University Women's Indoor Nationals
Day 1:
Glasgow 2: W 11-2
Even with the early morning and long drive, the team came out with high energy, ready to play our game. From the very start, there were both good handler movement and fluid cuts, and the intensity of the game stayed high throughout. SB didn’t get complacent even as we pulled ahead in the score. As the very first time playing a tournament together, the team showed incredible cohesiveness - both in movement off the disk and in trusting each other on the field.
Everyone was making plays on the disk and capitalizing on each turn over. The goal was to then carry this intensity throughout the rest of the tournament weekend.
Manchester 1: L 3-5
Led by their skilled captain, Manchester came at us hard. As SB was still confident after our last game, this caught us by surprise. Our defense struggled to stay tight, and the iso plays Manchester put up in the end zone were on target. As Manchester managed to push the score in their favor, the team started feeling the pressure and getting in our own heads. Meanwhile, our offense took a bit to figure out how to keep treasuring the disk. This was mainly due to Manchester's fluid switching between zone and man defense. However, the positive attitude and determination throughout the game was exactly what the team needed to take away important points to focus on for the rest of the weekend. We learned that while we need to keep the intensity high, it is necessary to "treasure the disk"
Exeter 1: L 6-7
SB picked up the intensity again this game after the wake up call received when playing Manchester. The entire game was trading points, and by staying tight on defense and super chilly and safe on offense, we almost ended in a draw (with the team that had just won readily against Manchester!). In every way, the team matched Exeter's speed and fluidity. SB cleaned up all of the unforced errors that had caused so much trouble in the Manchester game as well as regained our focus. Every single player on the team was integral to the outcome of the game - everyone contributing to D’s and everyone touching the disk on offense. Even though the outcome was not what was hoped for, SB kept our heads high, proud of the fight we put up and excited by how successful we can be together when we play our game.
LSE 1: 7-7 T
From the start, LSE came out strong with the same iso play that we had seen in regionals. SB pulled ahead in the beginning by focusing on our key points we learned from the Manchester game: treasure the disk and stay even tighter on man defense. Once the team managed to shut down the iso, LSE handlers were struggling to get the disk to other players on the pitch. However, as our legs began to get tired, our man defense was no longer enough to prevent LSE from catching up and pulling ahead on the scoreboard. Instead of letting this get to us, we pulled back and drew them in the last possession. LSE hadn’t even realized that they had caught up because after dominating the start of the game and made them fight for each point!
While less consistent than the Exeter game, the fight and energy from SB were incredible and pushed us forward toward to a better seeding for our crossover game on Sunday.
Chichester 1: W 11-4
Not knowing what to expect based on strange scores from Chichester's previous games, we came in with the same energy as we saw in Exeter. Due to the venue having notoriously slippy floors, this game at the end of the day was slightly more treacherous condition-wise. Even so, we managed to get our run through D's on tight defense all while keeping chilly, fluid, and rhythmic on offense. Other than difficult to read overheads, our defense shut them down efficiently and our offense was able to turn most opportunities into points. This game was a great way to end the day, and SB was ready to go and fuel up on some food to get ready for tomorrow (#stayingattheamazingTranshouse #forthewin).
Day 2:
Durham 1: L 6-9
Coming in off an early/sleepy morning, we were slow to get on our tight man-defense. Durham took advantage of that and scored fast points based on fluid open-side under movements mixed with accurate overheads. We were not able to capitalize on Durham's turns as much as we needed and fell behind by a few points. However, each point in the game improved in intensity and pitch awareness. We began trading points at the end, but couldn't catch up in time before the clock ran out.
Strathclyde 2: W 15-2
We did not let the last loss get to us, and we came into the Strathclyde game with determination to get back into our rhythm. We had great run through Ds and new and fluid connections on offense. Most impressively, we had some switch over between handlers and cutters, resulting in some really cool combinations. Our massive increase in spirit and energy were the main reasons for this fantastic result.
Chichester 1: W 10-3
Aware that it is hard to go into a game against someone you've already played, we decided to steel ourselves mentally and go in with as full intensity as we would with an unknown opponent.
Much like our first time against them, our speed on offense and our tightness on defense were enough to allow us to pull ahead and take the win. With some help from some missed overhead shots on their part, we capitalized on the turns and kept up energy.
LSE 1: L 7-9
With a similar situation to the previous game, we knew that we would have to take on LSE's iso again. However, this time, the overhead throws and handler communication on their part was just too spot on for us to defend against. Due to some unforced errors on our part, and them capitalizing on the turns and using their iso and two handlers, LSE took and held the lead. We didn't give up and fought until the end but couldn't catch the clock. Some amazing run through D's by both teams and just overall pitch awareness
