This past weekend (September 13-14th) the Northeastern Women’s Ultimate Frisbee Team competed at Club Sectionals in Lancaster, MA. Despite coming off of their best season to date having lost a few integral team members, the Valkyries were able to kick off a new year successfully by amping up their level of play and earning a bid to Regionals, which will be held the weekend of October 11th.
Because the fall series is not designed primarily for college teams, the Valkyries played minus a few of their most experienced players, who competed with other highly competitive club teams such as Brute Squad, Hatch, and Quiet Coyote. This meant that the younger players were given the opportunity to step up into more important roles both on and off the field, and learn more about how the team works together by practicing each position in a real game situation.
The team started Saturday off well with a fairly challenging game against Bentley, which the Valkyries took 13-5. Next, the team took on Brandeis and won the game swiftly with a score of 13-0. The Valkyries then competed against the number one women’s club team in the Metro Boston Section, Brute Squad, and lost with a score of 13-0. During the game, however, the Valks were able to implement the horizontal stack and make four or five completions up the field before turning over the disc, a major accomplishment against a team of such high caliber. The Valkyries also had a viable deep look, which was very nearly completed. In their fourth and final game of the day, the Valkyries played MIT, a highly competitive and challenging opponent, and finished the game with a win of 13-7.
Throughout the day, the team worked hard to accomplish the goals they had set for the weekend. With focus on improving the vertical stack by setting it right away and making clean, efficient cuts, the Valkyries succeeded in making a number of smooth continuations right off the pull that resulted in completed passes in the endzone. Everyone had a chance to pull the disc, and each Valkyrie was able to put it past the half-way point, forming a great foundation on which to build and improve individual pulling skills. The team saw a lot of awesome deep looks throughout the day, and everyone who went deep was highly invested in getting to the disc, even if they didn’t end up catching it. Everyone took a shot at playing positions that they don’t normally play, and in the process gained a better understanding of both how to play in that position and how to work successfully with another person playing in that position.
On Sunday the Valkyries had a bit of a rough start, losing games to Brown (7-13), Wellesley (3-13), and Bowdoin (5-13). However, the team ended the day on a good note by defeating BC 15-12 and getting a bid to Regionals. Despite low numbers, the team continued to work hard and improve as best as they could. They worked even more on their Horizontal stack, with goals such as making efficient, viable cuts, and really looking to get those continuations up the field. The Valkyries also worked a lot on improving their 1-3-3 defense throughout the course of the day, with the focus on keeping the wall together, communicating about the locations and actions of offensive players, and making defensive plays in the cup.
Playing at Club Sectionals was a great learning experience for the younger Valkyries, all of whom took full advantage of the chance they were given to step up into bigger, more involved positions, both on and off the field. It was a great way to kick of the Fall, and it can go without saying that the Valkyries are more than excited to improve and get even better as the season progresses.
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