On Saturday, Oct. 20, the Wheaton Ultimate Frisbee team, or WULF, headed to Roger Williams University for their second tournament of the season. WULF was one of two mixed teams present at the tournament, with the rest being all male. The Lyons arrived at 2 p.m., and remained till the end of their fourth game, at 10 p.m.
WULF kicked off the day with a tight game against the hosting Roger Williams. After going into halftime, behind 7-4, the Lyons rallied for five points in a row and with that, took the lead. The rest of the game proceed into a fierce back-and-forth battle, but WULF was able to dig deep and hold on to their lead, claiming a narrow 13-12 victory.
With Roger Williams defeated, WULF had achieved an excellent start to the day, but the highly competitive game took a toll on the undermanned Lyons. With only 12 players at the tournament, and 7 players on the field at anytime, very limited resting time was available to the players.
The fatigue soon showed itself in WULFs second game, where they fell to Brown by several points. “We were tired from Roger Williams,” said Michael Mason ’19, one of the captains of the team. “They were coming out from not playing a game, so it was just a matter of fresh legs versus tired legs.” A much needed rest soon followed the game against Brown in the form of a ‘one-game bye,’ while the temperature began to drop below fifty degrees.
The Lyons came out of the ‘bye’ into a match against Westfield State, the only other mixed team at the tournament. Now rested, and with a group of more experienced players, WULF took down Westfield in a quick 13-3 game. Shortly after, Brown departed early, sending the Lyons into the final against the undefeated Stonehill College team.
After trading a few points, the effect of the Lyons limited numbers began to show up again, and Stonehill pulled away, going on to win the final 13-7. “Stonehill is usually a good match for us,” said Mason. “I think it would have been a close game if we were not as tired.” Although the loss was disappointing, Mason said, “we played much better than I expected us to play.”
After the tournament, Mason talked about the tournament experience. “I’ve played baseball, basketball, soccer, football…. and ultimate is different in the fact that you can be super competitive and still have lots of fun within both your own team and the other teams.” At tournaments, ultimate teams often share the same sideline to maximize space. As a result, the teams can mingle together throughout the duration of the game. “It has more of a friendly atmosphere than other sports,” said Mason. “The games are less chippy.”
For now, WULF only has one tournament left before the end of the semester, coming in November. The rest will be scheduled later on, in the spring. That is to say, once USA Ultimate, the corresponding league, kicks off.