As the clouds broke over the electric atmosphere of Arute field in New Britain, CT, Brent Anderson broke open a nail bitter contest with a spectacular layout grab that rivaled Andrew Fleming’s in Prague two summers ago. With 40 yds of open field and a steadily descending huck in front of him, the former Ironside work horse gave chase until the last moment when he successfully clutched a 4th quarter goal that would all but seal the victory for the Connecticut Constitution, who handed Philadelphia their first loss of the season last Saturday.
From the starting gun the two front runners of the Eastern Division in the AUDL went punch for punch in a thrilling battle that was 7-6 after 1, tied at 14’s after 2, and 20-19 after 3. Such scores were no accident as two of the more impressive moments in the game came at the end of the 2nd and 3rd quarters. With 30 seconds left in the first half, Philadelphia ran a series of well executed plays to run out the clock and scored at the last possible second with an easy open side goal. Not to be out done, with less than 10 seconds remaining in the 3rd Chris Mazur came up with an enormous knee block on Ian McClellan, 5 yards from pay dirt, allowing CTC to convert a pivotal break going into the final quarter, a quarter that they would start on offense.
Brent Anderson chases this disc into infinity and back. (Photo by Brian Canniff - http://www.ultiphotos.com/photographers/briancanniff)
And it was this edge of your seat, seesaw, highlight filled atmosphere that gave hundreds at CCSU exactly what they paid for. Ryan West and his Army of Minute Men had little trouble rallying an energetic crowd that never seemed to dip in excitement throughout the 3 hr contest. A moment of particular levity came when “Eye of the Tiger” was played late in the contest. Whether it was an unintentional selection or a witty jab at the opposition, no one really knows.
Going into the match, Philadelphia would be without their premier handler and Co-Captain Nick Hirannet (at a wedding), but outside of a slow start, you would not have noticed his absence as David Brandolph stepped in beautifully. Downfield, Jake Rainwater was an absolute beast recording score after score amid constant defensive pressure. On the defensive side Greg Owens frustrated John Korber consistently, but was ultimately sidelined with a tough wrist/hand injury on a macked disc that Korber reeled in for a score, something he and the rest of CTC managed to do time and time again. Circling beneath all the Philadelphia Spinner talent was Co-Captain and veritable shark, Trey Katzenbach, who seemed to always be in the right place at the right time with easy scores and seemingly effortless assists.
For the victors, Captain and GM John Korber continued his charge as the most prolific goal scorer in the league with 7 goals to maintain his average. Dwight “DJX” Harris had a fantastic game as he was switched to cutter, unbeknownst to him, minutes before game time and Brent Anderson continued to assert himself as the leg CTC can consistently lean on. Defensively, Husayn Carnegie rallied from his shoulder injury in Week 1 to come up with 3 downfield D’s that took the wind out of Philadelphia’s big play sails. In addition, the presence of Lucas Murphy appears to both invigorate and focus CTC’s youthful D-line, who absolutely suffocated Philadelphia in the final quarter. Lastly, the defensive stance of CTC’s O-line when turning the disc over proved to be the difference maker, as they prevented Philadelphia from recording sufficient breaks to win. Seth Canetti had a particularly devastating footblock just outside Philly’s own endzone, stifling the Spinners’ hopes for gaining some much needed momentum.
All in all it was a spectacular game that highlighted the talents of both squads and the league itself. The broadcast, between quarter activities, and general fanfare appeared to go over quite well as CTC christened their new venue. Despite all the jubilation, CTC is far from complacent as they will see the Spinners twice more before the regular season is over and each team knows that it is not how you start that is important, but how you finish.
Feature photo by Tamsin Gosselin
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