We competed at the Cazenovia Ultimate Tournament last weekend in Cazenovia, New York. Amazingly, considering the volatile springtime of upstate northern wilds, the weather was absolutely perfect both days.
Brooklyn eagerly anticipated our first round matchup against Medicine Men after an end of the day loss at Henlopen to the DC/Baltimore squad. Playing with focus and intensity Brooklyn methodically built up a solid halftime lead, kept up the pressure after the break, and walked away with a solid 13-3 victory. Our second game of pool play was against perennial rivals Colt.45. Colt gained a hard fought win against us at sectionals last year and staged another come from behind victory against Brooklyn earlier this season in Delaware. A tough four-man zone stymied the Brooklyn offense for much of the first half, leaving us with a 7-3 deficit. Taking the opportunity to regroup, Brooklyn ramped up its defense and honed its offensive strikes to bring the game back even. Going all the way to universe point, Brooklyn was able to outlast Colt in a long final trial with many turns and close calls on both sides. Final score: Brooklyn 13, Colt.45 12.
Next up was Too Bad, dark horse of Cazenovia ‘09. Ranked 15th out of 16 seeds, the veteran squad of ex-Zebra Muscles and other pickups had excellent long throws with the legs to run them down. Brooklyn struggled against their zone, and was not able to stop their deep threat. Worn down, Brooklyn was unable to establish offensive rhythm, and conceded the game by a final count of 13-4.
Finishing second in our pool, our crossover game matched us against fellow New Yorkers and 2008 Club Nationals qualifiers, PoNY. Eager for a crack at our hometown friends and rivals, Brooklyn was ready to go hard and surprised PoNY by taking an early lead at 3-2. PoNY called time, and though Brooklyn almost scored a 4-2 lead on a narrowly missed miraculous layout catch, PoNY was able to capture the pace. Brooklyn’s offense was not able to play with the regimented consistency needed to maintain structure and avoid mistakes, and though we gave a solid showing, PoNY continued to separate the score for a final tally of 13-7.
Saturday night accommodations at Cazenovia College’s Shove Hall placed us 5 minutes from the fields, and at the center of the half-dozen attractions in the sleepy 19th century Syracuse suburb. After dinner at the Linklaen House’s Seven Stone Steps, and some sidewalk frisbee throughout town that featured remarkably on-target throwing, the team began the long process of finishing off the evening at the Brae Loch Inn.
Whether or not our play was affected by the ensuing shenanigans, a less organized morning put us in a tough position to begin a well-matched game against Philly Love. Trading points for virtually the entire game, Brooklyn outmatched Philly with the athleticism of our cutting while Philly’s systematic offensive horizontal set eluded Brooklyn’s marking and handler defense. Down 14-13, Brooklyn battled to gain control of the game with two convincing scores. With two chances to win, first on defense and then on O, Brooklyn turned the disc attempting to score on double universe. A minute later, Philly had marched up the field and put the game away for an extremely tough 15-16 Brooklyn loss.
Left with two consolation games to play at 11:00am on Sunday, Brooklyn faced Saturday foes Colt.45 and Medicine Men. Brooklyn took a relatively easy win over a hard working but lean and exhausted Colt line, only to put up a comparably weak effort against a Medicine Men team eager for reprisal. Final scores: 13-9 over Colt, and a 7-13 loss to Medicine Men.
It was clear that Brooklyn possesses both the athleticism and motivation to succeed in this year’s Northeast set. Key to our summer-long prospects will be a continued emphasis on establishing team-wide fundamentals.
