2014 D-I College Championships - Men's Division Day 3 Recap
Ian Toner
Posted: May 26, 2014 12:04 AM
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Super Sunday
Ian Toner recaps day three action from the men's division quarterfinals and semifinals at the 2014 USA Ultimate College Championships in Mason, OH.
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For the first time since the switch to the 20-team Nationals format, a pre-quarterfinalist advanced to the semifinals.
Quarterfinals
Defending national champion Pittsburgh and Atlantic Coast regional champion UNC-Wilmington traded offensive holds to reach double-game point. Defensive handler Pat Earles launched a deep shot to Trent Dillon who boxed out Robert Goode just outside Wilmington’s end zone. Aaron Watson then threw a low, hard swing that bounced off the hands of a bidding Max Thorne. Xavier Maxstadt delivered a huck to the red zone, got the disc back and broke the mark from his knees for the game’s first break and the win. The win marked three straight break-to-win, double-game-point victories for UNC-W.
Oregon punched a semifinals ticket for the third time in as many years with their 15-10 victory over Texas. Ego converted two early breaks and led going into half (8-7). Brian Penner dominated his match up with Mitchell Bennett all game, and Oregon utilized stellar defensive contributions from Will Watkins, Andrew Halpin, Mario Bundy and freshman Adam Rees to contain Texas’ big men. Ego converted seven of nine break chances in their 15-10 going-away victory. Connor Matthews wreaked havoc in the deep lanes with Gabe Fruchter – look for Stanley Peterson to take those match ups in the Colorado-Oregon semifinal.
Colorado advanced with a 13-10 victory, simply overpowering Michigan. North Carolina topped a Wisconsin team that just could not take care of the disc to the tune of 15-9, earning the program its first semifinals berth in history.
Semifinals
From the game’s second point, Stanley Peterson set the tone for Colorado’s dominant defense. He leapt over Dylan Freechild’s shoulder from behind to deny a huck and carried the Mamabird D-line in converting four of seven break chances on the way to an 8-4 first-half lead.
Oregon’s offense looked rattled from the start (when Gabe Fruchter went down with a knee injury). Dylan Freechild struggled to lift his offense beyond its struggles in Fruchter’s absence.
Mamabird kept their foot on the gas, breaking three times out of half for an insurmountable 11-4 advantage. Dennison Bechis continued to complement Callahan-winner Jimmy Mickle well in Mamabird’s offensive attack.
Christian Johnson and UNC’s defensive depth steered Darkside through a contested first half that saw Darkside lead 8-6. UNC breaks near the beginning and end of the first half bookended five Wilmington turn-free scoring possessions.
Nick Jackson scored five times for UNC-W, but his team’s offense didn’t complete a single huck in the second half. That gave Jonathan Nethercutt the opportunity to respond to a trying first half performance with a perfect second-half huck performance, connecting on four deep shots to Johnson, Shaffner and others.
Wilmington ran a tight rotation and threw a variety of looks at the Carolina offense, but they could never close the two-break gap UNC expanded in the second half. Darkside won going away 15-10 to advance to the final.
Looking Ahead
Colorado secured their first finals berth since 2009 and will pursue a second title in Mamabird history. UNC secured the program’s first finals berth. Darkside won the only match up between the two teams in 2014, knocking Colorado out of the Stanford Invite quarterfinals by a score of 13-12.
Day 3 Highlights - Images by CBMT creative
(Extended Gallery)
D1 - Day 3 Highlights - Images by CBMT creative
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