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| Photo by Brandon Wu – UltiPhotos.com |
In the final semifinal of the tournament, Revolver faced off against Doublewide for the second time in the tournament. The team arrived at the fields at 6:30, an hour and a half before game time, and early enough to witness bits and pieces of Ironside’s second DGP comeback win of the tournament. However, as soon as warmups started, all focus was internal, and Revolver used its pregame time to emphasize the fundamentals that have brought us to this point in the tournament: smart throwing decisions and marks.
Revolver began the game on defense. Unlike in the first matchup, Doublewide was unable to connect on a first-throw deep look to Tyler Degirolamo, and Revolver’s D-line offense worked the disc patiently up the field 70 yards until Sam Kanner found Tim Gilligan on the break side for the goal. Revolver’s D line would score two more consecutive breaks to give the offense a 3-0 cushion starting the game. The energy on Revolver’s sideline was palpable, while it was clear that Doublewide’s depleted US Open roster was causing challenges.
From this point, the teams traded several points back and forth. Revolver’s offense had several hiccoughs on its first few points–a throw into a smart poach and a slippery disc throwaway–but solid pressure on the turn led to a point block and a deep D that helped Revolver maintain its lead. Revolver’s defensive pressure led to several more breaks in the first half, including one following Jordan Marcy’s point block of Alex Thorne near the Doublewide goal line, and Revolver went into half with an 8-4 lead.
Revolver’s offense began the second half with a very smooth offensive point, showing great discipline in downfield spacing and timing and moving the disc laterally well. The O-line had found a groove at this point, and would not turn the disc over in the second half en route to keeping the defense on the field for most of the half. Revolver’s defensive O opened up its deep game in the second half; Mac Taylor threw a great leading huck from the sideline around an aggressive mark to a speedy Eric Greenwood in the endzone. Mac also notched a great D against Degirolamo on a long huck to the endzone. However, it was Revolver’s offense that had the chance to close out the game, which came when Jordan Jeffery found Joel Schlachet alone in the endzone for the game’s final score. Final score, 15-7.
Revolver is now preparing for a rematch with Ironside–the only team that has defeated Revolver in this tournament–in today’s finals at 4PM ET. The team is hungry for a second shot at the Boston squad and hopes to close out a successful US Open with a win. Once again, the game will be aired live on ESPN3, so tune in to show your support.