The Rematch of the Season (so far…)
Fellow Shadow fans! It has been almost a month since our last update, but we hope you didn’t forget about us! DC Shadow has been continuing to crush the South Division (and the PUL in general) with an undefeated record and an officially clinched 1-seed at Championship Weekend in just 2.5 short weeks.
Last weekend they took on Raleigh Radiance yet again for the 5th time across two seasons. Despite the teams’ mutual familiarity with each other, this was a brand new matchup as there were notable absences on both teams. Shadow was missing star O-line players Kat Ritzmann, Allie Wallace, and Tyler Smith, D-line stalwart Amanda “Beans” Murphy, and several more. On Radiance’s side, they were missing the steady flow of Audrey Lyman, Claire Revere, Claire Bidigare-Curtis, and the defensive reliability of Mary Rippe, among others. But play on, we must!
Shadow jumped out to an early lead that they actually maintained for the duration of the game through use of their entire roster. Rookies and practice players were getting some of their first touches of the season due to the absences mentioned above, which was simply awesome to witness. This is the beauty of the PUL: it is a place for opportunity. Opportunity for women and non-binary athletes to showcase their skills on big stages. The newbies did nothing but rise to the challenge, showing no fear or intimidation of the semi-pro environment. Way to go, Team!
Raleigh certainly kept the pressure on point after point, but Shadow still led 14-9 at half. However, after getting broken on the first point out of half to make it 14-10, it seemed like this was Radiance’s chance to get over the hump. Unfortunately for them, they could not convert on a few other break chances, so Shadow upheld their strong lead. Smart timeout calls and great D line flow allowed Shadow to convert on several more breaks, extending their lead to seven by the end of the third quarter. Big defensive efforts from Lily Johnson and Marika Korpinen especially contributed to this third-quarter run. Even without Sami Smalling on O as well (hamstring), Shadow’s depth showed out. Despite a couple more break chances toward the end of the fourth, Radiance never got closer than 5 goals, and Shadow won handily 21-16.
Now Shadow will prepare for their final regular-season matchup and home closer against Nashville Nightshade this weekend before looking ahead to Championship Weekend in Raleigh on June 20-21, 2026.
