2015 D-I College Championships - Men's Day One Recap
Ian Toner
Posted: May 22, 2015 11:26 PM
Freaky Friday
The story of day one at the 2015 College Championships: surprisingly sloppy play. Despite brisk, clear conditions and moderate wind, throwers and receivers struggled to connect on typically high-percentage looks for much of the day. Chalk it up to nerves, conditions or whatever you’d like – but many contenders will need to execute more cleanly to maintain realistic shots at the national title.
Pool A
Though Elliot Erickson, Parker Bray and Jojah showed promise by battling Pitt to 13-15 on Friday morning, the boys from Athens couldn’t hold their seed later in the day.
Texas, Pool A’s rising star, carried momentum from their upset of the "hometown" Hodags (from Madison, just an hour west on I-94) into a convincing 15-10 win over Georgia. Junior Dillon Larberg led the way for TUFF, finishing with five goals and seven assists on the day. TUFF Callahan nominee and Doublewide veteran Chase Cunningham notched three goals and seven assists on Friday, as well.
If Pittsburgh holds off Wisconsin’s challenge in tomorrow’s first round, En Sabah Nur will battle Texas for the Pool A crown when the teams square off at 12:30 p.m. CT – a game that few saw holding such importance.
Pool B
The Central Florida Dogs of War enjoyed a successful first day in Milwaukee, staving off a challenge from Seth Kotzman and Western Washington before dethroning second overall seed Texas A&M.
Though Dirt forced the Dogs to expend more energy than they would have liked in Central Florida’s 15-11 win, that was nothing compared to the test Cincinnati served up for Dozen. A&M accelerated from a 6-6 tie to an 8-6 halftime lead, but Cincinnati came back to even the score at 11. Dozen went on to win (14-12) in a capped game that not only taxed stars Matt Bennett and Dalton Smith but also silenced any doubters who questioned Cincinnati’s caliber or tactics in securing a second bid for the Ohio Valley.
Pool B’s most anticipated game (between A&M and Central Florida) began sloppily – our unofficial scorekeeping tallied six huck turns in the first two points alone. In the second half, with A&M trailing 8-9, Dozen and Doublewide star Dalton Smith launched himself through the air for a layout block in his team’s end zone. He injured his hamstring on the play and was forced to leave the game.
Dozen appeared deflated at the sight of Smith on the sidelines, and the team’s offense was considerably less dynamic without him. Jeremy Langdon, Michael Fairley and Alex Bullock stepped on the gas during a 3-0 second-half run that propelled the Dogs of War to a 14-11 victory. Smith expects to play tomorrow.
Minnesota bested Western Washington and Cincinnati on Friday, effectively securing a pre-quarters berth before their match ups against higher seeds Texas A&M and Central Florida on Saturday.
Pool C
Oregon’s postseason struggles continued on Friday: Ego lost to Florida State and Maryland, and they find themselves in last place in Pool C heading into Saturday.
Dylan Freechild and Connor Matthews worked tirelessly to keep Ego afloat, but they had no answer for Florida State Callahan nominee Chris LaRocque. He was a dominant force for DUF, throwing 10 assists and catching two goals in his team’s 15-12 victory.
The highly touted Florida State-North Carolina tilt was a far cry from the high-level affair many spectators anticipated. Darkside Callahan nominee Jon Nethercutt turfed his first throw of the game in a play that would be indicative of a wholly sloppy contest. LaRocque’s three-assist, four-goal first half led DUF to an 8-7 lead over Darkside, but Darkside deployed a zone defense in the second half that trapped Florida State throwers on the backhand sideline. With the DUF offense out of rhythm, UNC completed a 5-0 run to open the second half, and Darkside won 13-10. Nethercutt rebounded from his rough start to finish the game with six assists and two goals.
Maryland and Illinois both notched unexpected wins, and they are now in the thick of the Pool C pre-quarter berth shootout.
Pool D
The game of the day saw Colorado Mamabird, the tournament’s five seed, take down the University of North Carolina-Wilmington Seamen, the tournament’s four seed.
Mamabird clawed back from a 6-8 halftime deficit to tie the game at 11s just before the soft cap horn sounded. At 13-12 Colorado, sophomore Erik Hotaling elevated for a skying block and took off deep to catch what he thought was the game-winning goal three throws later – but a Wilmington travel call before that huck brought the disc back. Another deep shot would bounce off Hotaling’s fingertips, and Wilmington’s offense, anchored by Callahan nominee Xavier Maxstadt, stayed patient and converted to force double-game point.
Maxstadt swatted away a Pawel Janas scoober in Wilmington’s end zone on Mamabird’s first possession, but Maxstadt couldn’t connect on the ensuing deep shot to rising star Jack Williams. Janas redeemed himself by hucking to Goldwater Scholarship recipient Oak Nelson for the offensive hold and game-winning score.
Massachusetts quietly looks to be the class of Pool D: They finished Friday with a +16 differential, and Ironside veteran Jeff Babbitt threw nine assists and caught nine goals. ZooDisc’s game against Colorado Mamabird at 12:30 p.m. CT on Saturday will likely determine the Pool D championship.
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