May 24, 2013 by Michael Aguilar in Recap with 1 comments
There were some great games in round three, highlighted by an impressive Carleton victory over Wisconsin. Here’s a recap of the round’s games.
OPEN
The biggest game of the round was a much anticipated matchup of Wisconsin and Carleton College. You could write thousands of words to explain the rivalry between these two programs, but the spectators in Madison — mostly Hodag fans — showed that they knew the bragging rights and pride that were at stake in this early but extremely important game.
In Round 1, Wisconsin coach Hector Valdivia told Ultiworld that he was just fine with taking aggressive shots and that the Hodags were not concerned about the high amount of turnovers they gave to Cornell. It would appear that statement came back to haunt him as CUT defenders got their hands on two early game hucks and jumped out to a lead that they would hold for the entirety of the game.
The story of this game was Wisconsin’s constant struggle to fight back and Carleton’s ability to hold its opponents at arm’s length. Carleton would ride a near perfect offensive performance from Justin Norden and Simon Montague to get the win in spite of Wisconsin tying the game at 5-5 and then getting back within one goal after several Carleton attempts to pull away. Finally, CUT rattled off 2 breaks to close out the game, 14-10.
The side story of this game was Wisconsin senior Brian Hart’s absence and Carleton Senior Nick Stuart’s presence. Hart, Wisconsin’s Callahan candidate, came out on an injury substitution in the very first point and did not return. He had ice on the back of his leg by the end of the first half. Ultiworld has not received word on the extent of his injury.
On the flip side, Stuart, a standout for Carleton, sat out CUT’s first game against Florida State with his own hamstring issues but managed to return for Wisconsin and play extremely effectively, earning several timely blocks for his team. Injuries are such an important part of tournament management — each of these players has a big impact on their respective teams, and they’ll be needed later this weekend.
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In the other game in Pool B, Harvard took care of Florida State in quick fashion. Redline dispatched DUF 15-7 in a game that was never close. Harvard started up 2-0 on two straight breaks and only extended its lead from there. By the time it was all said and done, Harvard had only turned the disc over on offense once and managed to save itself a lot of energy by taking care of business quickly.
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Similarly, in Pool D, Pittsburgh showed up in very businesslike fashion on Illinois. En Sabah Nur would eventually win 15-9 but coach Nick Kaczmarek was especially pleased with the defending champions’ preparation and attitude entering the game.
“Illinois presents some tough matchups but we talked about, before the game, how we were able to win every individual matchup and everything would pan out from there,” Kaczmarek said.
Things did pan out, as Pitt finished early and joined Harvard as two of the four teams to win a game by more than five goals today.
Meanwhile, UNC-Wilmington and Arizona played in one of the games that Ultiworld pegged for a potential upset. Things looked to stay close early as the two teams traded to 5-5 but that’s where the Seamen turned on their famous defensive intensity and rattled off two straight breaks to take a 7-5 lead.
They would hold that lead into halftime and then extend it to 12-9 before Sunburn came storming back and tied the game at 12 all. The teams traded to 13s and UNCW scored the next goal, and captain Tommy Lamar led the way on the following point to break Arizona for the win.
WOMEN’S
The marquee game of the round was the Pool B 1-2 game between Carleton (Pool B #1) and British Columbia (Pool B #2). The game, as expected, was a very back and forth affair. Carleton’s height and fantastic hucking were enough of a threat for the TBirds to opt for lots of zone. UBC’s speed and wealth of cutting talent forced Carleton do the same. The effect, however, was minimal. Both teams were fully able to handle their opponent’s varied looks and working the width of the field; UBC typically using more aggressive throws and Carleton dump and swinging.
Once they drew a man, it usually wasn’t too much for a score. For Carleton, Marley Hartman-Filson & Taylor Want both stepped up with big plays. UBC saw the continued strong play of Catherine Hui and Crystal Koo. The teams traded up to 12-12, Carleton’s receiving. Unfortunately, Crystal Koo would turn it over in the red zone twice with questionable choices – a hammer and a blade – and Carleton would punch in the crucial score. Grace Quintana would get a D in the cup on the ensuing point to get a two point lead, and they’d wrap up from there, 15-13.
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Georgia (Pool B #3) and UCSB (Pool B #4) took on one another in the always crucial 3-4 battle. Both teams would start a little sloppy, but once they settled in, the Skirts made it 8-3 at half. Perhaps it was the nerves of their first game at the big show, but the Southeast champions gave up far too many short fields and easy, unforced errors. Dawgma collected themselves at half and came rolling into the second half with three breaks in a row, but a buckled down UCSB would come back around to make a return run. Pitcaithley was, as usual, a force, coming up with five assists, three goals, a D, and just three turns. Alicia Thompson returned to form despite being matched up with impressive Georgia defenders. Lane Siedor delivered for Georgia, nabbing 7 assists, but her five turns were a team issue that put them behind the count too early. Santa Barbara would win 15-11. It should be noted both teams looked drained by the end.
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In Pool D, Washington (Pool D #3) and Texas (Pool D #4) had a great battle. Texas Melee really played their game, a gritty defensive style of play that makes the offense work for every inch of field. Element was able to make a run an 8-4 half Amanda Kostic, Alysia Letourneau, and Barb Hoovermaking huge plays. Texas displayed a lot more disc skill than they are reputed for and it came in handy in the second half, when Element’s zone defense forced them to slow down. Melee had one point with nearly 100 passes before a forced swing let Letourneau create a turnover. Repeatedly, Texas made defensive goal line stands with great Ds. Melee would crawl back into it, led by Kayla Ramirez and Diana Charrier, but Lucy Williams turned it in the final points and helped put the upstart squad away, 14-11.
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Iowa (Pool D #1) and Ottawa (Pool D #4) also met up. Ottawa kept fighting, but with Liza Minor doing work in the cutting lanes, Saucy Nancy staked out a small lead and kept holding. In the second half, they dug into their depth more and more while the Metro East champions struggled to keep up. With Bekah Hickernell as a focal point, Iowa was able to hold off the Gee Gees comeback attempts and win it 15-9.
Check out photos of all of the action at the 2013 USA Ultimate D-I College Championships on UltiPhotos.
