2016 U.S. Open - Day One Women's Recap
Jenna Palin
Posted: July 2, 2016 10:13 AM
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The fifth-annual U.S. Open Championships are underway in Kingston, R.I.
Thirty-four teams across the men's, mixed and women's divisions are competing to take home the first leg of the 2016 Triple Crown Tour.
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Day one of women's division play at the U.S. Open started out just like any other, with lots of excitement and positivity emerging out of warm ups at the fields in Kingston. The fields were primed and ready, without much wind and plenty of sun to start the day.
Pool A
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Brute Squad
(1)
2-0 |
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Fury
(3)
1-1 |
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Iris
(6)
0-2 |
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Showdown
(7)
1-2 |
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Fusion
(10)
2-1 |
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The first two games of Pool A matched up San Francisco Fury versus Texas Showdown and Montreal Iris versus Winnipeg Fusion. Fury versus Showdown developed as expected; Showdown struggled to work against a more experienced team but remained focused and finished with five points on the board. Final score 15-5. Iris and Fusion's game was one of contention; Fusion displayed their gritty defense and managed to squeeze an upset win on double-game point with some excellent layout saves from Jada Lim.
The next two games ran as expected, with Brute Squad entering the mix while Fury had a bye. Brute Squad easily worked against Fusion, and the final score was 15-2; there might be the idea that Fusion knew this game was going to be out of contention and took it somewhat easy, knowing their next game was a bit more important to their end result. Iris and Showdown had a tighter game to play, with Showdown wanting to break seed against a weakened Iris. Both teams struggled to maintain control of the disc, and there were multiple turnovers; some of this was due to increasing wind trouble, but Showdown played excellent defense and used some deep looks to take the game 15-10 over Iris.
The last games of the day for Pool A brought the best viewing opportunities from the sidelines. Brute Squad and Fury came together for a promised battle, and boy, did they make it interesting. From the start, Brute Squad looked confident and composed, going on a three-point run before Fury could compose themselves. Fury made some runs of their own with some outstanding athletic plays from Maggie Ruden, who was basically unstoppable in every sense. She showed her absolute dominance over the game with incredible skies, master flicks and backhand hucks. However, Brute Squad showed stronger, grittier defensive match ups against all players on Fury, and their offense flowed easily with the addition of rookies Aly Heath, Molly Hallweaver and Julianna Werffeli. All returners, with special attention to Laura Bitterman and Kami Groom, look even better than last year. There were a few mistakes here and there, which brought the game tighter, but Brute was able to bring the game to a close in soft cap at 14-12.
Fusion finished their day with a win over Showdown on double-game point to turn the tides in Pool A. Every point was a challenge with Showdown and Fusion both bringing their defensive grit with the hopes of a win, but with the game at 11-11, Fusion was able to work the disc patiently down the field for the win. There were some extremely long points, but Fusion did have a very active sideline and some supporters from the Winnipeg men's team who were there to lift them up in a challenging moment.
Pool B
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Riot
(2)
2-0 |
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Molly Brown
(4)
1-1 |
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Scandal
(5)
2-0 |
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BENT
(8)
1-2 |
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Siege
(9)
0-3 |
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Pool B did not present any upsets, but there were quite a few moments and players that stood out throughout the games. The first games of the day brought Molly Brown versus BENT and Scandal versus Siege. While Molly Brown easily took the game from BENT, the New Yorkers showed moments of greatness with their handler quickness, but they were stagnated by Molly Brown's excellent downfield defense. Molly Brown showed confidence with the disc and their depth as many cutters made throws for scores after their handlers worked it up against BENT's defense and the increasing upwind-downwind conditions.
Scandal and Siege had a very interesting game; Siege played up to Scandal's level, but were unable to answer Jenny Fey's buttery flick hucks for scores. Siege handler Jojo Emerson showed complete control over their offense and was able to help the team finish the game against Scandal in a 15-9 loss. Siege went on to have a very tight game against Riot, losing 15-10. Riot had trouble with the wind in the downfield end zone, often throwing out the back or having the disc lose momentum at the last second. Siege, being more used to the east-coast wind, was more patient with the disc and often broke Riot's defense for the score. After two physically challenging games against elite teams Riot and Scandal, Siege was unable to recover for their game against BENT, losing 15-10 to their New York rivals. BENT, maybe realizing they would not be able to truly hold against Scandal, lost that game 15-5, but perhaps saved their defensive line for the game against Siege. Riot and Molly Brown finished the day with a strong performance, but as expected, Riot easily pulled a win from Molly Brown, closing 15-10.
Looking Ahead
We will look to see some excellent plays as the pools finish up on Saturday morning, but it's safe to say we should pay attention to Pool A, as the upsets will make for an interesting bracket on Saturday and Sunday.
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