Seattle Tempest Trounce Los Angeles Astra 23-18
By Becca Weinberg
The Seattle Tempest finished out their 2026 Western Ultimate League (WUL) regular season with a dominant 23-18 win over the Los Angeles Astra. Seattle looked in control for the majority of the game, and played with a patient and controlled offense that made scoring look easy. With the regular season complete, the Tempest will now turn their focus towards 2026 WUL Championship Weekend, hosted in Portland on June 13th-14th, with hopes of bringing another championship back to Seattle. Impact players in this game include handler Jess Spaulding with three assists and 292 throwing yards, cutter Gemma Munck with four goals, and handler Jamie Kauffman with seven goals, four assists, and four blocks.
Seattle Tempest’s Cheryl Hsu catches the disc during the team’s 23-18 win over the Los Angeles Astra on May 30th, 2026 in Burbank, California (Photo by Robert Hanashiro provided by the Seattle Tempest).
First quarter: 6-4
The Tempest built up a large first quarter lead before the Astra were able to get a few goals back, with the score at one point favoring Seattle 5-1. Easy goals from handler Cheryl Hsu, cutter Meg Manning, handler Amy Nguyen, cutter Ciona Antolin, Munck, and Kauffman were scored through assists from cutter Drea Baroma, handler Brogan Jones, cutter Julien Mazo, Kaufman, and Spaulding. Seattle’s deep throwing and patient red zone offense were on full display in the first quarter, and powered them to an early lead.
Second quarter: 11-7
Seattle’s lead continued to build in the second quarter, with a few longer points featuring turnovers from both teams. Manning started the quarter off with a perfectly-placed deep throw to Kauffman, but Los Angeles followed with two goals in a row. An Antolin-to-Jones connection followed by Baroma finding cutter Linnea Soo brought the lead back to three, but the Astra secured one more goal before halftime. To end the quarter, Spaulding launched another well-placed throw to Kauffman, and handler Megan Louie threaded the disc to cutter Sabina Hartnett in the endzone to boost the Seattle lead to four.
Third quarter: 18-13
The high-scoring matchup continued to produce in the second half, with both teams continuing to trade points. Three goals from Kauffman, two from Hsu, and one each from Munck and handler Jessi Crowley were scored off assists by cutter Yeh-Sun Lee, Hartnett, Hsu, Baroma, Soo, and Kauffman. The Tempest defense continued to generate turnovers, with key blocks from Kauffman and Jones in the middle of the quarter. The Tempest entered the fourth and final quarter with a five-point lead.
Fourth quarter: 23-18
The game concluded with back-and-forth action from both teams as they alternated scoring chances. Two more goals from Munck and one each from Lee, Nguyen, and Kauffman were assisted by Baroma, Louie, Hsu, and Kauffman. Additional blocks by Soo and Kauffman maintained the Tempest lead, and after a satisfying win, propelled the team back into WUL Championship Weekend.
Stat of the game:
In the Seattle Tempest's eighth and final game of the regular season, this section is reserved to highlight the Jamie Kauffman Game. With seven goals, four assists, and four blocks, Kauffman was a difference maker in every part of the field. They recorded 514 total yards, the most of any player this game, and have been a dominant presence for Seattle all season long.
What’s next:
The Tempest will have a week off before traveling to Portland, Oregon for 2026 WUL Championship Weekend. Based on record, they will likely be awarded the #3 seed, and will face the San Diego Super Bloom, Bay Area Falcons, or Colorado Alpenglow in the first round. Stay tuned for a Championship Weekend schedule drop and more information coming soon.
Instagram: @CirclingSeattleSports Twitter: @CirclingSports Threads: @CirclingSeattleSports Tiktok: @CirclingSeattleSports Facebook: Circling Seattle Sports BlueSky: @circlingseasports.bsky.social
〰️
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 Robert Hanashiro, provided by the Seattle Tempest.
Support the work of Circling Seattle Sports by checking out our merchandise!
