The men's and women's ultimate frisbee clubs traveled to Maryland last weekend for their first competition of the season at Towson University's"Huck of the Irish Tournament." Tron, the men's team, finished seventh place out of 20, while Banshee, the women's team, finished last out of the 10-team lot.
The men began play Saturday morning with a 13-0 rout of University of Maryland-Baltimore County. This win set the tone for their next two games, as Tron went on a three-game winning streak, including a dramatic 9-8 victory over Case Western Reserve University. This game was fierce, with Brandeis establishing an early lead, only to see Case rally back to tie the game going into the final point, thanks to an effective zone defense.
After a number of turnovers and defensive stops, Brandeis proved victorious.
"We played very well the whole tournament. The incredible win over CWRU featured a lot of people stepping up and turning in very strong individual performances," co-captain Gabe Reif '04 said.
The intensity of the win took its toll, as Tron's numbers dwindled in the next few games. Their next match was against Ohio State, the eventual runner-up, who dealt Tron a 13-4 loss.
They still managed to defeat Boston College, 10-7, to reach the quarterfinals against the University of Delaware, which beat Tron in a close 13-8 match. The men then faced Ontario's Queens University, a team that defeated them last year. History repeated itself as Queens pulled out the win, leaving Brandeis with a seventh place finish, a very respectable ranking considering the level of competition at the tournament.
"The teams that beat us were national-caliber teams, so we were very pleased with our finish," Reif said. He also cited the strong coaching and huge contributions from Zach Mabel '04 and fellow captain Yoni Resnick '04 as factors in the team's success.
Despite going winless, the women focused on smaller victories throughout the weekend. One such accomplishment was scoring on each opponent, including the University of Delaware, who won this year's tournament and had held Brandeis scoreless the last time they met. Feats like this one are a testament to how far the team has come in its short 2-year history.
"Most of the other teams there were much more experienced. It is known for being a very good tournament," co-captain Rebecca Weinerman '05 said. She was impressed with the women's team's positive attitude and constant encouragement of each other." We played very well, and have been improving a lot."
Weinerman also noted that each of the 14 team members who made the trek to Maryland played an integral role in each game. Unlike other sports, an ultimate frisbee squad relies on teamwork and support from every member of the team in order to be successful.
On Sunday, the club had its first home games of the season against Bentley College. In a drawn out game with a 25-minute hell point to start the contest, Tron triumphed over Bentley in an 8-3 win. As the game neared the hour and a half mark, it was capped, and another game to three points was started, ending in a humbling 3-1 loss for Brandeis.
"We had already played so many games that weekend and our bench was a little bit fatigued, plus we played tough opponents. Nevertheless, I was pleased with what our team was able to do," Reif said.