Opening Pull: Pro Championship Live Finals, AUDL Postseason Drama

Some of the best club teams in the U.S. are on display today at the USA Ultimate Pro Championships and the AUDL playoffs provided some excitement of their own!

Shame and Mixtape are set to square off in the USAU Pro Championship mixed final. (Photo: Sam Hotaling — Ultiphotos.com)

Welcome to Opening Pull! Ultiworld’s Monday wrap-up of the previous week in ultimate has returned, now available both in this space and as an email newsletter. As always, we’ve gathered the news you need to know and highlights you need to see. Check back weekly or subscribe now to receive Opening Pull in your inbox along with a rundown of the previous week’s content on Ultiworld.

The USA Ultimate Pro Championships Are Live!

If you’re reading this any time between 11:30 AM and 6:00 PM ET on September 6, live club ultimate is likely going on now! The finals in the women’s, mixed, and men’s divisions of the Pro Championships are spaced out across the day on ESPN3, the four-letter network’s streaming channel. The trio caps off a weekend filled with streaming and filming.

USAU Pro Champs Broadcast Schedule

First up is the men’s final between #1 Seattle Sockeye and #8 Washington DC Truck Stop. It hasn’t been a perfect weekend for Sockeye, but they bested #2 Chicago Machine in semifinals. Truck Stop is certainly an underdog, but they worked their way from prequarters to get this far and Sockeye is missing some key contributors.

The women’s division takes the second slot, pitting #2 Boston Brute Squad against #5 Denver Molly Brown. While Boston has been unbeaten, including topping Denver in pool play, Molly Brown was the closest to taking the top seed down. Plus we’ll get the reveal of how Molly Brown’s uniform challenges have been dealt with.

Closing out the tournament is the mixed final between #2 Seattle Mixtape and #3 Fort Collins Shame. Both are 5-1 at the event, advancing comfortably through their respective semifinals, but Shame got the better of Mixtape in pool play, 14-12. Expect a lot of athleticism.

If you want to catch up on all of the goings on in Boulder, our tournament coverage has recaps from each of the first two days of competition.

Empire and Hustle Go to the Wire in AUDL Playoff Doubleheader

With the other divisions having decided their Championship Weekend representatives, it was time for the Atlantic to put forth their duo. The Raleigh Flyers and New York Empire both advanced from their respective contests, despite trailing by sizable margins in the first half.

The game that has folks buzzing is Atlanta’s trip to New York. There was some pregame chaos — a venue change had the visitors arriving less than hour before first pull — but once the game got going, there were fireworks. The Hustle took a five-goal lead, but New York forced overtime with a game-saving block by their MVP-repeat threat, Ben Jagt. They closed the first OT with a sailing huck at the buzzer that Ryan Osgar collected behind a pack of overeager defenders.

Ben Jagt Saving Block

DC and Raleigh’s matchup didn’t have quite the same curtain close, but did involve an impressive comeback from the underdog Flyers. After losing both previous matchups to DC, they showed resolve to retake the lead with a fantastic second half performance on both sides of the disc.


Coming Up

  • The Club regular season is almost over, but it had one of the biggest weekends of the year. We’ll be breaking down the tournament’s implications as we near the postseason.
  • The first of three Con10ent events takes place September 11 in Philadelphia, PA. The tour will showcase both traveling and local Black players.
  • The AUDL’s final four are headed to DC for Championship Weekend, all vying for the title. New York faces San Diego, while Raleigh will battle Chicago.
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