Carleton leapt into the title conversation, Colorado racked up some big wins, UBC finally stumbled, and much more from the division's premier regular season event.
March 26, 2025 by Bridget Mizener in Recap
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Seattle, WA – In a statement-making final, #4 Carleton Syzygy outclassed #5 Colorado Quandary 13-7, jumping out to a 4-1 lead and commanding the game from wire to wire in front of a friendly crowd. In a tournament billed as a mini-Nationals, featuring nine of the top ten teams in the country, Carleton were the lone team to emerge undefeated. The final entries on Carleton’s resume to close out the regular season — which also include a comeback semifinal victory over #3 Oregon Fugue and comfortable wins over three other top-15 teams — illustrate that they’re ready to compete for a championship right now.
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Scintillating Syzygy Dominate Quandary
The final was a clinic from Carleton in every facet of the game: suffocating Colorado’s usually potent offense with an effective zone, punishing them in transition, and keeping the door shut with efficient offensive possessions. From start to finish, Syzygy were in control.
Early in the game, Syzygy set the tone with their zone defense. A big mark (Nomi Zeidenberg, Eva Fischer) harassed the thrower in the cup and prevented field switches, a smart roamer (Mia Beeman-Weber, Opal Burruss) patrolled the center of the field, and a formidable deep presence (Chagall Gelfand) dissuaded any over-the-top looks. The pace of Quandary’s offense? A crawl.
Colorado did well to stay patient, largely pinging the disc between Clil Philips, Faye Burdick, Emma Williamson, and Fiona Cashin until they’d reached the red zone and Emma Smith could find a soft spot downfield. That patience, though, was at times stifling — they spent much of the game trapped within five yards of the sideline, unable (or maybe unwilling) to find a release valve.
Quandary managed one hold before a big layout block from Elle Christakos at 2-1 broke the game loose.
One possession was all the Syz defense needed to punch in the break. After a few more miscues — a couple of huck misses, a popped-up inside forehand — Carleton had raced out to a 7-4 halftime lead on the back of a truly stingy D-line offense.
As the game progressed, even after having dug that early hole, Quandary didn’t really change their risk calculus to attempt to close the gap. A few early huck looks from Williamson didn’t work out, and the offense seemed resigned to plod along.
The Carleton offense, on the other hand, was explosive all game. They created enormous spaces for their active cutters, keeping defenders occupied in shallow, wide dead zones while their primary options worked expansive lanes in the middle. Perhaps the Quandary defense were a bit unprepared because, unlike UBC in the semi, Syzygy were eager to attack deep — and found great success doing so. Gelfand, Beeman-Weber, and Burruss connected on hucks at a high clip, and Audrey Parrot, Eliza Barton, and Gelfand feasted in the deep space.
That UBC game might have factored in not only tactically for Colorado, but mentally, too.
“We did really well in the game before, and we need to work on maintaining our energy,” explained Philips.
Carleton, on the other hand, were 110% energy, even with the game well in hand.
Even in the final’s waning minutes, Syzygy attacked relentlessly after a turn. That fast-break offense was one of the most effective facets of their game all weekend, and their ability to do so seemingly never waned as legs got heavier.
Personifying that always-attack mindset is Eliza Barton, who sealed the game with Syz’s final score. That bucket capped off a weekend that puts her on the shortlist for Rookie of the Year. After bagging seven goals in the semifinal, “nose for the end zone” doesn’t begin to cover it.
“We stole [Eliza] from varsity soccer, and we’re just really happy she’s here,” said Syzygy captain Clara Gale. “The mentality and athleticism that comes from being a varsity athlete is really evident in her, and we all are thinking we could take a page out of her book.”
She’s got some competition for that award, though, since her classmates are also making an immediate impact — Kyliah McRoy has been reliable on offense, Christakos’s layout block helped swing the final in Carleton’s favor, and Melba Henley is a force to be reckoned with on both sides of the ball.
Right now, Syzygy’s veterans are playing some of their best ultimate, and their young talent — Gelfand included, lest we forget she’s just a sophomore — isn’t just contributing. They’re steering the ship on a championship-level team. This Syzygy performance is an indication that they comfortably belong in the “title favorites” conversation.
Quandary? More Like: Statement
Yes, their final performance was a bit of a letdown for Quandary, but they leave the weekend with two signature wins that firmly position them in the semifinals conversation, if not the title race. One is a feather in their cap and a fun achievement to hold above the rest of the division: a dominant rout of the previously undefeated UBC Thunderbirds in the semifinals 13-7.
“We all kind of blacked out a little,” said Williamson.
The other hits much closer to home. At long last, they finally took down UNC Pleiades, a team that had tormented them to the tune of an 0-8 record since the pandemic, including losses in the 2022 and 2023 national title games. They snagged a universe-point win in pool play, 12-11.
Williamson explained, “Our goals are [focused on] later, but that was still an awesome win.”
Philips summarized it even more succinctly: “That felt gooooood!”
In-Flight Turbulence for T-Bird
As I mentioned (jinxed might be the better verb here) in my Saturday recap, UBC looked strong — nearly unstoppable, even — until they didn’t. A stifling Quandary defense and plain old mental boom1 spelled disaster in their semifinal against Colorado.
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