Unlike the Open and Mixed Divisions, the Women’s Division quarterfinals featured favorites running out comfortable winners in three of the games, and in the broadcast game Showdown ran rampant over Nemesis.
Fury-Capitals
This game featured three upwind scores by Fury and one by Capitals, with Capitals saving the first half by scoring upwind after Fury got an upwind break behind Alex Snyder’s endzone throw to Kaela Jorgensen. But Capitals forced an endzone turn from Fury on Capitals’ upwind O point, with Malissa Lundgren marking Lauren Casey, and Jordan Meron pressured Nancy Sun into a goalline drop on a dump cut. Lundgren squeezed in a high backhand, directly into the wind, to Emma Seaborn as Capitals held. The teams traded out for the rest of the first half.
The turning point in the game was the first point of the second half, as Fury came out on defense pulling upwind. After a turnover, Alex Snyder bombed a 50-yard forehand huck into the wind to Manisha Daryani, who caught it at the back endzone cone past a bidding Hadiya Roderique for the upwind break to go up 9-7. Fury completed the pair of breaks, and would break again to go from up 12-9 to 14-9, before closing out the game 15-10.
Riot-Ozone
Unlike Fury, Scandal, and Showdown, Riot has not yet shown a propensity to work the disc patiently upwind. Riot beat Ozone with big throws upwind and big catches from their athletic receivers. But the biggest play in the game came from Ozone’s Lane Siedor, who caught a huge flick huck from Katherine Wooten in the downwind endzone with a monstrous layout grab, full extension at waist height, for a downwind hold. Kyle Weisbrod was on the sidelines and said it was the best play he’d seen all weekend. In the end, Ozone could not consistently threaten the upwind endzone, only getting three break opportunities in the game, and Riot used their ugly but effective style to run out 15-10 winners.
A final talking point for this game was the replaying of Riot’s downwind O point, up 7-6. Riot had eight players on the field, scored quickly, and the game went to halftime. But Riot realized that they played with eight, and halfway through halftime, the point was replayed. Ozone gave a bigger fight the second time, but Riot was still able to punch it in and take half. For real this time.
Scandal-Molly Brown
(from Keith Raynor)
With strong winds providing the context, Scandal took early control of their quarterfinal game against Molly Brown and never let up. Early on, the DC squad was able to snag a downwind break, an upwind score, and an upwind break early on to stake a 4-1 lead. Scandal’s defensive line, anchored by Allison Maddux’s stellar play before and after the turn was suffocating, forcing Molly in desperate hucks that defenders made easy pickings of. Being in position for catch Ds allowed them to advance the disc before Molly could get into important defensive sets, leaving them unable to prevent upwind scores.
Molly managed some downwind offense, but Scandal took the half 8-4 and up a number of crucial upwind breaks. Opi Payne, Crystal Davis, and Alicia White were also integral parts of the defensive group, but gave way to a more open rotation, with their offensive line even playing some D points. Kath Rathcliff fought valiantly to keep Molly Brown in it, but Scandal continually muscled their way into the endzone en route to a 15-10 victory, winning a date with Seattle Riot in the semis.
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