October 25, 2025 by Graham Gerhart in Recap
Ultiworld’s coverage of the 2025 Club National Championships is presented by Spin Ultimate; all opinions are those of the author(s). Find out how Spin can get you, and your team, looking your best this season.
This was supposed to be the year of parity. It was supposed to be an emergence of a plethora of teams that could challenge for a semis spot. The promise of #4 Raleigh Phoenix, #5 Seattle Riot,#7 San Diego Flipside, #6 New York BENT, #8 Portland Schwa, and #11 Toronto 6ixers gave hope that we could have the wildest semis assortment in recent memory. Instead, we got this. The four best teams of the past half-decade have done it again. Why did we ever doubt them?
The return of #3 Boston Brute Squad, #1 San Francisco Fury, #9 Denver Molly Brown, and #2 Washington DC Scandal isn’t bad for ultimate, let’s be clear on that. Sports narratives are built on the back of rivalries and dynasties. March Madness wouldn’t be the same without UConn and South Carolina. USA soccer matters because they have to beat teams like Japan and the Netherlands to reach the top every World Cup. Getting to see Fury and Molly Brown face off with both teams at the peak of their powers isn’t a disappointment; it’s a privilege.
There are storied histories between these teams, but what’s more important is the path that brought them to semis this year. The games are going to be good because the teams are good, but what should we expect from them? Why does it matter that it’s these four teams playing each other? Well, strap in, folks. We’re about to take a look at each semifinal and exactly what you should watch for in the matchup between these two teams.
San Francisco Fury vs. Denver Molly Brown: A Song of Ice and Fire
Despite being two of the most talented rosters in the division, there could not be a wider chasm in playstyle between these teams. Fury are level, methodical, exacting, and have nerves of steel. Molly Brown wear their heart on their sleeve, they use their emotion to fuel them, they’re willing to get dirty and will do whatever it takes to win, no matter the odds. Somehow, they just make sense as opponents. Their contrast makes them a perfect foil for each other.
So how do these teams match up against each other? Taking this season’s results as an example seems unfair. The teams played twice in the regular season and Fury won by a point difference of +18. That came on the back of a 15-1 drumming at the US Open that Molly Brown would rather forget. Frankly, we should all forget that result, too: with Molly’s World Games players Manu Cardenas, Vale Cardenas, and Claire Chastain out, the result didn’t indicate the quality of the team. The level of ultimate that we’re witnessing from Molly Brown this weekend is a big step up from what we’ve seen earlier in the season. They’re playing at their peak at just the right time.
Last year’s semifinal matchup might be a better comparison, although it’s still a result Denver would probably rather forget. Fury tore the hearts out of Molly Brown in the first half, only for the Colorado team to storm back early in the second, and then crash out in the final few points as Fury went on a four-point run to go up 14-9. The momentum swung back and forth that game, but Fury were able to navigate the turbulence better when it mattered most.
That turbulence isn’t Fury’s game plan, though. Chaos befits Molly Brown. This is a team that won by the thinnest of margins against Scandal on Thursday, and then promptly lost by the thinnest of margins the very next game to Phoenix. Denver weren’t done there, though. Friday brought its own mayhem. A razor-thin win over Toronto was somehow exceeded by a come-from-behind victory over New York in quarters. Molly Brown have played five games this tournament: four of them have gone to universe point. Denver’s the wildest show in town.
Fury are not that. Despite retooling in 2025 as a defense-first team, the title favorites are reminiscent of every past iteration of their roster that came before them. They are a team who play as if they’re in the avatar state. They draw from the wisdom of their yesteryears and wield a power no opponent seems capable of matching. Their path through Nationals has been almost zen-like. Four games played, and no opponent has scored more than six points on them.
Enough talk around these teams in a silo. How do they match up against each other? On paper, Molly are one of the only teams that have the firepower to match Fury. Claire Chastain, the Cárdenas twins, Lisa Pitcaithley, and Jesse Shofner have enough accolades between them to fill a trophy cabinet. Fury’s commitment to strong defense will be tested by the most creative throwing core in the division. Chastain and Vale Cárdenas aren’t afraid to make throws no other player would attempt, probably because no other players can. Denver’s offense has seen success when they can stretch the field with deep cuts from Bailey Shigley and Clil Phillips while operating a handler weave once play breaks down. More importantly, their offense is one hell of a D-line. Phillips and Chastain both have an argument to be Defensive Player of the Year candidates, even if it’s been Manu Cárdenas, Alex Guy, and Jesse Shofner who have really shone so far on defense for this team. They’ll need every ounce of defensive effort they’ve got since it’s all but a given that Fury are going to get stops.
Getting blocks isn’t going to be easy on Fury, and getting breaks will be even tougher. Fury don’t have a traditional offensive line because they don’t need one. They assume every player that takes the stage for them can be a two-way player, and they’re right. Kirstin Johnson, Carolyn Finney, and Anna Thompson have really shone on offense, but that’s mainly because they’re center handlers for their respective lines. It’s even harder to parse out Fury’s top defenders. Dena Elimelech, Sharon Lin, and Margo Stert are at the top of the leaderboard, so surely that makes them the players to watch out for, right? It’s just not that simple for Fury. Almost all of their players have recorded multiple blocks. They set up each and every person on their roster to go make a stop, and it’s paid off up and down the roster.
Fury’s path to the final is to stay the course. They can live by the mantra of a dead meme: keep calm and carry on. Getting breaks on Molly Brown isn’t going to be a problem. Molly have shown this tournament that they’re too volatile to play perfect offense. What Fury need to be wary of is losing the momentum. If Denver can get a string of breaks going, they’ll come alive. They’re energy vampires that feed off the nerves of their opponents.
Folks who want to witness a perfect game of ultimate can stay home. This game will have plenty of back-and-forth because the teams are designed to play fast and dangerous. They’re not afraid to make mistakes because they have the confidence they can get the disc back when the rubber hits the road. Despite all the contrasts we’ve highlighted so far, they’re very similar in the end. Both teams expect to win the game on the backs of their D-lines. Good execution on offense will just be the bonus.
Boston Brute Squad vs. Washington DC Scandal: The Duel of Fates
They say all roads lead to Rome when describing how multiple methods can achieve the same result, and that broadly sums up how we got Brute Squad vs. Scandal in semis again this year. It just felt that no matter how the season played out, this matchup was an inevitability.
Everyone remembers Brute Squad’s 2023 win as they stole the title from under Scandal’s feet, and in 2024, Scandal returned the favor in semis by snatching Brute Squad’s title aspirations away from them in one of the best semifinals we’ve seen since the pandemic happened. Every time Scandal and Brute Squad face off these days, it’s a grudge match.
Part of that might come from Scandal’s top players being plucked from the Boston vine. Claire Trop and Kami Groom helped Brute Squad win multiple titles on their time with the team, and they know the program inside and out. Boston, for their part, have Liên Hoffmann and Kelly Hyland as previous Scandal players, but neither have been with the team recently enough for those scars to still be fresh.
A lot has changed on Brute Squad since Trop and Groom were on it, though. The roster has almost a completely different makeup after pulling off a soft rebuild that has changed the fabric of the team entirely. Gone are the likes of Yuge Xiao and Julianna Werffeli. In their stead, a flock of international talent has emerged as the core of this Boston team. Laura Ospina, Ximena Montaña, and Levke Walczak have been the engine that have powered this team to semis, and seem poised to carry them to the final, too. The likes of Angela Zhu and Tulsa Douglas remain to be the standard-bearers of Boston, but the team has taken on a new life and haven’t been afraid to use the stars that they’ve recruited.
Scandal, for their part, don’t have a lot of imports. It’s been said before but they’re one of the few teams in contention for the final who don’t have a standout star from outside the US. We know the talent on Scandal’s roster because we’ve seen them play from college to club and know what they’re capable of doing. Some have leveled up their game in 2025, though. Marie Périvier and Kira Flores both look more polished this Nationals, as does new standout Marika Korpinen.
To overcome Boston, Scandal will need a little bit more than polish. This matchup has been the Achilles heel of Scandal all season. Brute Squad have beaten them at the Swamp Seasonal Invite and the US Open. Still, the most recent game went in Scandal’s favor. DC eked out a 13-11 win over Boston at Pro Champs despite trailing for most of the game. The wind definitely played a factor in that win, but Scandal also unlocked the deep space in a way that they hadn’t been able to establish the last two times they had faced Boston. One other major takeaway from that game: Levke Walczak was playing passively. That’s not the case here at Nationals.
Walczak is a force unto herself. Scandal has plenty of players that can mark her, but they’re mostly playing a containment game, they’re not actually able to shut her down. When Walczak decides to take over a point, there’s not much that can be done to stop her. In the past, Scandal have tried to limit her downfield targets, and slow down her ability to move the disc with small ball passes. That’s seen some limited success, sure… it’s also not going to be enough in semis.
Scandal’s game plan has regularly revolved around flat marks in the center of the field and hard trap defense once they force Boston to a sideline. They haven’t tried to get cute with their defensive sets and prefer to rely on athleticism and communication to get them stops. In contrast, Brute Squad have a number of different looks they employ to keep Scandal guessing. Many of their sets are designed to get Scandal out of their pool play set and force them to play honest downfield offense, filled with aborted cuts and clearing the space. Scandal struggle to simply reset continuously if nothing develops downfield. They need the release valve to get their rhythm. As long as Boston can force them to dance in the backfield long enough, they’ll get their break chances.
Expect each team to reserve a little something extra for this conflict. Both sides have spent an inordinate amount of time preparing for this game. Thanks to their previous matchups, they know what they need to do to win, and they know what the other team will try to force them into a loss. It’s a toss-up between which side has the advantage in this game, which makes it all the more thrilling of a matchup to watch.
