Breaking down how teams adjusted as the wind picked up in the latter rounds of pool play
May 23, 2026 by Kiana Hu and TJ Lee in Analysis, Recap
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ROCKFORD, IL — Throughout the day, the wind went from strong, to quiet, to large gusts. Here are some of the different ways that teams faced the elements and found success. Note that every field primarily played with a crosswind, barring the showcase games, which were more upwind/downwind.
Offensive Adjustments
Handling Zone Defense
- Oregon v UC San Diego
There are many ways to handle a zone, but the simplest one is to just shoot the disc past the deep. Oregon took many looks downfield to open up the space. Syris Linkfield and Acacia Hahn worked the disc back and forth until they found a look downfield, with Weybright the favorite target. While sometimes the shot needed a Weybright to make a highlight play downfield, many looks were easily floated around the defense and into the open arms of the cutter.
D-I College Championships 2026: Any Way the Wind Blows (Women’s Div. Day 1 Analysis) is only available to Ultiworld Subscribers
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