Sarasota! AMP’s 2010 season came to a close at the USA Ultimate Club Championships with some great team spirit and individual efforts, but room to improve on our 12th place finish. We are already looking forward to next season, but thought we’d recap the action in Florida once more as well.
Seeded 9th, AMP opened against Boston’s Slow White, the tournament’s number one ranked team and a fellow Regional Champion. We started well, frustrating their pull play and earning easy resets between the handlers, but made some mistakes upfield and conceded 2 separate 2-break runs to trail at half 8-3. We traded out the second mostly uneventfully, losing 15-9. Individually, Grin had 2 Ds, Raha 2 scores, Bulb and Eug each threw 2 scores, caught 2 and Ded 1 while Harrison had 4 assists.
AMP entered the second round on Thursday against Overhaul excited to take our lessons from round 1 and increase the intensity, but had trouble getting on track. Assessed 2 TMFs early on by the Observers for a touch-foul on the mark and a phantom sideline violation, our will broke a bit when, after working the disc up the field and calling a time-out outside the endzone, an Observer entered the huddle to tell us he was moving the disc back to the middle of our endzone after assessing a 3rd TMF for sideline infractions. No further explanation or detail was made available. Overhaul won 15-4.
The team refocused for round 3 against Iowa’s Scientific Method, knowing a win would set us up in best position to fight for Quarterfinals on Friday. Method hucked early and played zone defense effectively as the wind increased a bit, but both teams traded out the first half. Our pulls improved and Petter’s D on a first throw gave AMP a break to lead 11-10, but the O faltered to give Method the 12-11 lead. D took over to end the game however and AMP had our first win of 2010 Nationals; Michael Zargham throwing to Raha for the 15-12 victory. Ben, Dan and Bulb each had 2 Ds, Krista and Truskin had 3 scores each, Harrison and Bulb 3 assists each and Petter 2 throws for scores from the D line. Afterward we recognized Dan Cavanaugh as our player of the day for his consistent contributions on both sides of the disc.
Jeff Loperfido arrived on Friday and brought a steadying presence to the O line, as we opened in the lower pool versus Barrio with some patient disc work against a pseudo-zone as their handler defenders dropping deep into the lanes. The O line’s D was especially important this game, getting the disc back very quickly and keeping the game on serve until a Fido D-line appearance forced a turn from Barrio’s Jeff Grobe and the first break of the game. AMP conceded a break in the second half, but the D stepped up to earn some as well. Bulb made a spectacular diving catch over a defender’s shoulder to save Raha’s huck from sailing out the back, giving AMP the 15-12 win in a tightly subbed game. Raha had 4 scores, 2 assists and 2 Ds, Harrison 2 scores, 2 assists and 2 Ds, Truskin 3 scores, 1 assist and 1 D while Ben, Jill and Grin did excellent work rotating through the tough matchups with Barrio’s isolation cutters.
A regional rematch against Whagonwheel was going to determine the pre-quarters participant, but AMP got off to an awful start with two first-throw turns leading to quick Whagon breaks. Still the D line had opportunities each time on the field and we went into half down 8-3 knowing the potential for a run existed. AMP broke straight away in the second to narrow the lead to 8-4 before Whagon scored for a 9-4 lead. AMP then scored the next 7, often earning some very long multi-turnover points with suffocating marks and clutch deep D, though we lost Fido to a turned ankle at 9s. Up 11-9, game to 12, the D line finally gave up a score; 11-10 game to 12. O worked the disc upwind, turned and then regained possession off a huge point block by Bulb, but still couldn’t punch the disc in and gave up a break; 11s and universe point. AMP O received going downwind but turned again on a bailout huck. As Whagon worked the other way Krista, Jill and H all just missed Ds as a bladey Whagon flick gave North Carolina the win. Grin had 4 scores and 3 Ds, Ben 3 assists and 2 Ds, Keith and Raha 3 Ds each while Truskin threw 3 scores, Krista assisted on 2 [including a majestic bailout hammer] and Petter played a key role in the middle, swinging the disc and maintaining possession on several long points.
In limited playing time, Brian Acquaviva, Kyle Golrick, Dave Darowish, Jesse Gormley, Michael Zargham and Megan Kuhfuss played especially important roles on Friday, willing the team to push through several long points and leading AMP to within a point of prequarters.
AMP arrived Saturday morning with an opportunity to hold seed by winning out for 9th place. Injuries to Bulb and Jeff Loperfido forced O-line changes, but the D-line continued to dominate, earning a 7-5 lead versus LA Metro highlighted by consecutive breaks from lines of AMP rookies Keg, Keith, Jesse, Grin, Brian, Andrea and Krista. Unfortunately a loss of focus gave Metro the half-time edge, 8-7. The Southwest team stepped up their intensity after halftime while AMP O continued to struggle, losing 13-8.
Though both losses, AMP’s games against Whagon and Metro showed the team’s great potential for the future. Total team efforts earned several important breaks with athletic, lockdown marking and consistent, system play with the disc. The offense showed flashes of the dominance possible with a bit more seasoning and experience. Plenty to build off of in 2011. AMP!