2014 D-I College Championships - Men's Division Day 2 Recap
Ian Toner
Posted: May 24, 2014 11:04 PM
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Sights on Sunday
Ian Toner recaps day two action from the men's division at the 2014 USA Ultimate College Championships in Mason, OH.
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The top six seeds lived to play another day, while one other top-eight seed’s season ended in heartbreaking fashion.
Pool A
The highly-touted Mamabird-Hodags match up was a sloppy affair with the teams combining for over two dozen unforced turnovers. Though the Hodags went on 3-0 runs to start both halves, high-flying Stanley Peterson led Colorado back from each deficit and on to the 14-12 win.
Wisconsin rested their seniors against Harvard but still took Red Line to double-game point. The Hodags’ loss lined up an all-North Central pre-quarterfinal against Carleton College.
Pool B
In an Easterns finals rematch, Pitt manhandled Michigan by jumping out to a 6-1 lead and closing out a 15-8 victory. UCF played their best game of the weekend, testing Pitt deep into the second half. Tied at 11, Marcus Ranii-Dropcho skied a sandwich of UCF defenders. En Sabah Nur broke on the following point to continue a 4-1 closeout victory (15-12) run.
Dalton Smith played limited minutes on his injured hamstring, but Texas A&M didn’t have enough life to survive. Dozen fell out of championship contention by losing to Michigan 15-12.
Pool C
Despite chippy play from UMass, Tufts eked out a double-game point victory (14-13) that went towards a pre-quarters berth. Florida State led Texas 6-5, but DUF’s eight-man rotation tired after Texas went on a 3-0 run to take half and eventually win 15-10.
The pool finished play with DUF’s depth players besting Darkside’s depth players (15-13) and Texas taking down Tufts 15-11.
Pool D
Florida took North Carolina-W to double-game point in a crucial Pool D battle. After a Gator huck sailed too far, Xavier Maxstadt ripped a full-field huck to help the Seamen clinch victory and effectively eliminate Florida from championship bracket contention.
In the battle for the Pool D title, a Jesse Bolton-less Carleton hung tough against Oregon and their dynamic offense. Sophomore Sef van Kan and senior Galen Ryan cut extremely well off each other, while Justin Lim and Ben Caffrey were effective behind the disc. With Oregon up 12-11, Brian Penner got his hand on a Justin Lim break throw just outside CUT’s end zone. Oregon converted that decisive break and went on to win (15-13) the pool.
Pre-Quarterfinals
UNC-W led Harvard 8-6 when John Stubbs decided to put his team on his back. Stubbs racked up full-extension blocks in the end zone and against the UNC-W zone before assisting and scoring to help Red Line take a 13-12 lead in a game to 14. On double-game point, however, Jack Williams sealed the Seamen goal-line stand with a layout block and a skying huck grab for the win. Pittsburgh’s coaching staff watched the entire game to scout and prepare for their quarterfinal opponent.
Will Driscoll delivered his first signature performance of these College Championships in TUFF’s come-from-behind victory over the Central Florida Dogs of War. Mitchell Bennett climbed a ladder between two Dogs defenders on a loopy end zone shot to finish the TUFF comeback (14-13). Texas will face Oregon in tomorrow’s quarterfinal round on the NexGen Network.
Michigan executed a well-rounded, nearly mistake-free team performance in their 15-12 victory over Tufts – who simply didn’t have the depth required to win. Michigan earned the right to play Colorado tomorrow morning.
Wisconsin dominated Carleton from start to finish in a stifling defensive performance. The Hodags jumped out to 4-0 lead, and unlike in their early morning performance against Colorado, they kept their foot on the gas all the way to a 15-7 victory. Wisconsin will face North Carolina tomorrow morning.
Day 2 Highlights - Images by CBMT creative
(Extended Gallery)
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