2013 Metro East College Regionals Recap (Open)
Aiden Forsi
Posted: May 2, 2013 11:22 AM
Event preview by Cornell's Aiden Forsi, as a part of our 2013 Regionals coverage.
Things were a bit more certain than I expected. But come on, who could have called RIT dropping out hours before the first pull on Saturday?
The Metro East Regional Championships went very much to seed, and while there were some close games and a couple upsets, we saw the top four seeds in the semifinals and the top two in the finals. The weather was perfect until mid-Sunday, when a slight wind made playing a little more difficult but did not have an effect on the outcome.
Pool Play
Pool A: True to seed. Cornell did not face a challenge taking the pool until their matchup against Rutgers in the last game of the day, but the Buds still won handily, earning the bye to the quarterfinals. Rutgers likewise found no challenge in SUNY-Stony Brook or Hofstra.
Pool B: True to seed. Connecticut didn’t find much trouble until their game against Queens-Kingston, which they took at a respectable 15-11. Queens-Kingston took the second spot with closer games against SUNY-Albany and Cornell-B.
Pool C: True to seed. NYU let Syracuse and Rutgers-B get a number of points on them and then only beat conference challenger Columbia by one, 12-11, to take the pool. Columbia allowed Syracuse and Rutgers-B to get two more points on them than against UConn.
Pool D: This pool only had three teams, and though games were to 17, this meant more rest and an advantage. Princeton took the pool and only found a game in Yale in the first match up of the day, but won easily. Yale then upset SUNY-Buffalo 16-14, earning the easier game against SUNY-Stony Brook in pre-quarters.
Pre-quarters
Queens-Kingston beat Syracuse in the fourth game on Saturday, earning a spot in the quarterfinals game against Cornell the following morning. SUNY-Albany upset Columbia to play Princeton. Yale bounced SUNY-Stony Brook with a 15-2 victory to face NYU. Rutgers beat Buffalo, but unfortunately those scores aren’t posted online.
Quarterfinals
In their third match up in two weeks, Cornell beat Queens-Kingston 15-8. Princeton beat SUNY-Albany 15-8 as well, playing a longer game than Cornell but resting their starters. UConn also won their match up 15-8 against Rutgers. NYU shows a W-L victory over Yale on ScoreReporter, giving credence to the as-of-yet-unverified theory that Yale simply didn’t show up on Sunday.
Semifinals
Cornell-Princeton was undecided until after the first half, when Cornell’s athleticism began to shine. Cornell went up two breaks early in the game, but gave one back, ending the half 8-7. Their offensive line held for the rest of the game though, and the defensive line was able to convert more turnovers against Princeton’s steadily depleting top-seven. Final score 15-10. Cornell had 30 minutes before the finals.
The UConn-NYU semifinal was very interesting. UConn went up big early, taking half 8-3, but NYU turned it around, bringing the game back within one. With 10 minutes until the finals were scheduled to start, UConn was able to put NYU away 14-12.
Finals (Video of the finals is available online here.)
Cornell dominated this game. The Buds' offensive line was able to move the disc anywhere on the field, regardless of the defense UConn threw. UConn had one break opportunity, but a misthrow gave Cornell the disc back, and they were able to work it into the end zone. Cornell’s defensive line ran through its handlers, often getting power position hucks for scores off of up-line cuts. True to their depth, against UConn’s starting offensive line, Cornell’s more rested rookie players were able to convert a UConn misthrow into the game’s final point. Final score, 15-6 Cornell.
Cornell has a lot of work to do before they face up against the competition in Madison, but their performance in Princeton this past weekend was an indication of a team that can bust brackets. Coming in as the likely 19-seed, barring any other Regionals upsets this coming weekend, they will face another treacherous road on the way to bracket play.
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