2014 U.S. Open - Mixed Day 3 Recap
Charlie Enders
Posted: July 6, 2014 03:40 AM
At least no one can say the weather wasn’t consistent. Once again, the wind was an ever-present pest on day three of the 2014 U.S. Open, howling at a consistent 15-20mph all day. As on day two, getting upwind breaks was key; obviously, if you can’t score any upwind points on a windy day, you’re going to have a tough time.
Pool Play – Round 7
The final round of pool play in the mixed division included three games that still mattered in determining semifinal berths and positioning. Drag’n Thrust (6-0) took on CLX (5-1) to decide the pool winner, while Union (3-3) needed a victory over the Polar Bears (4-2) to make it to the semifinals. But perhaps the most enthralling match up featured a pair of 3-3 teams: Boston Wild Card and Philadelphia AMP. Wild Card earned and maintained an early lead, with AMP doing just enough to stay in the game. After AMP scored on a marathon point to make the score 6-7, they pulled upwind to Wild Card. AMP managed to get a D but then called timeout when they had already used both of theirs in the half. The resulting turnover gave Wild Card fantastic field position. They took advantage and closed out the half up 8-6.
AMP received to start the second half, going upwind. Deciding that the dink-and-dunk approach was not working for them upwind, AMP instead elected to try and stretch the field deep. Sometimes lucky is better than good – the disc was macked straight into the hands of an open receiver, and AMP gained a much-needed upwind break. They quickly defended Wild Card on the next point and punched in a downwind point to tie the score at 8-8. At this point in the game, the wind began to pick up even more, and with the pressure mounting, both teams began making calls, slowing down what was already a slow game. As a result, the cap horn blew, making it a game to 10. On double-game point, Wild Card received going downwind, but an overthrow gave AMP the disc on their own goal line, where they promptly called a timeout. Out of the timeout, an immediate huck went up, but it was easily defended by Engler. Three passes later, Engler was in the end zone celebrating his team's semifinals berth. Final score: Wild Card 10, AMP 9.
Elsewhere, Drag’n locked up the pool with a 15-9 win over CLX, while the Polar Bears eliminated Union 14-13.
Semifinals
In the day’s first semifinal, Wild Card started out hot against Drag’n Thrust. Led by superb handling from Engler and Vincenzo Vitiello, Wild Card broke twice to start the game, taking a 2-0 lead. But calm handling from Austin Lien helped Drag’n work in the next upwind point, and just as quickly as the first two breaks came, they were gone. Again, a slew of calls made a slow game even slower. Eventually the score found its way to 9-8, in a game capped at 10, with Drag’n receiving going upwind. After multiple turns, Drag’n called a timeout to compose themselves, and Josh "Shwa" Hemmesch found rookie Emily Regan in the end zone for the 10-8 win and a finals berth.
On the adjacent field, in the second mixed semifinal of the day, Polar Bears had their paws full with CLX. Despite leading 5-2 at one point, PBR eventually found themselves trailing 10-11. It was here that PBR took a look at the score, put on their metaphorical sunglasses and said, "Let’s do this." They went on to score the final three points of the game and sealed the 13-11 win.
Looking Forward
So what do we have to look forward to tomorrow? A rematch of a game that Drag’n won 15-9 on Thursday? Expect a much closer game on Sunday. These teams are both experienced, and each could defeat the other on (pardon the expression) any given Sunday.
Photos
2014 - US Open - Day 3 Highlights - Images by CBMT creative
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Images by UltiPhotos
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