A thrilling Thursday with so much action is was difficult to know where to look. Here's a rundown on the whole thing ahead of semis on Friday!
July 26, 2024 by Benjamin Rees in Recap with 0 comments
Ultiworld’s coverage of the 2024 World Junior Ultimate Championships is presented by Spin Ultimate; all opinions are those of the author(s). Find out how Spin can get you, and your team, looking your best this season.
WJUC has reached the point where tensions heighten, emotion runs high, and everything is more pressurized. There’s always a buzz around a venue when bracket play begins, and today was no exception. Open and Mixed played their quarter-finals, while the Women’s power pool wrapped up in the most dramatic of fashions. Deep breath everyone, we’re diving headfirst into a fantastic and frantic Thursday.
Women’s
Let’s start in the women’s division, which theoretically had the least on the line today with all four semi-final positions decided, and only seeding to play for. Evidently, nobody told the players. Canada played Italy on field two, with USA and France waging war on field three behind them. Both games started in a similar fashion, with the Europeans haring out of the traps to catch their North American opponents off guard. Italy raced into a 5-1 lead with less than 25 minutes on the clock, while France built themselves a 5-2 advantage, with each side carrying a handy cushion into the interval.
It was the second half where the stories began to diverge. Canada used the break to steady themselves and come roaring back into the contest, reeling off six straight scores to stun the Italians and put themselves in front 9-8, forcing an Italian timeout. France started the second half with no apparent loss of momentum, holding out of half before tacking on another break to lead 10-4 when the clock passed the hour mark. The Americans knew there was plenty of game left, and perhaps cognizant of a comeback in motion next door, they started to turn the screw themselves. USA made sensible use of their returners to display their leadership skills both on and off the pitch, with Chloe Hakimi, Rachel Chang, Bella Russell, and Grace Maroon becoming an ever more prominent part of the game plan. One break became two, two became three, and in a 10-minute span the deficit had been reduced to just two, with France forced into a timeout to stop things spiralling out of control.
The two timeouts had differing effects. Italy held to tie Canada, but France were unable to arrest America’s development as both games were level going into the closing stages. The French finally stopped the bleeding to take an 11-10 lead, before Camille Blanc, who had a bumper performance with two assists and three goals, was able to connect with Camelia Chabaud for the break to go two points up. Valérie Lyonnais, meanwhile, was having a stormer for Canada, as she threw her fifth assist of the game to put Canada 11-9 to the good.
That was as good as it got for Canada, as it was Italy’s turn once more to get the break train chugging away again. The zones which Italian sides are known for began to lock down options, forcing longer possessions and riskier shots, and the offense on the turn became more clinical and precise as a four-point run gave Italy a lead they would not relinquish. Even though Canada were able to close it to 13-12, a universe point was not to be as Arianna Ascari iced the game to give Italy the 14-12 victory.
The USA women were unshaken by the French break, with Hakimi marshalling their offense on a clean hold, before the sides traded turnovers with Russell eventually hooking up with Breesen Hoehne to tie the teams once more at 12 apiece. With the clock ticking down, every point felt more valuable, and Margot Nissen, who was initially named on the US roster before deciding to suit up for the French, keeping her composure to find Camille Blanc and edge in front again, with France opting to use their final timeout of the half to steady themselves and push for a break to create some breathing room as the cap whistle blew. It seemed to work, as their defense was breathing down American necks, and although they generated the turn they were unable to convert, with the USA punishing them for their profligacy as Ella Monaghan hit Hakimi to take the game to the universe point finish it deserved.
What a universe point it was. After an American timeout to focus, talk tactics, and set their sudden death seven, France received knowing a hold would signify a momentous victory, although somewhat surprisingly omitting Blanc from their chosen few. Given the wild swings of momentum that had taken place, it felt as though the final point was never going to be a clean hold, and so it proved as both teams made uncharacteristic errors with the eyes of the entire complex fixed on their every move. Nissen gifted possession to the US with a drop, and Hakimi came up with a huge possession saving layout only for Nissen to atone for her error by snaffling an American swing. Scout Noble was next to step up, securing the US the disc once more, with the timeout they had kept in their back pocket employed to give everyone, players and spectators alike, a moment to take stock and drink it all in before focusing once more. What the USA could not have accounted for was Zoe Forget defying physics on a ludicrous block, but France were unable to take advantage and against teams as good as the US that generally only ends one way, with the final score almost inevitably ending in the hands of Chloe Hakimi to cap a nuclear four-assist-and-three-goal performance for a 14-13 stunner that sent the traveling American support into ecstasy and crush the French fans. It was the only time America led all game.
Tulsa Douglas, USA assistant coach, had an understandable reaction. “Really proud. I think it was a great challenge for us, an opportunity for us to decide how we want to respond.” The USA responded magnificently in the face of a French challenge that pushed them to the very brink, although France will be chomping at the bit to get the chance for the ultimate catharsis in a potential rematch.
The semi-finals guarantee one North American and one European team in Saturday’s final, with the USA taking on Canada and France facing Italy tomorrow. Both games were one-sided in the power pool, but bracket play games are a different matter entirely, and all four teams could, on their day, come out on top.
Mixed
The mixed division was the next to take the spotlight. The first two quarter-finals had Canada against Austria, with Singapore up against France. Canada’s morning got off to a rusty start, beginning on offense and turning over their first possession, but Austria, having advanced into the redzone, gave the disc back. They could not have seen what followed coming, as not only did Canada convert at the second attempt, they never even surrendered the disc again in the first half as they romped to an 8-1 lead. Their offense in the second half was messier as the wind picked up, but the defense continued to swarm and overwhelm their opponents, and Austria proved no match in the end for the Canadian class, with a 15-2 final scoreline laying an ominous marker for their semi-final opponents.
That opponent would be the victor of Singapore vs. France. After the two sides traded holds, France drew first blood with Milad Chaintron ripping it deep after a miscue to hit Baptiste Lebon in what would prove to be the only break of a methodical first half, which finished with France holding a 7-6 advantage. Singapore entered the second period knowing they needed two breaks to seize the advantage, and they got them straight out of the interval, with Caleb Tan connecting with Skye Fong on both to flip the script in the Asians’ favor. When Brahadeesh Rajendran connected with the Tong sisters, first Crystal then Celeste, on consecutive points to extend the lead further, it seemed like Singapore might assert their control and take the game away, but France held their nerve to hold just before time expired, and when on the subsequent point Caleb Tan’s layout to save on overthrow was in vain, France took advantage by marching down the field to give the fans a universe point finish.
Singapore elected to use their second timeout to refresh and reset, with many of their key players having pulled double duty for much of the game with the coaches electing to play relatively tight lines. France pulled and came down with a match defense, forcing Singapore’s stars to win their one-on-one battles, trying to sit underneath key matchups to force players away from the disc and see if they could bait an out of character deep shot. Singapore refused to take the cheese, continuing to regimentally work their way all the way up to the endzone line, where it appeared that Valerie Yong had run out of room and run out of options. Caleb Tan disagreed, and burrowed towards the front cone for Singapore to jam it in the jam hole to emerge as 12-11 victors.
The second round of games had USA face Italy on the showcase field in what many expected to be a lopsided American victory. The West Midlands wind played right into Italian hands, as they cycled through their variety of zone looks to disrupt and unsettle the favorites who found themselves in a perilous position at 7-5 down. Italy, however, could not close out the half, with America going on a three point to snatch the first half 8-7, and from there they never looked back as they accelerated away for a 15-8 victory that belied how much trouble the underdogs had caused them in the opening exchanges.
Meanwhile, in the far corner of the complex, the remaining quarter-final had Colombia battle Hungary in an encounter that started fifteen minutes late thanks to Mexico’s late comeback to beat Panama on universe point1. When the game did finally begin, it was clear from the outset that it was going to be a close-run contest, with neither side able to pull away, and offenses struggling to settle into a rhythm. After two breaks apiece, Hungary held firm on a marathon galaxy point to give themselves a narrow advantage going into the break.
Colombia began the second half with a hold, but Hungary answered before breaking once more to put themselves two up with less than fifteen minutes until the time cap. It was now or never for the Colombians, and they knew it, with Diego Mancilla and Maria Susana Vasquez driving the South Americans on a three goal swing, the last point of which took thirteen and a half minutes, to make the score 11-10 in their favor in what would be a game to 12. Hungary would have loved nothing more than a clean, calm hold, and although that didn’t happen Mikán Miksa was belatedly able to find Ferenc Klément to send it to universe.
Hungary opted for a zone defense that has become one of their hallmarks, hoping to force either an aerial option for one of their athletic defenders to pick or to try and bore out a turn on a questionable throw through the teeth of the defense, and the Colombians provided them the latter to surrender possession. The Hungarians worked the disc to the redzone, but it seemed like they had squandered their chance when Eszter Tóth’s scoring shot ricocheted off the hands of her receiver. Mercifully for Hungarian hearts, Kata Vígh stayed alert to salvage the game-winning goal at the second attempt that punched their ticket to the semis and completed the astounding upset.
Hungary will try to pull off the unthinkable when they face off with the USA in semis, while Canada and Singapore rematch in the other half of the bracket with a final berth within touching distance.
Open
After a gruelling pool phase determined the top eight, the quarter-finals brought extra jeopardy with each team knowing they could not afford an off day. USA took on Japan in an intriguing clash of styles, but in truth the Japanese were outmatched as the Americans turned an 8-4 halftime advantage into a commanding 15-5 final score, with CJ Kaperik catching the eye by scoring four goals, including the game-winning grab.
Canada, the top finisher from pool B, played Switzerland in an encounter that was similarly one-sided. The Swiss, 8-2 down at half, gave a better account of themselves in the second stanza, but on game point Theo Gobeil produced an inch-perfect pull to pin Switzerland at the back of their own endzone, and with the screws tightening an errant hammer zipped right into the hands of Joshua Fok for a semi-final sealing Callahan.
The other two quarter-finals were all-European affairs. France headed into their game against Belgium as favorites, but well aware of the threat their athletic opponents could pose. Any worries they might have had appeared well founded when the Belgians scored back-to-back breaks on the first two points, but France were able to steady the ship to level things up at 2-2, before earning the second break back midway through the first half and tacking on another to enter the interval 8-6 to the good, with the Belgian propensity to take on aggressive options playing right into the hands of waiting and baiting French defenders. The second half was almost entirely one-way traffic. From 6-6, by the time Belgium got back on the board France had scored eight on the spin, with their D line able to force a multitude of turns and the offense looking frighteningly crisp against their tiring opponent. The final score of 15-7 sends a statement to the other semi-finalists that the French are heating up at the right time.
The remaining quarter-final had the host nation Great Britain looking for an upset against a much-fancied Italy. GB have shown at times they can trouble the top contenders, but knitting it all together has proved tricky at times. At first it seemed like the Italians would be one obstacle too far, with breaks on the first three points putting the hosts in a perilous position early as their offense could not get into any sort of rhythm. When they did finally get on the board it seemed as if a weight had been lifted off their shoulders, and the Italian offense, taking the field for the first time, gifted GB the disc with an overthrow, which was pounced upon as Wil Moore zinged a blade into the endzone whereupon Marcus Kalsi-Stolen produced a spectacular layout grab to earn a break back.
This Great Britain side thrives off the energy and adrenaline created by big plays such as those, and with their defense amped up the home side continued to stifle the Italians, making good use of switches downfield to confuse cutters and to roll with en passant upline cuts, but one of the biggest problems for GB this tournament has been being parsimonious in possession, and despite generating plenty of opportunities through both Italian errors and freakishly athletic plays, with Ben Askham in particular standing out, they struggled to convert with the frequency they would have liked. GB did finally earn the break to tie it at 3-3, but the point took over 15 minutes to conclude, tiring some of their key players, with the Italians utilizing this to take a halftime lead of 8-5.
When Italy added a further break early in the second half it felt like it might be game over, but GB continued to plug away, going into the cap in touching distance at 11-8 in a game to 12, and when Sam Hill connected with Rupert Pantling to bring them within two the home crowd started to believe that the miraculous might be about to occur. Sadly for the raucous supporters it was not to be, as Italy stayed calm for the clean hold and a thrilling 12-9 victory. It certainly wasn’t the prettiest game of Ultimate one may witness, but with huge plays from both sides it was an absolutely tremendous spectacle that the crowd rightfully lapped up.
Over the course of the tournament it feels as if Italy are justifiably one of the top four finishers, although Great Britain are left wondering what might have been if Enrique Albarracin and Innes Rose-Price, usually key pieces of their offense, had been able to take the field and share the load with their other exhausted team-mates.
Great Britain coach Matthew Carson had a succinct answer to sum up his emotions – “Gutted.” An understandable reaction, of course, and one that he did elaborate on. “In 2022 when I coached the Under-17s we got beat by the Italians on stream 14-3, and then in 2023 in EYUC we got beat badly by them twice, so we’ve been improving year on year. As much as I’m gutted we can’t progress into the top four I am really really proud of the boys for putting in a terrific performance.” The comparison to two years ago to now is stark, and while defeat must hurt it does show the huge progress the program has made, going toe to toe with the European Champions. For Carson it’s not a surprise that they currently also sit at the top of the Spirit of the Game rankings, and he acknowledged that: “The boys have got incredible character, I’ve never seen anything like it from a group of 17, 18, 19 year olds.” With only three players ageing out after this season, there’s a lot to like about this group even in defeat.
For Arturo Laffi, longtime La Fotta standout and one of the Italian coaches this week, he knows how tough these occasions can be and realizes the importance of staying in the moment when your offense is struggling. “It’s a quarter-final, it’s normal that it is a bit different than usual, but it’s still us, it’s still the team that played the last seven games”, he told them. “Just keep calm, breathe, start with something easy – think about the next pass, then the next one again, don’t think about scoring or winning the game, it’s gonna come by itself.” Tomorrow provides an entirely different challenge, and allows Italy to embrace the underdog mentality, and have an opportunity against an elite international team that many will not have experienced before.
The Italians take on favorites USA, with France matching up against Canada in a Francophone affair, with a place in Saturday’s showpiece final at stake.
The final four in each division are set, and if I know anything about ultimate2, you can be sure semi-final Friday will throw up twists and turns not even Nostradamus could have seen coming.
