Women’s Final Live Analysis

This coverage is presented by Spin Ultimate

Welcome to Skyd Magazine’s live coverage of the Women’s Final. We’re in the press box tweeting and watching the games, and we’ll be doing a live analysis in this post. Refresh this page for the latest strategic and tactical analysis of the final from Skyd’s women’s correspondents.

To interact with us, post in the comments or tweet at us: Adam Lerman @AisSkyd and Ryan Thompson @ultimatepulse. Live tweets from @Skyd_KamiGroom.

11:36 am – Oregon 0 – Carleton 0

Ryan: From talking to Lou Burruss before the game, they’ve got specific man-to-man matchups they intend to use in addition to running their patented junk defense. Expect Anna Almy, Morgan Zajonc, Bethany Kaylor (moving over from offense), and Adrienne Bovee (80) to rotate on Flannery McArdle and Marley Hartman-Filson. Jesse Shofner and Alex Ode will rotate on Anna Reed. And Burruss is most worried about Julia Snyder, who has been quietly having a fantastic tournament, because of her propensity to rotate between the backfield and playing in front of the disc. Bailey Zahniser, Callahan runner-up, will blanket Snyder the entire game.

11:46 am – Oregon 0 – Carleton 0

Adam: These teams played earlier in the season, with Oregon winning 13-10 at the Stanford invite.  However, Carleton was missing their main handlers Anna Reed and Julia Snyder.  We should be able to see pretty quickly if Carleton has an answer for Oregon’s zone.  We’ve seen Oregon blow out a lot of teams that couldn’t find a way through the junk.

Ryan: Carleton mentioned the USA Ultimate women’s reporter Anna Levine that they are excited for Oregon to turn the disc over because they’ll be able to work it down and score with their more possession-oriented offense. Speculation from the press box is that Carleton may also try Emily Buckner on Sophie Darch in a box-and-one zone.

11:56 am – Oregon 0 – Carleton 0

Adam: Wind is diagonal from right to left and towards the stands. It’s much windier in the stands than down on the field however – which might pose problems for hucks but not lower throws.

12:03 pm – Oregon 0 – Carleton 0

Adam: Wind has shifted more towards a crosswind.

Ryan: Jesse Shofner and Kirstie Barton exchange hugs before the game. First pull about to go off, Oregon is receiving going downwind.

12:08 pm – Oregon 1 – Carleton 0

Ryan: Carleton comes out force-forehand versus Oregon’s vertical stack. That’s pushing Oregon into the wind, which is helping Fugue put throws to space. On the turn, Oregon was force backhand on Carleton’s vertical/sidestack. Bethany Kaylor beat Taylor Want deep – not a good matchup for Carleton.

12:10 pm – Oregon 1 – Carleton 1

Ryan: Big huck to Marley Hartman-Filson guarded by Anna Almy from Anna Reed, with Shofner on the mark. Bethany Kaylor had a poach layout D on Julia Snyder that popped up and Snyder hit McArdle, who Kaylor had been guarding. Big defensive play there, but Carleton still able to put it in. Oregon is not going to make possession offense easy for Carleton.

12:12 pm – Oregon 1 – Carleton 2

Ryan: Carleton breaks there with the key play Grace Quintana out-reading Sophie Darch on a huck after a sloppy turn for Oregon near the endzone. I don’t think Oregon is worried much, but Carleton is very, very good around the endzone, and if they get the disc past the attacking brick mark, Oregon is going to have a lot of trouble.

Adam: Approaching the upwind endzone, Julia Snyder looked off a relatively open look up the line. Carleton is looking to play possession offense in the upwind redzone.  Yesterday, we saw Oregon put it up any even slightly open look to the upwind endzone.

12:16 pm – Oregon 1 – Carleton 3

Ryan: Carleton breaks again, really showing how dominant their tall, athletic receivers are. McArdle over Almy first, then Hartman-Filson over Coles on a floaty, speculative flick from Emily Buckner. That’s still just one upwind-downwind break pair, but the wind directions mean much less to Carleton. We may need to see more of Kaylor and Zajonc on defense for Oregon.

Adam: This is a big timeout for Oregon.  Last year, they went down early in the final against Washington, and never were able to get back in the game.

12:22 pm – Oregon 2 – Carleton 4

Ryan: Oregon’s junky zone is causing problems – three turnovers for Carleton this point. But Oregon has given it back with backhand huck turnovers that haven’t quite sat up in the wind for their receivers.  Of note for Carleton: Marley Hartman-Filson is really favoring her injured shoulder. And Carleton is able to easily score with Want lofting one up for McArdle guarded by the much shorter Kimber Coles.

Adam: Carleton has been trying to beat the Oregon junk in the deep wing space in on the sidelines.  Deep deep Zajonc had two big receivers to deal with, and has to make a choice and leave one open.

12:25 pm – Oregon 3 – Carleton 4

Adam: Both teams are looking to take some deep shots.  If those deep looks can come from unmarked throwers in a power position, we’ll see more completions than if handlers have to force hucks from a static position with a mark set.

12:28 pm – Oregon 3 – Carleton 5

Ryan: Oregon’s junk is getting them opportunities, even a great one for an upwind break there, but they’re just being a little too aggressive close to the endzone. Zajonc might be the best matchup for McArdle, making up the ground and almost getting a great deep D, but just missing the disc on her swat.

12:30 pm – Oregon 4 – Carleton 5

Ryan: Grace Quintana is marking Sophie Darch, but not doing anything to stop those downwind forehand hucks. That’s three for goals from Darch right now, hitting Kimber Coles, who is a tough matchup for Hartman-Filson – or really pretty much anyone, as long as the disc is put to speed.

12:33 pm – Oregon 5 – Carleton 5

Ryan: Oregon created that turnover in their man defense, with Zahniser poaching into the lane to D Barton’s throw. Oregon was much more patient there, using their speed to get wide open and take the safe throw going largely upwind. If they can get the downwind break right here it’s back on serve.

12:36 pm – Oregon 5 – Carleton 5

Ryan: Zahniser is playing way off of Snyder in the man defense, which is how she got the poach D in the first place. She’s concerned with Snyder, but she’s also doing whatever it takes to disrupt Carleton’s offense. Oregon is playing a flat straight-up mark, forcing Carleton to throw wide or loopy throws upwind. Oregon is really ratcheting up the defensive pressure, with bids all over the place, before Zajonc finally gets one on McArdle with a nice D on Reed’s huck.

Adam: This the second straight point we’ve seen Julia Snyder take marker Zahniser downfield.  They are both doing a ton of running.

12:39 pm – Oregon 5 – Carleton 5

Ryan: Out of that timeout Oregon was poaching off of Carleton’s handlers as the disc swung – really trying to shut down Carleton’s break throws there, and they did a great job. Fontenot closed quickly on Barton, and the extra pressure caused the drop.

12:43 pm – Oregon 6 – Carleton 5

Adam: Carleton force Zahniser to throw exactly what they wanted out of the timeout.  Their markers were hard around, trying to stop the swing and force upfield throws down the line.

Ryan: Oregon has been much more disruptive the last three or four points, and it’s paid off. They’re back on serve behind Zahniser’s blade to Fontenot. They’re back to man defense.

12:47 pm – Oregon 7 – Carleton 5

Ryan: Barton, the freshman, with another turnover with tons of pressure on – a high-stall blade with Young marking her. Shofner makes Carleton pay with a visionary leading inside-out forehand huck to Anna Almy up the sideline. Oregon breaks and Carleton calls timeout to regain their composure. In this timeout, Carleton needs to focus on their two strengths – handler motion and break throws, or deep looks to McArdle and Hartman-Filson. They’re stagnant downfield instead of isolating their top two cutters in space, and the extra defenders in the area are making things much more difficult for Carleton.

Adam: It’s all about energy for Oregon right now.  Their coaches didn’t even enter the huddle during the timeout.

12:50 pm – Oregon 7 – Carleton 5

Ryan: Carleton is crowding the open spaces right now – too many people are either in the cutting lanes or the deep space, contributing to both of their turnovers on this point so far.

12:50 pm – Oregon 7 – Carleton 5

Ryan: Zajonc is starting to even out her matchup with McArdle. The last three tossups have gone to Zajonc on defense, although she hasn’t gotten anything going on offense.

12:54 pm – Oregon 8 – Carleton 5

Ryan: That’s five in a row for Oregon. Everyone was visibly exhausted on that long 7-5 point, with no timeouts left for either team. The difference was that both teams were playing in Carleton’s half, and Zahniser just tried to end it with that throw that probably should have been D’ed by Childs-Walker. But it wasn’t, Coles caught it, and Oregon takes half 8-5 with four breaks in a row.

12:57 pm – Oregon 8 – Carleton 5

Ryan: There are two main reasons for Oregon’s run right here. First, Oregon is really ratcheting up the pressure with big straight-up marks on Carleton, making hucks way more difficult and forcing throws out to the sidelines. Second, Carleton is drifting to the open space on offense, instead of staying disciplined and cutting in isolation. When there are teammates with defenders in the throwing lanes and deep space, offense becomes much more difficult. Early on they were able to isolate McArdle and Hartman-Filson downfield and throw to the space where the defender wasn’t. They may need to isolate Julia Snyder downfield as a cutter to huck, instead of having their handlers huck over the stack.

Adam:  A messy game with back and forth hucks probably favors Oregon.  When we’ve seen Carleton at their best, it’s been with possession offense running through their handlers.  They may choose to move Julia Snyder back behind the disc to make sure she gets her touches.

1:05 pm – Oregon 9 – Carleton 6

Ryan: First zone from Carleton today but Darch broke it wide open with a hammer to Young who hit Zajonc way down the sideline. Carleton may be okay with that big hammer, but not if Darch can hit it consistently.

1:10 pm – Oregon 9 – Carleton 8

Adam: Oregon with a clam downfield after the Darch turnover gives Carleton a short field.  Carleton cutters work together to get McArdle wide open on the open side. 

1:13 pm – Oregon 11 – Carleton 8

Ryan: Oregon just broke that zone open with Darch’s beautiful forehand huck to Zajonc, and then Kaylor finished it with another fantastic backhand huck to Ode. First upwind hold of the game – this one gets more interesting if teams start holding upwind with Oregon up a single break. As I type this, Oregon scores downwind to regain their two-break advantage.

1:15 pm – Oregon 11 – Carleton 8

Adam: The zone look we’ve seen from Carleton so far has been a tight 4-man cup.  Zahniser and Darch are totally happy to go over the top, and with a 4-on-3 advantage downfield, someone will always be open.  Carlton might want to try a looser, more junky zone.

1:18 pm – Oregon 12 – Carleton 8

Ryan: That may be the nail in the coffin. If the last time I posted about it, Zajonc and McArdle were even in their matchup, Zajonc has pulled ahead now by getting involved in the offense. She beat the hobbled McArdle one-on-one in the endzone there for another upwind break for Oregon. If Oregon converts the downwind break, the game should be over.

1:23 pm – Oregon 14 – Carleton 8

Ryan: This is reminiscent of the Fury-Riot finals from the 2012 Club Championships – Carleton, like Riot, struck to get the first break, but then the favorite roared back and pulled away shortly afterwards. Don’t wake the beast!

Adam: With the outcome of the game no longer in doubt, where does this Fugue team stack up with the best teams of all time in the division?  They’ve won every tournament they’ve played, and their only loss of the year was in a power pool game at Presidents’ Day that was pretty much irrelevant to the outcome of the tournament. They’ve rolled their way through the Championships with only Iowa getting to double digits.

1:28 pm – Oregon 15 – Carleton 8

Ryan: This is reminiscent of the Fury-Riot finals from the 2012 Club Championships – Carleton, like Riot, struck to get the first break, but then the favorite roared back and pulled away shortly afterwards. Don’t wake the beast!

Adam: The best team won.  This game wasn’t really about tactics or strategic adjustments.  The Oregon players won their individual matchups, and that was the difference in the game.  I don’t think Carleton is left with much to second-guess about the way they approached the game.