diff --git a/GenOnlineService/ExternalLeaderboardsClient.cs b/GenOnlineService/ExternalLeaderboardsClient.cs
index 4f14452..6fc6e12 100644
--- a/GenOnlineService/ExternalLeaderboardsClient.cs
+++ b/GenOnlineService/ExternalLeaderboardsClient.cs
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 using System.Text;
 using System.Text.Json;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
+using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
 using Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration;
 using Polly;
 
@@ -122,7 +123,7 @@ private static SocketsHttpHandler CreateLeaderboardsHandler()
             };
         }
 
-        public static async Task PostMatchResultAsync(AppDbContext db, Lobby lobby)
+        public static async Task PostMatchResultAsync(IDbContextFactory<AppDbContext> dbFactory, Lobby lobby)
         {
             if (lobby.MatchID == 0)
                 return;
@@ -131,8 +132,13 @@ public static async Task PostMatchResultAsync(AppDbContext db, Lobby lobby)
             {
                 GetExternalLeaderboardsConfig(out string postUrl, out _, out string postToken, out _);
 
-                // Load the match payload
-                var matchEntry = await Database.MatchHistory.LoadMatchHistoryEntryAsync(db, (long)lobby.MatchID);
+                // Dispose the read context before the potentially multi-minute external request below.
+                Controllers.MatchHistory_Entry? matchEntry;
+                await using (var readDb = await dbFactory.CreateDbContextAsync())
+                {
+                    matchEntry = await Database.MatchHistory.LoadMatchHistoryEntryAsync(readDb, (long)lobby.MatchID);
+                }
+
                 if (matchEntry == null)
                 {
                     Console.WriteLine($"[WARNING] MatchHistory entry not found for match ID {lobby.MatchID}");
@@ -206,6 +212,9 @@ await retryPolicy.ExecuteAsync(async () =>
                 // Only player IDs that were actually part of this match are valid recipients of an ELO update.
                 var expectedPlayerIds = new HashSet<long>(matchEntry.members.Where(m => m.HasValue).Select(m => m.Value.user_id));
 
+                // Fresh, short-lived context just for the persistence writes below.
+                await using var writeDb = await dbFactory.CreateDbContextAsync();
+
                 foreach (var (userId, updatedPlayer) in refreshResponse.data)
                 {
                     if (!expectedPlayerIds.Contains(userId))
@@ -228,7 +237,7 @@ await retryPolicy.ExecuteAsync(async () =>
                     }
 
                     // Call SaveELOData to persist as fallback
-                    await Database.Users.SaveELOData(db, userId, new EloData(newRating, newMonthlyRating, newMatches));
+                    await Database.Users.SaveELOData(writeDb, userId, new EloData(newRating, newMonthlyRating, newMatches));
                 }
             }
             catch (Exception ex)
diff --git a/GenOnlineService/LobbyManager.cs b/GenOnlineService/LobbyManager.cs
index 4937c3a..239de9b 100644
--- a/GenOnlineService/LobbyManager.cs
+++ b/GenOnlineService/LobbyManager.cs
@@ -1406,15 +1406,10 @@ public class LobbyManager
 		private Int64 m_NextLobbyID = 0;
 
 		private readonly IServiceProvider _services;
-		private readonly AppDbContext _db;
 
 		public LobbyManager(IServiceProvider services)
 		{
 			_services = services;
-
-            var scope = _services.CreateScope();
-            var factory = scope.ServiceProvider.GetRequiredService<IDbContextFactory<AppDbContext>>();
-            var _db = factory.CreateDbContext();
         }
 
         public async Task Cleanup()
@@ -1720,13 +1715,17 @@ public async Task<bool> DeleteLobby(Lobby lobby)
 		{
 			try
 			{
+				using var scope = _services.CreateScope();
+				var factory = scope.ServiceProvider.GetRequiredService<IDbContextFactory<AppDbContext>>();
+				await using var db = await factory.CreateDbContextAsync();
+
 				if (lobby.State != ELobbyState.COMPLETE)
 				{
 					// make done
 					await lobby.UpdateState(ELobbyState.COMPLETE);
 
 					// attempt to commit it
-					await Database.MatchHistory.CommitLobbyToMatchHistory(_db, lobby);
+					await Database.MatchHistory.CommitLobbyToMatchHistory(db, lobby);
 				}
 
 				// delete
@@ -1740,11 +1739,11 @@ public async Task<bool> DeleteLobby(Lobby lobby)
 					lobby.OnLobbyNeedsDestroyed -= HandleLobbyNeedsDestroyed;
 
 					// make sure we have a winner
-					await Database.MatchHistory.DetermineLobbyWinnerIfNotPresent(_db, lobby);
+					await Database.MatchHistory.DetermineLobbyWinnerIfNotPresent(db, lobby);
 
 					// Post match result to external leaderboard API for every lobby type.
 					// Only QuickMatch responses are expected to carry a ratings body.
-					await ExternalLeaderboardsClient.PostMatchResultAsync(_db, lobby);
+					await ExternalLeaderboardsClient.PostMatchResultAsync(factory, lobby);
 				}
 
 				return bRemoved;