances from 2013 to 2018.[8]
West Division
| Team | W | L | Qualifying position |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Growlers | 10 | 2 | West Division Final |
| Los Angeles Aviators | 9 | 3 | West Division Final |
| San Jose Spiders | 3 | 9 | |
| Seattle Cascades | 2 | 10 |
South Division
| Team | W | L | Qualifying position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raleigh Flyers | 10 | 2 | South Division Final |
| Dallas Roughnecks | 8 | 4 | South Division Final |
| Atlanta Hustle | 5 | 7 | |
| Tampa Bay Cannons | 4 | 8 | |
| Austin Sol | 3 | 9 |
All-Star Game
The inaugural AUDL All-Star game was held on June 8, 2019, at Breese Stevens Field in Madison, Wisconsin. The league opted not to go with conference all-star teams and instead utilized a draft format, with Rowan McDonnell of the DC Breeze and Kevin Petit-Scantling of the Madison Radicals serving as captains. It was regarded by those within the league as one of the highest-level games of Ultimate ever played. The game was televised live on Stadium as part of the network's deal with the league.[9] Team KPS won 28 – 27 after being tied at the end of regulation and overtime, with Max Sheppard of the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds being named MVP.[10] A 2020 edition of the game was later confirmed to be taking place in Washington, D. C.[11]
Postseason
Divisional playoff
| Date | Division | Home | Goals | Goals | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7/20 | Midwest Division | Pittsburgh Thunderbirds | 21 | 20 | Chicago Wildfire |
| 7/20 | East Division | Toronto Rush | 22 | 21 | DC Breeze |
Divisional final
| Date | Division | Home | Goals | Goals | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7/20 | West Division | San Diego Growlers | 25 | 21 | Los Angeles Aviators |
| 7/21 | East Division | New York Empire | 19 | 16 | Toronto Rush |
| 7/27 | South Division | Raleigh Flyers | 17 | 21 | Dallas Roughnecks |
| 7/27 | Midwest Division | Indianapolis AlleyCats | 23 | 17 | Pittsburgh Thunderbirds |
The Indianapolis AlleyCats advanced to their first Championship Weekend since the inaugural season of the AUDL in 2012.[12]
Championship Weekend 8
Championship Weekend 8 took place at Foothill College in San Jose, California from August 10–11, 2019.[13]
| Date | Match | Seed | Team | Goals | Goals | Team | Seed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8/10 | Semifinal | 1 | New York Empire | 17 | 15 | Indianapolis AlleyCats | 4 |
| 8/10 | Semifinal | 2 | Dallas Roughnecks | 23 | 18 | San Diego Growlers | 3 |
| 8/11 | Final | 1 | New York Empire | 26 | 22 | Dallas Roughnecks | 2 |
The New York Empire won their first title, and Beau Kittredge won his fifth title overall. New York joined the 2016 Dallas Roughnecks and 2013 Toronto Rush as the only AUDL teams in history to finish a season undefeated.[14]
References
- ^ "Ben Jagt Named 2019 AUDL MVP". American Ultimate Disc League. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
- ^ Eisenhood, Charlie. "AUDL Ratifies New Comissioner, Planning 2019 All-Star Game". Ultiworld. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
- ^ Eisenhood, Charlie. "AUDL Announces Plan To Form Women's League". Ultiworld. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
- ^ Eisenhood, Charlie. "Details On The AUDL All-Star Game, New Shortened 12-Game Season". Ultiworld. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
- ^ "Nashville NightWatch and San Francisco FlameThrowers Cease AUDL Operations". Sludge Output. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
- ^ "AUDL Throwaround: Austin Snaps Skid, Spiders Squashed, Empire Building". Ultiworld. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
- ^ "AUDL 2019: Cameron Brock 500th Career Goal". American Ultimate Disc League. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
- ^ "8 of 10 Teams Qualify For 2019 Playoffs". American Ultimate Disc League. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
- ^ Milewski, Todd. "AUDL sees marketing opportunity in inaugural all-star game at Breese Stevens Field". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
- ^ "AUDL All-Star Game". Sludge Output. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
- ^ "Washington DC to Host America Ultimate Disc League All-Star in 2020". Sludge Output. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
- ^ Lepler, Evan. "Friday Forecast August 9 2019". SoundCloud. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
- ^ "Highfive and the American Ultimate Disc League Announce National Partnership". Highfive. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
- ^ Ruffner, Adam. "Empire Stay Undefeated, Win First Title". American Ultimate Disc League. Retrieved 12 August 2019.