USN Finishes Third at Easterns National Championship

One of sixteen teams invited to the tournament, our boys entered the tournament as the fifth seed, our highest seeding in years.  According to the tournament format, the teams competed in pool play on Saturday with the results of the pool play determining which teams would compete in the championship bracket on Sunday.  USN, seeded second in their pool, easily defeated Stuyvesant High School (New York) 13-4 in game one and then went on to defeat Haverford High School (Pennsylvania) 13-5 in game two. 

Game 3 pitted us against the number one seed in our pool (fourth seed overall), Holy Family Catholic (Ohio), a disciplined, athletic team that had beaten us at the Paideia Cup the last two years.  The teams traded points initially (mostly due to our lack of patience on offense) and then we scored two-in-a-row to take half 7-6.  USN scored the first point after half to go up 8-6.  The game was then capped for time, so it was a game to 10.  HFC scored two-in-a-row to tie the score at 8, after which we scored, and then they tied it again. 

The next point was universe point (whoever scored would win the game), and USN was on offense.  Our boys patiently advanced the disc down the field and then scored the winning point on a desperation throw from sophomore Mitchell Lutz to senior Eliot Linton.  By defeating HFC, USN won their pool, finishing 3-0, and they earned a well-deserved last round bye on Saturday. 

On Sunday, the boys entered the championship bracket and faced Needham High School (Massachusetts) in the quarter-finals.  USN came out hot, scoring the first three points in the game, but Needham, unwilling to surrender, fought back to keep within two points of USN until half.  An injury to senior Will Knowles early in the second half temporarily disrupted USN’s rhythm and concentration, and Needham took advantage to tie the game at 8.  In a remarkable demonstration of toughness and resilience, however, USN regained their focus and won the game 12-10, advancing to the semi-finals for the first time in a decade. 

Unfortunately, USN was outmatched in the semi-finals by powerhouse Amherst High School (Massachusetts), losing 13-6 in a game that was closer than the score indicates.  Amherst went on to defeat Holy Family Catholic 13-6 in the finals to become the Easterns National Champions.  USN finished third overall in the tournament, a very strong showing given the level of competition at the tournament. 

This tournament caps off an amazing season for USN Ultimate in which they won two tournaments, repeated as state champions, finished 5^th at Paideia Cup, and made it to the semi-finals in two other tournaments.  The vision and leadership of the captains Ryan Del Casino and Will Shaw as well as the outstanding coaching by Mike Lutz contributed greatly to this team’s success.  While the team will miss the seven graduating seniors, Ryan Del Casino, Will Knowles, David Kuhn, Eliot Linton, Mikeie Reiland, Will Shaw, and Gray Yarbrough, the team is stocked with veteran younger players who understand what it takes to win, so the future continues to look bright for USN Ultimate.  Thanks for a great season, boys!