SB1 at Men's Indoor Regionals 2016
Louis, Niall, Will, Jonny, Luke
Tejas, Perry (C), Elliot, JR
Saturday (Pool Games):
Cambridge 1 vs. Brunel 2 (10-2)
Cambridge 1 vs. UCL 2 (11-1)
Cambridge 1 vs. Imperial 2 (11-0)
We started the day against Brunel 2, 5th seed of the group. Our sloppy offence and defence saw us leak 2 early points. At 2-2, a vital (yes it was) layout D by Perry got everyone pumped. We cleanly finished the game thereafter. UCL 2 and Imperial 2 were both fairly straightforward game. The more structured offence of both teams allowed us to focus on working on our defence, as well as getting our offensive flow going.
Cambridge 1 vs. KCL 1 (6-2)
The final game of the day against second seed KCL. It was the first game of the tournament where we were challenged. KCL ran an ISO play we were familiar with from mixed, and our defenders set up smartly to shut their handler-iso-dominated offence down. It was a brilliant defensive performance from everyone. KCL’s tight man defence forced our offence to make some adjustments in terms of clearing out more often, but we were definitely improving throughout the game. Our win saw us finish first in the pool, and third overall after the first day.
SB1 after an intense final match against KCL on Satuday
Sunday (Triple Elimination?!):
2v3 Cambridge 1 vs. Imperial 1 (4-8)
Our first game on Sunday was a 2v3 against Imperial 1. Both teams started the game trading points. JR with a massive layout catch into assist to an unmarked Luke. A squeezy up-the-line cut from Rolo (now at Imperial) resulted in a collision which injured Perry’s ankle halfway through the match. Imperial’s quick handler movement allowed them to pull ahead. Our offence was much messier - cuts were mistimed and silly shots were taken.
3v4 Cambridge 1 vs. Hertfordshire 1 (8-6)
It was a fairly close start. We broke them and took a 2-1 lead, but they quickly broke us back and got the score back 2-3 in their favour. Their offence was fairly standard, running a vertical stack which our defence was more than prepared for. Niall went huge and got D’s against their key receiver Ernie. It was definitely a tight finish towards the end, with the buzzer going at 7-6 with the disc in our possession.
2v3 Cambridge 1 vs. St. Mary’s 1 (2-4)
This was a weird game. St. Mary’s ran a zone. On offence, we kept the disc swinging, gradually tiring out the wall. There was definitely a point where we swung for a good 5 minutes. Their chase was getting tired, but just a few personal slip ups on our catches and throws meant St. Mary’s got their chances on offence, which they transitioned into scores. We were 3-1 down and struggling to find open spaces in the end zone against their zone. A nice lefty blade from Tejas to Louis brought us up 3-2, with only minutes to go before the buzzer. Unfortunately, it was St. Mary’s who took the point, and game. There was an evident lack of understanding of rules on their side, and after the game, wise Tejas took it upon himself to share his knowledge and answer any queries they had regarding the rules.
3v4 Cambridge 1 vs. Hertfordshire 1 (6-8)
Another 3v4, this match a decider for Div 1 or 2 nationals. It was a rematch against Hertfordshire. We were definitely sloppy this game. Downfield cuts were clogging up with handler up-the-line cuts, and our poor resets meant we ended up taking hail mary shots which turned over more often than not. Hertfordshire also adjusted their offence, sometimes running an ISO into break-side continuation off Ernie which we struggled to consistently stop. Niall threw into a wall. Our lack of proper deep options also stifled our offensive flexibility. The loss left us at 4th place overall, which meant Div 2 Nationals.
#nationalsisnationals
