Seattle Tempest Clinch WUL Playoff Berth With 16-11 Win Over Oregon Soar
By Becca Weinberg
With their fifth win of the season and second over the Oregon Soar, the Seattle Tempest clinched a spot in 2026 Western Ultimate League (WUL) Championship Weekend with their 16-11 victory. Many weather elements were in play during this matchup in Oregon, with heavy rain and winds before the sun broke through, but Seattle played a composed game and, as much as possible, didn’t let the conditions affect their play. Impact players in this game include cutter Gemma Munck with three goals, one assist, and one block, handler Kaitlynne Roling with two goals, one assist, and two blocks, and handler Jamie Kauffman with four assists.
Seattle Tempest’s Jessi Crowley looks downfield during the team’s 16-11 win over the Oregon Soar on May 16th, 2026 in Portland, Oregon (Photo by Rowdy Webb Photography, provided by the Seattle Tempest).
First quarter: 6-5
The grit and determination of the Northwest Rivalry matchup showed up early with a long opening point. Seattle got on the board first after a block from handler Kaitlynne Roling set up an assist from handler Cheryl Hsu to cutter Yeh-Sun Lee. Both teams traded points for the remainder of the quarter as the Tempest built up a slim lead. Additional goals from cutter Drea Baroma, handler Megan Louie, cutter Gemma Munck, cutter Lauren Page, and Roling came through assists from handler Charlie Eide, handler Sidra Pierson, Munck, and Kauffman.
Second quarter: 10-7
A few more long points followed in the second quarter, with the Tempest once again striking first through a forced turnover. A hand block by cutter Meg Manning resulted in handler Amy Nguyen connecting with cutter Ciona Antolin for a goal. The Soar won the next marathon point, but Hsu intercepted the disc to score a quick response from the Tempest with Jamie Kauffman wide open in the end zone. Handler Jessi Crowley assisted Nguyen for another Seattle goal before Oregon responded next. The following point, Munck secured the elusive Callahan, which is a unique frisbee play where the defender intercepts the disc in their opponent’s endzone and happens very rarely. With the momentum on their side, Seattle headed into halftime with a three-point lead.
Third quarter: 14-8
The Tempest picked up right where they left off, and limited Oregon to just one point in the third quarter. Goals from handler Jess Spaulding, cutter Lauren Page, Munck, and Roling were scored through assists by Baroma, Kauffman, and Antolin. Key blocks from Page, Louie, and Roling retained possession for Seattle and continued to build their lead
Fourth quarter: 16-11
Oregon began the fourth quarter with a 3-0 scoring run, and looked to be back in the game before the Tempest shut down their scoring chances. Seattle scored the final two goals of the game, with Hsu finding the end of a beautiful floating throw from Kauffman for a goal, and Hsu connecting with cutter Alexa Kirkland for a goal as time expired. With their win this weekend, the Tempest clinched their spot in the 2026 WUL Championship Weekend, which will be hosted in Portland on June 13 and 14th. Seattle has clinched four out five possible WUL Championship Weekend appearances since its inaugural year in 2022.
Stat of the game:
In their seventh game of the season, the Seattle Tempest secured 24 break opportunities, which means they were able to force a significant amount of turnovers to create scoring chances on offense. The Seattle defense stepped up in a big way during this game to retain possession on long points and set up easy goals.
What’s next:
The Tempest will embark on the league-wide bye week before playing their final regular season game on May 30th at 4 PM against the Los Angeles Astra. This will be their first meeting with the Astra, the league’s newest addition, who are currently in last place in the Southwest Conference with a 1-6 record. Seattle will look to finish their regular season strong and head into the postseason with some additional momentum.
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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 Rowdy Webb Photography, provided by the Seattle Tempest.
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