Arizona Turns the Corner Heading into Season’s Second Half

Improved efficiency and a statement overtime win set the stage for a pivotal second half

by Desiree Camacho

Captain Kez Gesell raises the disc in triumph after scoring a goal in Arizona's overtime win against LA on April 12.

At the halfway point of the season, the Arizona Sidewinders sit at a 2-2 record, currently third in the Southwest Conference. The Sidewinders opened their season strong with a win at home against Utah Wild, before two tough losses on the road against Bay Area Falcons and San Diego Super Bloom. However, they were able to bounce back in their most recent game against Los Angeles Astra with a thrilling overtime victory decided by just one point.

  A big change for Arizona this season has been their switch away from having completely separate offensive and defensive lines. Instead, all players have been tasked with contributing on both ends of the disc, a strategy that seems to be working for the Sidewinders who have shown improvements in all statistics vs 2025. 

On offense, they’re operating at 32.6% efficiency, their highest offensive efficiency since the 2022 season (34.3%), which also marks their last playoff appearance. Though not their highest defensive efficiency in team history, they’ve also managed to improve in this area from just 49.8% last season, to 60.8% this season. Additionally, they’ve made a huge leap in break percentage, from 12.6% last season to 28.2%. This is just shy of their highest overall break percentage (28.4%) set in 2022. 

  The second half of the season holds three rematches and one first-time meeting for Arizona. First up, they’ll be seeing Astra again on 4/26, but this time the Sidewinders will have home field advantage. Astra will come hungry for revenge,, but they will also be on day 2 of a road doubleheader – they play Utah the day before In the last matchup between AZ and LA, the teams traded points through all 4 quarters, so Arizona will need to be prepared to keep up the pressure and energy all game long. 

  Next, they’ll face Oregon Soar for the very first time since Soar joined the league in 2025. Oregon has a 2-3 record so far, and are third in the Northwest conference. Despite their record, they only have a -3 point differential, showing they’ve been able to keep it close with their opponents. Arizona’s defense will need to limit production of key Oregon players like Rachel Egan and Caitlin Fitzgerald, while their offense focuses on limiting breaks.

  Arizona’s final two games of the season will be against the Bay Area Falcons and San Diego Super Bloom. These rematches will be a big test for Arizona, as they struggled this season with double-digit losses against these top contenders. Sidewinders will need to make adjustments from those previous matchups and feed off their home crowd energy. 

Check out all the stats from 2026 and seasons past on the WUL Stats Dashboard.

  All games are available to stream live and for free on the WUL YouTube Channel.