May 22, 2015 by Keith Raynor and Katie Raynolds in Coverage with 0 comments
Pool B
Stanford (1st in Pool B, 2nd overall) 15 – 1 Middlebury (5th in Pool B, 18th overall)
The #2 overall seed Stanford faced little resistance in their opening game against Middlebury, claiming a 15-1 victory. Superfly opened with up a big lead before Middlebury managed to find any rhythm, taking half 8-1.
Catching consistently was the major issue for the Lady Pranksters and Stanford’s offense was able to regularly put discs out to space on the break side. Contributions came from up and down the Stanford roster: 9 different players had assists and 8 different players scored in the blowout win.
Dartmouth (2nd in Pool B, 7th overall) 15 – 8 Ohio State (4th in Pool B, 14th overall)
Dartmouth stayed strong in the first round, and finished their game against Ohio State 15 points to 8 just after soft cap sounded. While Fever bounced back in the second half, Dartmouth’s early lead and solid handler movement kept the game from ever really being a question. Julianna Werffeli, Eva Petzinger, and Angela Zhu all had 4 assists each, and Piper Curtis was frequently found in the endzone for the score. For both Fever and Princess Layout, a good amount of the turns were due to miscommunication; both teams are still working out some kinks.
Early on, Dartmouth started out strong, rattling off 3 points before Ohio State could find the end zone. They stayed very strong throughout the first half. After Princess Layout took half 8-2, it seemed like Fever was done; Fever had 8 turnovers in the first half while Dartmouth had just 3.
But even without wind, Ohio State threw their 2-3-2 zone and Dartmouth’s offense stalled. Fever added a few more points before Dartmouth went on a run. There were plenty of chances to score in the final point before a floaty huck was pulled down in Dartmouth’s endzone by Sadie Jezierski of OSU and Piper Curtis of Dartmouth. The catch was given to Curtis, and Princess Layout finally finished the game, 15-8.
Pool D
Virginia (2nd in Pool D, 5th overall) 15 – 12 Kansas (4th in Pool D, 16th overall)
While Kansas kept Hydra working throughout the game, Hydra’s lethal offense proved too much for the Kansas women.
Virginia scored and broke quickly to start the game, setting the tone for the first half. Kansas fought back; both teams knew what to expect from each other, throwing zones to cut off each team’s respective handler threats. Caitlin Fitzgerald had a dominant defensive first half, earning Kansas 3 crucial Ds. Kansas stuck to their M.O., capitalizing on deep opportunities with abandon. Virginia’s power came from what they could do. Every time Alika had the disc Kansas would adjust deep, giving Hydra ample room to work in the midfield.
Virginia took half 8-6, and Kansas’s fate was in question. Virginia broke out of half 9-6, and for a moment the game seemed set. But Kansas tightened up their person defense, with Fitzgerald sitting in Alika’s pocket every time she was on the field. Kansas broke back twice to tie the game, 9-9.
Finally, Hydra took over. Alika found Keila Strick for the fourth time in the game, and a huge score from Sarah Hansen gave them the break. Suddenly Virginia was up 11-9 in the home stretch of the game. Sarah Hansen stole the disc again and took huge bookends, and this lead would carry Virginia to the win.
Whitman (3rd in Pool D, 9th overall) 15- 5 Princeton (5th in Pool D, 20th overall)
Whitman Sweets began their day with a dominant performance over five seed Princeton Clockwork Orange, 15-5. The Sweets came out strong, taking a strong 3-1 lead. Princeton tried to gather their composure, but Whitman continued to roll, with solid defense from Nina Finley and reliable handling from Julia Bladin. Whitman took half 8-2, and outscored Princeton 7-3 in the second half to win 15-5. They’ll play Kansas later today to cement their seed.
