Grut and France make their way to the finals after some very tight semis!
June 15, 2019 by Ráchel Tošnerová in Recap with 0 comments
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Spirited bracket play and familiar faces in the final.
After a night of heavy rain, most mixed teams weren’t too surprised to find their morning game canceled at breakfast. Some of them used the extra time for team building activities in the Iggy, others appreciated the quick nap they could take before the new schedule was announced. Eventually, just as in the other divisions, all games were played out when the TDs decided to use the warm-up fields, as well. The time slots, however, were shortened to 55 minutes, which added an interesting twist to some of the games.
Guayota’s downfall in the quarters
After the last game of the Swiss draw, the quarters were set. Germany took down Guayota 13-8 and Ireland didn’t find the strength to beat Shenanigans, who took the win 11-8.
In another quarterfinal, Flow tried to resist France with their impressive deep game and strong women. The were able to keep up until 5-5 but then France took halftime and after that started on offense. Eventually, French pushed through winning 11-6, securing the spot in the semis.
According to Grut players, the final score (12-7) was not representative of the tight game they had against SMOG. The teams were trading points until halftime but then Grut stepped up their game during the second half and their opponents couldn’t really find an answer to Grut’s long-time connections.
French coaches get wet and Grut does it again
Shenanigans really jammed their foot into the door leading to the final that Grut was trying to shut quickly. The spectators witnessed a game full of hucks, hammers, blades, and impressive skies. With only two breaks in the entire game, this was a semifinal worthy of top-notch international tournament. The game got to double game point with Grut starting on offense and the young Dutch did not disappoint. Using all players on the field they won their spot in the final of Windmill for the third time. Both teams agreed that all calls were solved very quickly and the overall spirit was very high for such a tight game. You can catch the semifinal on youtube.
In the other semifinal, the two teams faced off for the second time this weekend. France beat Germany comfortably in the Swiss draw 15-7 on Saturday but Gael Ancelin said the semis were a different story: “The pressure of the semis and Germany’s adjusted game plan made it really hard. In yesterday’s game we managed to stop their fast handler movement, but today our defense struggled.” Germany even got the first break. France took it back and was up 9-6 when they lost concentration allowed the Germans to even out the score to 9-9. After that, French offense finally scored again and it was enough to take the momentum away from their opponent. Final score: 11-9. Ancelin explains why you could see the French coaches running off the field towards the natural barrier of the event venue, the creek, right after the semis: “They promised us that if we make it to the final, they will swim in it.”
Grut say they feel a little bit of pressure coming into the final. In their own words: “We feel very confident but at the same time are afraid of the opponents. France beat us twice as the Dutch U24 team.” The French team, on the other hand, has also been in the Windmill final several times. However, only time will tell if they can find a recipe for beating Grut’s extraordinary chemistry and finally send the Golden Elephant south.
