By: Gabe Hernandez
Pool A: UNC dominant, Georgia consistent
On day one, Darkside proved why they are the number one seed at the College Championships. They won both of their games by a combined 18 points, showcasing their depth, speed and throwing prowess in the wind. Pencil them in for quarters.
In their wake, Georgia has emerged as the next-in-line, thanks to a troublesome zone and stellar patience in the backfield. They tirelessly worked the open side and the up-line space and demonstrated impressive patience in both of their wins.
Minnesota was the only team to finish 1-1 on the day, thanks to a late surge against a slow and sloppy game with Ohio State. They struggled significantly with the wind, turning the disc multiple times on the upwind goal line against Georgia. They need to solidify their throws in the wind if they want to top a formidable UNC and a sneaky Cal.
Ohio State had a lot of miscues, both upwind and downwind, which ultimately gave both UNC and Grey Duck enough chances to pull away. They sit at the bottom of the pool at 0-2, and will look to rebound tomorrow for a shot at the bracket.
California UGMO had a late surge against Georgia, breaking twice to tie the game, but it wasn’t enough to steal a win. They join Ohio State as the other 0-2 team, and they look for redemption against both a frazzled Ohio State team and a Minnesota team that struggled in the wind.
Pool B: Brown and Texas on another level
While Brown was busy defeating a feisty Iowa State squad, Michigan and NC State engaged in a massive roller coaster of a game. Michigan went up 7-1. A few points into the second half, NC State was up 9-8. Several points later, Michigan was up 13-10. The game then went to double-game point, and Michigan pulled away with the win at the end. Not only did this make for an exciting game, but it also gave a glimpse of the inconsistency in both of these teams. They both went on to get dismantled in their next game by a combined 15 points.
The winning side of those encounters featured the likes of Brown and Texas, who have established themselves as the top two teams in the pool by a large margin. Interestingly enough, Texas boasts the larger point differential after day 1one, and they will be looking to fire on all cylinders to try and win the pool tomorrow against Brown and NC State.
The fact of the matter is that every team in the pool still has bracket hopes alive, thanks to upsets by Texas and Michigan. If Texas and Brown continue their dominance, then the other three teams will be battling for the last spot in the bracket. If Texas or Brown falter, then your guess is just as good as mine.
Pool C: Wisconsin survives Tufts, Victoria upsets Pittsburgh
For most of the day, Pool C went to seed. Tufts went up on Wisconsin early, but the Hodags managed to mount a comeback to win at the end. All things seemed to fall into place. Then, out of nowhere, Victoria, after losing to Wisconsin 15-6, lit a fire out of the ashes and outplayed Pittsburgh from beginning to end, winning 14-9. Thanks to this upset, Pool C is also wide open, as three teams currently sit at 1-1.
Oregon showcased their trademark speed and quickness all day long, but they weren’t able to close out a late run against Pittsburgh to go undefeated. Tufts showed flashes of greatness against both Oregon and Wisconsin, but weren’t able to sustain that long enough to pull off an upset. Big games to look out for tomorrow include Wisconsin v. Oregon, Wisconsin v. Pittsburgh, and Tufts v. Victoria.
Pool D: SLO finds their rhythm, Washington takes care of business
The pool of death is the only one that went to seed, and none of the games were particularly close. In both of Slocore’s games, they initially struggled in the wind, but once they found their groove, they looked like the best team in the pool by a considerable margin. Their athletic defenders took away multiple options at a time and forced tough throws from both Rutgers and Colorado. Their offense was clean and quick. They look to build on today’s success to win the pool tomorrow.
Colorado Mamabird was able to handily beat Northeastern and took half on SLO 8-6 before giving up an upwind break that put the game on serve and gave Cal Poly all the momentum they needed to win. The width they were using effectively against Northeastern was less present as they struggled to maintain the same edge they had in the first half. If they can spread the field like they know how and use its width to keep defenses out of position, they will find themselves in a favorable position at the end of the day tomorrow.
Washington will likely be the third team to make the bracket out of Pool D. Unless Northeastern or Rutgers can manage to upset either Colorado or Cal Poly, then the three teams mentioned above will be fighting among themselves for the top three seeds.
_________________
Follow along with the College Championships at collegechampionships.usaultimate.org, and get updates and scores with the USA Ultimate mobile app.
