After starting the season 3-0, the Portland Stags could not have asked to start things off any better. They had one major task left in front of them, in the short term: defeat their I-5 rivals, the Seattle Rainmakers. Seattle swept last year’s season series. While the Stags weren’t particularly seeking out the Rainmakers for revenge, Seattle was certainly the next obstacle in Portland’s quest for a spot in the Western Conference Championship Game.
The Stags got their chance to notch their first ever victory against Seattle on Saturday. However, a potent and quick offense for Seattle built up a lead early that Portland was never able to overcome.
Going into the game, Seattle had professed to follow a small-disc strategy that would center of short, quick passes to keep the disc moving and a patient offense. However, the speed of the Rainmakers, led by the burning quickness of Donnie Clark (who notched 14 points, 12 goals and 2 assists the week prior) saw early opportunities to go deep and they took advantage.
In fact, deep hucks helped put the Stags down early, starting with a score just eight seconds into the game. On the offensive side, the Stags execution, which has been so impressive all season, started off sluggishly. They missed a couple of passes deep, especially in the opening half of the game, that the Stags have been completing all season, helping them fall into a hole that they would not be able to climb out of,
There is really only one method to stage a comeback in Ultimate and that is to force turnovers and capitalize on these opportunities. As the Rainmakers began building a lead, the Stags did force some turnovers. However, at least twice in the first half, the Stags couldn’t capitalize, keeping the momentum in favor of Seattle.
At half, the Rainmakers had built a lead up to a five scores, leading the Stags 13-8. Even as the third began, the Rainmakers scored first, going up by six, their largest lead of the game.
However, the Stags would not surrender without a fight. In their biggest test of the season, Portland showed resiliency. Forcing turnovers, and putting runs together, the Stags would close to game to within two scores in the fourth quarter. After another great defensive stand, Portland game within inches of a goal on a huge backhanded huck that would have brought the game within one score.
Seattle would recover the momentum and close out the game with a two score lead, 25-23.
While proximity of these teams already set up a rivalry between the squads, the postseason implications of these games will certainly fuel future matchups. With the win, the Rainmakers advance to 4-2 and have the most wins in the Western Conference. Portland falls to 3-1. While these two teams still hold the top spots in the conference, there are plenty of games left to play in the season as the race for the postseason heats up.
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