Nicaraguan Ultimate Club League: Round 3 Review

Managua, Nicaragua (Chasen Brokaw/Breaking Borders) -- Hello again! We have now completed 3 round-robin events and the teams are starting to fall into their positions. If I could name this round robin I would name it, “Something’s Missing.” One of the Warrior’s leaders, Rodney Juarez was not available for this contest, El Abuelo from the Hormigas was in Mexico, half the Tornados were not present, and the Disc Magnets decided playing in one round robin was enough for them. Not only were a lot of players missing, but the players who came lacked the energy that we have seen in the previous two round-robins. Even though we were missing some influential players and the energy was low, everyone was there to play Ultimate. Let's see what happened!

Round 1: Tornados vs Warriors

The Warriors came in today with a small team of 12, 6 guys and 6 girls. The Tornados started this game with only 5 players. The Warriors knew they would have to work extra hard in order to have any success in this round robin since they only had one male substitute. Since the beginning of the league this has been the hardest matchup for the Warriors and today proved no different. Ariel Lezama came to play and lead the Tornados with 7 goals and 1 assist. Every mistake the Warriors made the Tornados took advantage of quickly. One important note is that the Tornados were able to practice a zone defense since they were down a player. We will see if that zone defense comes into play in the Club Championships in March. Tornados won 13-0 in 30 minutes.

Round 2: Warriors vs Hormigas Locas

The Hormigas Locas started this game off strong and took half 7-1. Like usual, the Hormigas used a balanced approach and many of their players contributed. Their fearless leader, Chris Allodi, or better known as El Abuelo, was not present. Even though El abuelo was enjoying his holiday in Mexico, it didn’t seem to slow down the Hormigas in this game. The Warriors looked tired, but played better than they did in the previous round. Luis Loaisiga led the Warriors with some exciting plays including 2 assists, 1 goal, and 4 blocks. After exchanging points after half the Hormigas Locas won 13-4.

Round 3: Tornados vs Hormigas Locas

This was the game of the day and it was a story of two halves. I will not lie. I did not expect to see the Tornados start the game 8-1 playing down a female player. The Tornados used their zone defense to confuse and pressure the Hormigas’ throwers. This was the first time the Hormigas had played against a zone defense and the lack of field awareness was prevalent. The Hormigas made some mistakes and the Tornados took advantage quickly. After half the Hormigas began to use a new strategy where they moved the disc side to side more and decided to not force any throws. After scoring 4 unanswered points with this new approach, they finished the game 7-5 beating the Tornados in the second half. Unfortunately, due to the abysmal first half the Hormigas still fell short to the Tornados once again. If they can play in the Club Championships like they did in the second half of this game, they might have a chance to make a run for the title! 2 of the “Big Three,” Andy Genet and Exequiel Rocha threw or caught 11 of the 13 points for the Tornados and it is apparent that none of the teams have had an answer for them on defense yet. Tornados win 13-8.

Results for Round Robin # 3

Every round robin and every game in this league counts. By participating in each round robin teams receive 1 point. For every win they receive 2 points. For losses they receive nothing. The team with the most points at the end of the league will be ranked in 1st place for the Club Championships allowing them to play against the 4th ranked team in the semifinals.

The Tornados receive 5 points after ending the day 2-0.
The Hormigas Locas receive 3 points after ending the day 1-1.
The Warriors receive 1 point after ending their day 0-2.

Conclusion

After three round robins we have learned a lot about each team. The Warriors may be new, but they are learning and getting better with each game. The Hormigas Locas live up to their name and are setting themselves up for a potential opportunity to win it all. The Disc Magnets have proven that when they play, their mix of young talent and experienced veterans can lead them to a victory against anyone. And finally, the Tornados are the definite team to beat. They are the only team to have beaten all the other teams and unless something crazy happens we will probably be crowning them Champions in March. After three round robins the teams have fallen into what will most likely be the rankings for the Club Championships in March.

Current League Rankings

After 3 round robins