2013 U.S. Open Thursday Recap - Mixed Division
Anna Levine
Posted: July 4, 2013 11:54 PM
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Mixed Division:
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Round One
Round one at the 2013 U.S. Open started off fairly quietly as teams adjusted to the heat, humidity and, most importantly, each other. Ambiguous Grey gave Polar Bears a run for their money in the early morning, forcing unanticipated PBr drops. After AG’s Alanna Tievsky smacked the disc away from An-Chi Tsou’s grasp, allowing the D.C. team to score an easy point and raising the to score 4-3, Polar Bears called a heated time out to regroup. PBr regained confidence after destroying Ambiguous Grey’s zone, with handler Tommy Li facilitating much of the movement. The Bay Area team went on to win the game 15-9.
The closest game of the round was the battle between Drag’n Thrust and Mischief – the third and fourth seeds, respectively. The teams traded points and went on short runs all the way through, with Mischief just staying in the lead. At 10-8 Mischief, Drag’n Thrust stepped up their defense. After a teammate made a spectacular layout D in Mischief’s end zone, Drag’n Thrust’s David Shirley immediately followed suit, laying out to facilitate a quick turn and score by Jay Drescher. After a four-point Drag’n run, Mischief called a time out. "Good job, guys. We’re not playing any worse, they stepped up the intensity," a male player said in the huddle. Mischief recharged and came out strong after their huddle, finding a wide open Kate Pearson in the end zone. Mischief’s Matt Crawford tied the score at 12s after coming down with the disc in a crowd. At that point, Drag’n Thrust decided they had had enough and took back full control of the game, putting on especially tight defense in Mischief’s red zone. Drag’n Thrust won 15-13.
Round Two
Polar Bears bested Team Colombia to the tune of 15-9 in round two. Colombia’s offense was fast paced and intricate, their handlers and poppers easily weaving in and out of the Polar Bear cup. Polar Bears were able to score much more quickly, however, and because of their confident and hard-to-defend deep game, came away with the win.
Round two was the round of upsets: a 15-12 Mischief win over first-seeded Blackbird and a 13-12 Cahoots win over Odyssée. Mischief began their game dominantly, taking the half at 8-5. Mischief’s Chuck Cao and Kate Pearson led the way in goals and assists, Cao touching the disc frequently on short throws but also busting deep to catch goals. On offense, Aaron Caulfield and Sally Mimms ran the show for Blackbird. Although extremely athletic plays were made by both teams, Blackbird couldn’t quite keep up with Mischief’s momentum. After Mischief’s Adam Brown laid out on defense in Blackbird’s end zone, only to get back up and catch the disc in his own end zone to make the score 14-10, the game was truly Mischief’s. A throw from Cao to Pearson closed out the game for Mischief at 15-12 and possibly upsetting the initial tournament seeding.
The Cahoots vs. Odyssée game was even more exciting. Cahoots, the eighth-seeded team, came out with guns blazing and led the first half by a break. But Odyssée wouldn’t go down without a fight and kept the Asheville team on their toes. Julie Tremblay was a crucial part of Odyssée’s offense, driving the handler movement at every step. Cahoots managed to take half as Jason Rector sprinted and dove into the back of the end zone to come down with Mark Strazzer’s hard flick. After half, both teams started to drop and overthrow the disc, in part because of the breezy, hot crosswind. Cahoots then made the mistake of putting a cup on Odyssée, which the Canadian team promptly shredded through short hammers and quick breaks. Despite that, Cahoots kept a positive attitude. "We shouldn’t do that, and now we know," laughed a female Cahoots player. Perhaps it was Cahoots’ unshakeable attitude that allowed them to push through the last few points and win the game. Cahoots’ Cate Yackey (née Foster) turned on the energy at the end, working the give-and-go with her husband Bud before booking it downfield to lay out in the end zone for a score. Strazzer found Timmy Murray in the end zone to narrowly secure the Cahoots victory 13-12.
Round Three
In the final round of the day, Ambiguous Grey continued their trend of giving their opponents a serious run for their mone, before losing to the tune of 15-9. Odyssée’s Julie Tremblay and Felix-Antoine Daigle led the way in goals and assists, working faster than Ambiguous Grey could handle. But AG’s Matt Greytak was on fire this game, driving Ambiguous Grey forward.
Mischief came away with a 15-9 win over the feisty but somewhat exhausted Cahoots who had expended much of their energy in their previous game. Although Cahoots players including Juliette McNamara, Josh Lowell and Cate Yackey were working extra hard on offense, they ultimately couldn’t keep up with Mischief’s far more relaxed and controlled style.
Team Colombia took an unassuming Drag’n Thrust by surprise, making the Minneapolis team work for every completion while trading points. Colombia’s number 99 [name unknown] played out of her mind, making incredible reach-around catches, losing her defender on every turn, and acting as Team Colombia’s main scoring mechanism. Team Colombia contested every Drag’n throw, laying out at each turn. Soon, however, Drag’n Thrust tapped into their strong deep game. Given the substantial height difference, Colombia struggled to effectively defend their opponent’s new strategy, and Drag’n Thrust put away the game 15-8.
Game of the Day
The Odyssée vs. Cahoots game comes in as a close second, but the game of the day had to be second-seeded Polar Bears’ upset over first-seeded Blackbird on the showcase field. Despite their second-round loss to Mischief, Blackbird came out confident and ready to play. Their on-field focus seriously contrasted with the Polar Bears’ attitude. The Polar Bears had trouble connecting with each other and committed an uncharacteristically high number of unforced errors. They couldn’t stop overthrowing passes in the end zone and throwing way over teammates’ heads, perhaps due in part to the loft created by the extreme heat radiating off of the turf. Blackbird seized the opportunity and a seemingly insurmountable 6-1 lead, with players like Jason Zhang making spectacular catches and Adam Farren playing intimidating defense.
Slowly, PBr regained their offensive footing and fought back against Blackbird’s defense, which had consistently been pushing them back into their own end zone. An-Chi Tsou, Clay Miller, Ben Hubbard and Adam Raty started to take control on offense, and the team came out of half completely re-energized. After lots of hard pushing and a much better completion rate, the Polar Bears tied the game at 10s. Raty threw a massive hammer from the corner of the end zone to find Miller in the back and raise the score to 11-10 Polar Bears. Finally, the Bears were up.
However, Blackbird wasn’t playing for a loss and instituted very tough defense on the ensuing points. Blackbird’s Chelsea Witte got an amazing D in PBr’s end zone, only to extend the already long and closely contested final points. Tsou laid out to catch the disc and accidentally got rolled by a Blackbird male; she looked rattled as she left the field on an injury call. Finally, Kevin Cocks found Miller in the end zone and won the game for PBr 13-11. The team was ecstatic to avenge their 2012 Club Championship loss to their Bay Area rival and probably equally thrilled to get off the oven-like turf.
What to Watch For
- Cate Yackey’s give-and-goes with her husband Bud and Cahoots’ surprising success – who will they beat next?
- Tomorrow’s first-round game, Polar Bears vs. Mischief: it’s the final Bay Area match up in the round robin, and the competition will be fierce. Will the Polar Bears continue their winning streak, or will Mischief beat them for a second time this season?
- Colombia’s speedy, quick offensive game – it’s virtually unstoppable and worth a watch.
- The Ambiguous Grey vs. Cahoots match-up tomorrow. The teams are evenly matched skill-wise, and both have something to prove, so expect a particularly hard-fought battle.
- Tommy Li of Polar Bears’ calm yet commanding handler presence
Video clips by ESPN
2013 U.S. Open Ultimate Championships Welcome Ceremony:
Day 1 video recap
Photos by UltiPhotos.com (extended highlights gallery)
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