Scandal wins back to back Women's Championships
Leah Brown
Posted: October 19, 2014 06:19 PM
Washington, D.C. Scandal wins back-to-back women's national championships; Leah Brown recaps the championship final.
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2014 Nationals Women's Division:
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The final match up at the 2014 USA Ultimate National Championships between last year’s champions, Scandal, and powerhouse Fury was just as competitive as anyone would have expected. But after a close match, Scandal managed to pull out a repeat championship 12-10.
From the opening horn, Fury threw a tight man defense and almost caused a Scandal turn, but Scandal was able to hold on to strike first. As the first half progressed, it was clear that neither team was willing to give up any easy scores. Fury played largely man-to-man defense early on, but set a deep-deep to make sure nothing would make it over the top.
Scandal opted for a man defense as well, but staying a step behind each Fury player was more of a priority. Scandal allowed the under passes and laterals, but challenged any big gains.
Photo Credit: Tino Tran Photography
Both teams’ defenses were forcing errors, and it was difficult for either to pull ahead. San Francisco managed a break and pulled ahead 5-3. As Fury changed their defensive looks on a point-by-point basis, in an effort to keep the team from D.C. off their rhythm, they allowed Scandal some easy shots through their zone defense, and Scandal came back with a few scores of their own making it 7-7.
Scandal managed to capitalize on Fury’s errors; for example, the huge backhand huck Opi Payne unleashed for an easy score that took the game to half, 8-7.
As the second half opened, Fury showed they weren’t willing to give up easily. After working the disc underneath to start the point, Alex Snyder was able to find a receiver deep in the end zone for a quick score to tie the game again at eights.
In the second half, both teams adjusted their offenses to allow more in-space for cutters and saw good results. Despite the extra space, both teams had to utilize the reset regularly to keep possession and gain yards.
Photo Credit: Christina Schmidt/Ultiphotos
The deep game was also opening up for both teams, making it easier to score some quick points with time winding down. D.C.’s movement was slightly better in the handler position and they were able to pull ahead 11-9.
In an effort to mount a comeback, Lakshmi Narayan became a huge part of Fury’s offense and easily pulled down a score to bring the game to 11-10. However, Scandal wasn’t willing to give up their chance to win while playing offense, and after multiple turnovers, they punched in the goal to claim their second consecutive national championship.
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