USA Ultimate

Corvallis, Ore. (June 1, 2014) – The day of the championship bracket dawned cold and chilly on the fields at Crystal Lake Park in Corvallis, Ore., but the weather did not deter the teams competing in the first games on Sunday morning, a round that would begin an electrifying series of match ups throughout the day.

Roosevelt started the day off strong, upsetting number three seed Nathan Hale in a tightly matched game. Roosevelt came out forcefully, using solid disc movement from handlers Frances Gellert and Anna Wysen to take the lead against Nathan Hale. The Rough Riders proved a challenge for Nathan Hale, even with Nathan Hale’s solid handling and scrappy defense from Miyo McGinn and Maya Powell. Roosevelt and Nathan Hale traded points steadily throughout the game, Roosevelt only pulling free during the second half for a lead of two, a lead that would carry them to victory. Nathan Hale put away the final point during hard cap, but it wasn’t enough to dismantle Roosevelt’s lead, and the final score remained 10-9 in Roosevelt’s favor.

Franklin and Summit’s match up, during the first round of the day, proved a tense one as well, as the two teams traded points and turnovers during the first half. Franklin pulled away during the second half and took home the win 11-8.

Franklin moved on to face tournament front-runner Northwest, as Roosevelt turned to face the Corvallis Ladies Ultimate (CLU) squad for the second time in the course of the tournament. Franklin fought hard against Northwest, utilizing their zone defense and strong handling skills. Northwest’s smooth play proved effective against Franklin, despite Franklin trying to fight back during the concluding half of the game. The final score was 13-3 to Northwest. 

Roosevelt again showed their strength with throws and handling during their match against CLU, but CLU capitalized on an early lead and took the game 13-3.

Fighting for third place, Franklin and Roosevelt squared off after coming out of their tough games against Northwest and CLU, respectively. Roosevelt’s Olivia Kugiya completed a number of throws deep for scores while Franklin’s Samiya Ismail made her presence known all over the field by playing scrappy defense and utilizing her quick handling skills on offense. Franklin’s Ross Ann Caberto and Michelle Yee also showcased their quickness and agility against Roosevelt as they completed multiple downfield throws leading to a series of scores. Roosevelt gained a quick, consecutive three points after Franklin took the game at halftime, but Franklin rose to the occasion and finished the game 13-9.

Undeterred by their earlier loss to Roosevelt, Nathan Hale played fast and strong against Summit to take fifth place.

The finals game began with an air of anticipation as the temperature soared, thanks to the Corvallis afternoon sun, while Northwest and CLU prepared to face off. Northwest and CLU had met once before over the course of the season, at the Seattle Invite in mid-May, in what was a close quarterfinals match up during before Northwest pulled ahead for the win. The championship finals at Westerns would again prove the tough competition between the two teams during a harrowing match that traded favor several times in its course.

CLU started off the game strong with a first-point Callahan. Working to stop CLU’s initial momentum, Northwest came back to score two points in a row before CLU responded with another goal to tie it up. The teams fought furiously for their points in a back and forth battle, with both teams sometimes gaining several points in a row before the other responded.

Both teams utilized strong handler movement in the midfield before capitalizing on deep connections in the end zone. On CLU’s side, the play of Clea Poklemba and Bethany Llewellyn proved a dominant force on both offense and defense, while Mia Bladin and Mariah Webb made themselves known for Northwest. Webb brought down a series of deep-field hucks for scores. Mia Bladin proved strong on defense, earning a layout D and forcing several turnovers during the course of the game. CLU senior Molly Buermeyer worked to shut down Northwest’s deep game, snagging a number of Northwest’s hucks, while the leading scorer in the girls’ division, Madeline Otto, also from CLU, came down with three consecutive scores to bump CLU into the lead by a slight one-point margin at halftime. 

After the half, several defensive plays by Northwest’s Selene Canter and Josie Gillett pushed the game in Northwest’s favor, before they scored two hard-fought points in a row to close out the game 8-7.

The depth of both the Northwest and CLU squads was apparent as all their players completed everything from quick give-and-go handler passes to long downfield hucks. Both teams fought for every disc, and both teams left everything they had on the field during their hard-fought and closely matched final game. 

Congratulations to Northwest, CLU and all the girls’ division teams for a tournament well-played!

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