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Day 2Round 1: OpenLate May is a hot time in Texas, and the heat was again a factor on Saturday. The only upset of Saturday morning's play had William & Mary beating top seed North Carolina State in a tight game (15-11). N.C. State was missing their best player, Ryan Smith, who was unable to play due to heat exhaustion from the day before. State played tough, and they trailed by only one point at half. But William & Mary outworked them in the second half, wearing down a clearly exhausted Wolfpack team.Hometown favorite Texas dominated their morning game against Williams, winning 15-7. Texas had plenty of fan support on the sidelines, even with many of the local players and alumni serving as volunteer staff on other fields. Texas was led by their captain, Scott Berens, and 6'6'' David "Nacho" Salisbury. The most competitive game of the morning saw Colorado defeat a determined Ohio State team 15-10. The longest game of the round, the play was filled with turnovers and long points. With the score 12-10, the teams traded defensive stops for more than 15 minutes before Colorado finally scored to take a three-point lead and effectively win the game. In the only other game of the morning, Brown beat Michigan 15-10. Round 2: OpenUnder a blazing sun, with temperatures climbing above 90 and players scrambling for sunblock, afternoon play was dominated by the better-rested teams. Oregon moved the disc smoothly throughout their game against William & Mary, which was clearly worn out from the morning's battle with North Carolina State. W & M hung tough in the first half and trailed only 8-4 at the break. The second half was all Oregon, however, as EGO cruised to a 15-5 victory.Wisconsin also took advantage of a tired team by beating Texas 15-7. TUFF started sloppy, throwing the disc away several times in its own end and giving the first six points to the Hodogs. Despite a boisterous home crowd, Texas was never able to rally. Carleton and Brown played perhaps the afternoon's best game. Crisp, short passes by both teams kept the score close throughout the first half, which ended with Carleton leading 8-7. Brown, perhaps a bit tired from their earlier game, faded late in the second half, falling behind 13-10 and eventually losing 15-12. Colorado was once again involved in the round's most competitive game. Colorado and Illinois traded points throughout their match, which was tied as late as the 13th point. With Colorado ahead 14-13, however, Illinois turned the disc over deep in its own end, effectively handing the win to Colorado. Semifinals: OpenThe temperatures had cooled a bit by the time the semifinals took place at 5:30 pm, but Wisconsin and Oregon continued their hot play. Wisconsin was opposed by an underdog Colorado team that had scratched its way through two tough games earlier in the day to reach the semis, and mamabird appeared to be a bit tired at the start. Wisconsin jumped out to an early 6-3 lead thanks to their sure handlers and some shaky throws by Colorado. But the altitude-conditioned team from Colorado once again showed its resilience by going on a 5-1 run to take the lead at halftime, 8-7. The teams traded points to start the second half and the game was tied 9-9. Then, despite the fiery leadership of senior Josh Ackley, Colorado finally began to tire. After a key turnover with the score tied at nine, Wisconsin forced a turnover and called timeout. After the break, the Hodags used a well-designed play to score and effectively take control of the game. Wisconsin then took the next point and eventually built a 13-10 lead. After a Colorado timeout (which featured a bikini-clad Wisconsin supporter streaking down the sideline), mamabird closed the gap to 13-11 but could get no closer. Wisconsin advanced to the finals by a final score of 15-11.The Carleton-Oregon game featured the day's best individual play. Amid lots of crowd-pleasing hucks, Oregon star Ben Wiggins stood out, playing brilliantly on both offense and defense and showing why he is a Callahan award finalist. Oregon scored first, and the teams traded points throughout the first half. CUT answered every score by EGO but could never take the lead. The first half ended with Oregon leading 8-7. After Carleton stopped Oregon and scored to make the game 8-8, the ensuing point featured a memorable battle between Wiggins and Carleton's Jimmy Chu. The two players guarded one another and each made diving defensive stops in a very long point that was eventually won by Oregon. EGO stretched its lead to 13-10 on a series of long throws but CUT would not capitulate. After a controversial foul (that had the fans booing and was eventually righted), Carleton closed the gap to 14-13. But Wiggins would not let them get any closer. Fittingly, the one-socked Oregon star threw the final score as his team earned a berth in the finals with a hard-fought 15-13 victory. |
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