Seattle Tempest Move to 3-0 With 23-12 Win Against Utah Wild
By Becca Weinberg
Just one week after setting multiple Western Ultimate League (WUL) records with their 37-10 win over the Utah Wild, the Seattle Tempest dominated once again in their rematch against the Wild with a final score of 23-12. This time in an away game for the Tempest, the windy conditions of Salt Lake City brought struggles for both teams and led to many long points with numerous turnovers. The late-point and late-game stamina of the Tempest players proved to be the difference in this game, and helped lead them to a 3-0 WUL record atop the North Conference. Impact players in this game include handler Jamie Kauffman with four goals, four assists, and two blocks, cutter Sabina Hartnett with two goals and four blocks, and handler Cheryl Hsu with two assists and a 90% completion rate.
First quarter: 9-5
A high-scoring first quarter showed that the Wild were not going to back down after their Week 4 loss to the Tempest. Their offense looked slightly more composed, but Seattle was once again able to capitalize on Utah’s throwing mistakes and create huge pockets of space with their cuts on offense to break free of Utah defenders. Goals from handler Cheryl Hsu, cutter Sidra Pierson, cutter Gemma Munck, cutter Sabina Hartnett, cutter Anna Pettee, and handler Jamie Kauffman came through assists from handler Jess Spaulding, handler Brogan Jones, handler Charlie Eide, Kaufman, Hsu, Munck and Pierson. While both teams had trouble with passes floating too high due to the wind, the Tempest defense came down with multiple blocks to retain possession. Seattle’s endzone cutting was also a separator throughout the game, as they were able to dominate their 1-v-1 and 2-v-2 matchups consistently to get open.
Seattle Tempest’s Cheryl Hsu attempts a pass during the teams 23-12 victory over the Utah Wild on April 10th, 2026 at West High School. (Photo by Marcus Johnson, provided by the Seattle Tempest)
Second quarter: 13-7
The second quarter featured many long, turnover-heavy points that the Tempest won with their patient offense and endzone dominance. Cutter Nina Finley began the scoring with an assist from Hsu after beating the Wild’s zone defense pretty efficiently. Spaulding connected with cutter Megan Louie the following point after another long, back-and-forth trading of turnovers. Utah got one back, but the Tempest continued to use their deep throws to set up that endzone cutting that was working so well for them. Munck found cutter Julien Mazo for the next Tempest point, and after another Wild goal, Pettee found Hartnett in the endzone after a huge block by Kauffman. The stamina of the Tempest showed up in big moments in this quarter, and after a block by Mazo to end the first half, Seattle headed into the third quarter with a five-point lead.
Third quarter: 17-9
Seattle began to break away from Utah at the beginning of the second half with two quick goals. A handblock by Jones on the first point set up an assist from handler Peixian Rong to Kauffman for a goal, and a big block by Pettee in Utah’s endzone secured possession back again for Seattle. A layout grab from Mazo in the Tempest endzone through an assist from Pettee put Seattle up by eight. Utah responded to get one back, and a marathon point of almost five minutes followed. Important blocks by cutter Meg Manning, Mazo, and Spaulding eventually set up a great throw from Manning to cutter Yeh-Sun Lee for the goal. The Tempest scored again right after as a Wild turnover led to a layout grab from Kauffman in the endzone through an assist from Jones, and a Utah goal ended the quarter to bring the Tempest lead back to eight.
Fourth quarter: 23-12
Seattle would score six goals in the fourth quarter compared to the Wild’s three, and finish the game with another large point differential. Goals from Manning, Finley, Mazo, Munck and cutter Lauren Page were assisted by handler Cat Chung, Hsu, Kauffman, and Louie to seal the win for the Tempest.
Stat of the game:
In their third game of the season, the Tempest recorded 24 blocks, with 13 different players contributing to the team total. Their defense stepped up again against Utah to force turnovers and capitalize on scoring opportunities.
What’s next:
Seattle will be faced with a quick turnaround as they will travel to Colorado to face the Alpenglow tomorrow at 3 PM. In a matchup against two of the league’s top teams, the Tempest will have their work cut out for them in this double-header weekend.
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Instagram: @CirclingSeattleSports Twitter: @CirclingSports Threads: @CirclingSeattleSports Tiktok: @CirclingSeattleSports Facebook: Circling Seattle Sports BlueSky: @circlingseasports.bsky.social 〰️
Check out our previous Seattle Tempest articles here.
Check out our previous articles with writing for CSS by Becca Weinberg here, and her work with Lookout Landing here.
Cover photo and photos in this article by Marcus Johnson
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