Hey Folks-- 

Nice playing out there today.  Even though it was more than a little hot for mid-October, we adjusted pretty well and came away with our third win in a row by defeating Sundays at Six with a score of 15-6. 

The game began late due to Sundays having another game at 1:00.  We started off the game a little bit rusty, and were locked in a 2-2 tie after several failures by our offense to convert in the endzone.  However, this initial tentativeness began to give way, especially after a well-timed time out call by Alan, and we were able to pull out an    8-2 lead at the end of the first half.  In the second half, we came out strong and began to wear down our opponents with our cup and our man defense.  As a result, we were able to finish the game by registering an impressive 15-6 win. 

As far as our offensive play, we played well, but there was definitely some room for improvement.  Partially due to the heat and the late start of the game, we at times played a little bit less than energetically, and at times sloppily.  In particular, we had some difficulties scoring when we got near the goalline, and our passes and cuts were at times less than crisp.  However, we still played pretty well, with some really nice cuts and amazing grabs.  Overall, a nice job, and our performance would certainly have been better if not for the unique weather and time conditions of today. 

In terms of our defensive play, we started out the game with the cup, and used man defense for our last few points. The same things applied to the defense as did to the offense- in other words, a nice performance, but not quite up to CUltimate standards as far as energy and crispness.  We had some problems maintaining the cup, and at times we let the man defense break down.  Still, we came through with some great blocks and knocks downs throughout the game, and the score is testament to the fact that while not as crisp as usual, the defense still performed well enough to stop the opposition offense.  So overall a good job, even if the weather and time of the game hurt us a little. 

However, while as a team we might have lagged now and then in our play today, our individual efforts were all superb. Everyone persevered through the heat, especially the women who had less chance to rest.  Great job done by all.  Some efforts of particular note: 

Mao:  Nice playing and leadership out there today.  Matt made an amazing number of defensive interceptions/knock downs as he used his height and jumping ability to swat the disc away from receivers.  Matt also came through with some nice passes and cuts.  Great job. 

Jeff:  Great cuts out there today, as Jeff was able to find a way to get open when the handler needed it most.  Jeff also had some really nice connecting passes, as well as some nice defensive stops that really helped the team when the opposition was driving towards our goalline.  Awesome effort. 

Michelle:  Amazing effort out there today as one of only 3 girls at the game.  Michelle came through when the team needed her to, playing even through the heat, and coming through with some awesome grabs, including one near the goalline that was a thing of beauty.  Michelle also shut down her man on D, and came through with some nice second cuts deep down the field that allowed the team to score.  Amazing energy. 

Ray:  Though unable to play due to his collarbone injury from two weekends ago, Ray showed great spirit today by showing up for the game and serving as our cheering section for the day.  Henceforth to be known as "Coach," Ray also helped by calling out info from the sidelines to players on the field.  Great spirit and love for the game. 

Anya Maine:  Like was said for Michelle, Anya showed great energy and effort out there today by staying in the game even through the heat.  As always, Maine served as one of those irreplaceable connections in our offense, as she helped single-handedly keep drives going with her handling and her dump cuts.  Also, nice job in both the cup and man defense...thanks for toughing it out even when you were tired...we couldn't have won the game without Maine.  Awesome job. 

Jeanie:  The third member of our awesome women contingent today, Jeanie showed amazing effort in playing almost every point of the first half.  She made some beautiful catches, some really nice connecting throws, and helped keep the cup working as a wing defender.  And great spirit out there as always...great effort, great playing, and great heart. 

Sarge:  Nice playing out there today as always.  Sarge showed great spirit, came through with some nice endzone catches, as well as a number of short and medium range completions.  Sarge also had a number of pretty throws, and several blocks of the thrower's passes that set the team up for a quick score.  Great job. 

Galen:  Great effort out there today, coming through with some nice cuts and some really pretty long throws.  Nice job as a wingman in the cup, as well, and great throws and completions as always.  Way to play strong out there even in rough conditions. 

Alan:  Awesome leadership and good playing out there as always.  Alan helped maintain the offense with his handling and throwing abilities, and made a number of nice grabs.  Also, he had a nice dance or two with Mao, and had some really pretty throws to the endzone.  On defense, Alan helped lead the cup, and as always got in their aggressively to knock opposition throws out of the air before receivers could get them.  Nice job. 

Sean:  Is there anything Sean can't do when playing Ultimate?  Amazing performance today, as Sean really came through with a stellar performance.  From making some incredible grabs, to knocking down opponent throws, to making some nice bids, Sean was everywhere on the field today.  Great speed out there, and nice way of getting the disc into the endzone either with a catch or a throw.  Amazing...that just about sums it up. 

Freshman Dave:  Dave played well all day. Towards the end of the game he made good cuts to the disc.  As always, he tried to keep the game interesting.  Early on he got fancy by tipping a sideline flick back up in the air before catching it for a score.  And, of course, who can forget Daves memorable play towards the end of the game.  We all knew we called him FRESHMAN Dave for some reason, as we saw Dave drop a game winner in the endzone.  Good cutting by Dave all day... way to humor us all.

Kemp:  Ah, Kemp, our new initiate to the WAFC team.  Not only did he play really well today, but he also survived all that comes with one's initiation into the team.  Nice catches in the endzone, and way to play on the defensive end of things.  Great effort, not to mention great bravery to laugh so loudly at one of the captain's, shall we say, "catching errors" towards the end of the game. Again, nice job, and welcome to the team...you played great. 

Our team is now 3-1, and there's no reason why we shouldn't be 4-0.  We are definitely one of the top teams in our division, if not the number 1 team at this point.  Lets keep this winning streak going, and win the championship at the end of the season. We can't tell you how great it is to see everyone come out and play with such effort and intensity, while still having fun....it seems our team has really come together in this our third WAFC season.  Thank you everyone.  Lets keep the streak alive!!! 

Dave and Alan