USA Ultimate

@TripleCrownTour

Scoreboard

PHOTO CREDIT: CBMT Creative

Although at one point Capitals were up on Fury 7-5, there didn’t seem to be any doubt in the reigning champs’ minds that they would win the game. The game ended at 15-9, and that was the most of Fury’s worries all day.

In the second round, Capitals’ choreographed dance helped them get settled before the match up, but it wasn’t enough to bring them the win. Ozone handled the Capitals’ zone well and threw back a cup and man combination that seemed to rattle the Canadians. After Darcy Drummond rejoined the game following an injury, the Capitals went on a three-point run to tie it up at 15s, but Ozone finished out strong and won 16-15.

In the ensuing game, New York’s Bent played a close first half with Ozone but eventually fell to the Atlanta team after Ozone cleaned up their offense and began to capitalize on Bent’s mistakes.

Nightlock gave Heist a close game in the first round, but the Midwesterners threw different defensive looks, and Nightlock’s offense started to break down. Mental focus seems to be the key for this team as they move into Friday.

In the second round, Heist continued to move the disc well and capitalized on the Bosscher-Wiseman duo as they met North Carolina’s Phoenix. In the second half, quick throws by Jessi Jones, strong defense by Judy Winglee, and an amped-up zone defense brought Phoenix back, but it wouldn’t be enough to close out the game.

Riot had a relatively slow start to the day, but found their groove and showcased a zone that was mostly impenetrable for Nightlock, Heist and Phoenix.

In the last round, Nightlock took on Phoenix with confidence and took home a 13-11 win. Phoenix markers overcommitted on their defensive attempts, giving Nightlock free break-side looks on which they capitalized.

Scandal was another one seed that lived up to their promise in pool play. The D.C. team found themselves behind in their first round game against Molly Brown, but it seemed impossible to keep them down. With Opi Payne and Allison Maddux distributing the disc to cutters like Sandy Jorgensen, Scandal is hard to stop. While they have talent distributed across their roster, when the team is down, it’s these three that step up to make things happen.

On the other hand, Brute Squad seemed to struggle today and found their only win in a hard-fought first round battle against Portland’s Schwa.

Molly Brown had a great day, giving Scandal a two-point game, upsetting Brute Squad and beating Schwa handily in the final round. Molly Brown found success utilizing deep looks and playing intense defense scattered with layouts. In their game against Schwa, they matched Portland’s athleticism and found huck after huck open in the end zone. Schwa answered with deep looks of their own, such as the 70-yard beauty by Bre Austin to a streaking Sarah Read-Brown, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Molly Brown’s lead.

Showdown is the team of the day. The overall nine seed came out and played like they intended to go 3-0, which they did. From the first point of the day, a break score against Nemesis, to their last against Nova, they looked like a team that will make a deep run into bracket play. Cara Crouch touches the disc often for their offensive line, but there are many other stand-out players for opponents to try and match up against. Shereen Rabie and Holly Greunke threw incredible hucks, and Enessa Janes had game-winning defensive blocks. Against Traffic, Showdown was behind for most of the game and only overtook the Vancouver team at 14-13. Both teams were playing physically but each had mis-throws and drops that cost them. Showdown closed the game with Cara Crouch with the disc in her hands in the middle of the red zone. Is anyone going to be able to stop that?

Traffic had a good day as well, falling one point short of Showdown and beating Nemesis and Nova. The third round Nemesis-Traffic game was a little messy on both sides, but may have been the game with the most highlights. One Traffic turnover gave Nemesis’ Lindsey Hack the perfect opportunity for an immediate and beautiful huck to a sprinting Kami Groom. That’s what happens when you give Nemesis the disc with no mark. However, Traffic answered back with speed and ups like that of Ashlee Davison and eventually took down Chicago’s Nemesis 16-15.