Weeks 5 & 6

Week 5: vs. Catch You Later

What the DC "field" (a euphemism) lacked in grass, it made up for with seating options.

Sludge started slow trailing 0-2, then upped their game into half. Michael to Bucci, 1-2; Brian to Nigel, 2-2; Henry to Bucci after consecutive 10-yard throws, 3-2; Joe to Rachel, 6-2; Russ to Nigel; 8-2. Sludge's defense shutdown Catch You Later's primary O targets, which provided plenty of transition opportunities.

The offense continued what it's supposed to be do (finding the end zone) in the second half. Bucci to David; 13-3; Russ to Rachel, 14-4.  Win 15-6.

Week 6:  vs. Care Bears

In a rare occasion, Sludge leavened at the beginning of the game with a 3-0 lead. Henry to Joe, 1-0; Michael to Bethany with a high release back hand to Rachel, 2-0; Brian to Russ, 3-0. The lead continued to rise after unforgiving D-to-O tranSItioNs; 8-1.

Sludge conducted an "egg" rolling on its 9-0 run, during which brown primarily played person defense. Nigel's backhand to Bucci, 10-1; Rachel's floaty backhand to no one that Matthew caught, 11-1; Charlie's record a bookend after his second hand block tip of the point led to catching Joe's IO in the end zone, 12-1; Andrew to David to Matthew, 14-3; Bethany's toss to Nigel ended the game. Win 15-3.

Andrew on defense.

Ultimate playing continued after the game as a way to savor the day.

Week 4: Back to the Drawing Board

Sludge had a case of the dropsies on offense and were swiss cheese on defense - not a pretty combination. Discs were bouncing off fingertips and sliding through clasped hands, while the defense was unable to force many turnovers on a very patient Backhanded Compliment.

Down 0-3 early, Sludge found their legs to tie it up. Mike's hucks to Nigel; Nigel's catch of a tipped disc from Charlie's huck to the endzone; and, bookends by Rachel.

At 4-6, the game flow was uncharacteristic as Sludge had trouble taking advantage of Backhanded Compliment's scarce turnovers. Offensively, Sludge chalked up more unforced errors than scoring opportunities, especially during BHC's 4-point run (4-10).

Sludge performed slightly better in the second half with some garbage points at the end of the game. David to Russ to Chris, 5-10; Sarah's knees-slide catch, 7-12; and Michael to Joe to Sarah, 8-14. Loss 9-15.

Week 2: March Grabness

:Versus 007:
Sludge began their spring season like they have been here before - playing at the Reflection Reflecting Pool and starting a WAFC spring season for the 16th time.

Sludge zone was good enough to create unforced repeated turnovers, which transitioned into unchallenged scoring opportunities. Up quickly with 5 straight breaks, CHarlie to Rachel; Henry to Charlie, Joe to Sarah, Matthew's bookends of a D'ing a floater and catch thrown by Sarah.

The lone point Sludge gave up in the first half was when Russ was beaten deep during a person D point. Sludge led 8-1 at half.

The second half continued with the fortunes of the first half. Sludge barely allowed 007 to advance the disc past midfield. Nigel backhand to Amy, 10-1; Michael to Rachel to Nigel to Matthew, 12-2; Russ missed a "callahanable" score, but caught and threw the score to Nigel, 13-2; David to Steve to Chris, 14-3.

The other team scored all 3 times Sludge played person D

Sludge win 15-4.

:Versus Disc Toast:
Sludge reeived the pull to start and kept the flow all the way down to the endzone with Andrew at the cone; 1-0. Sludge got the first break of the game at 3-1.

A quick catch-and -throw point happened at 5-2 with Michael to Nigel to Bucci back to Nigel.

At 6-5, Chris threw brown's 7th point. And Bucci led Sludge into half; 8-6.

Sludge spaced the field well and cut when needed. The short gains of 10-15 yards powered the offense that benefited from winter pickup.

Sludge played competitively and continued to lead 9-7, 11-8, 13-9. Sludge win 15-9.

WAFC Tournament: 11.16.13

While 495 traffic delayed arrivals to Lake Fairfax, playing down one player allowed for less traffic in the cutting lanes. Sludge played 5:1 for the first 8 points and kept competitive; 4-4. Joe's low loft to Rachel, Henry to Matthew, Matthew to Chris. At 5:2, Sludge continued playing sticky defense in the first half. Yet, break chances were not capitalized on.

Down 6-8 at half, Sludge was now at full (4:3) strength. Sludge forced their multi-throw zone which was countered by Furry Tractor's new found patient offense. Except for one point against a zone defense, brown could not find a good flow on offense.

Sludge's forward progress was impeded as if the traffic jam had spilled onto the ultimate field. After scoring 4 points in the first 8 points, Sludge managed only 5 scores in the last 16 points. Loss 9-15.

Notable quotes from the sidelines:
"Playing with only 6 players might reduce our chances to advance" - Chris H.

"There's not enough wind to play person defense." - Mike F.

"See you at pickup!" - Unknown

WAFC Pool Play: 11.09.13

:Game 1:
0-0, 1-0, 4-2, 4s, 6-7, 8-7, 8s, 9-10, 10s, 11-10, 13-11, win 14-11 versus Ultimallers.

Sludge began with a break which buoyed the low expectations entering the game. Morning wind conditions plus fresh legs favored Sludge's defense forcing of multiple throws. The one and only time the D changed to person (3-2), created a turn and a score.

Cuts to open space during point and efficiency near the end zone powered Sludge O. David-to-Matthew-to-Rachel, 1-0; Brian's zippy flick to Nigel, 2-2; Russ' rundown shoestring catch, 5-4; Michael's "honey pass"[HP] to Rachel, 6-4; Bucci and Christy assisted for the next score, 7-7.

Up one at half (8-7), Sludge traded points until Sludge went up 12-10. David's denials of deep throws facilitated the next brown points, win 14-11.

The next two games were rematches from spring 2013 pool play...

:Game 2:
0-0, 0-1, 2s, 4s, 6-4, 7-8, 8s, 9s, 11-9, 12s, 13-12, loss 13-15 versus Sundays at Six.

What a close game throughout - a tied score 9 times. While Sludge's early cuts were denied, red zone execution was excellent. Nigel's tip catch, 1-0; Mike's "HP" to Christy, 2s; Matthew's backhand to Sarah, 3s; Andrew score to Brian, 4-3; Charlie to Sarah; 6-5.

The diminished wind and S@6's catch-and-throw movement perplexed Sludge's zone. Plus, the inability to contain and defend downfield throws hurt Sludge.

Sludge took its first second-half lead with a score from Steve to Nigel, 9-8; Brian snagged a Callahan, 10-9; Nigel threw a BACKHAND to Rachel, 11-9; Michael to Mike; 13-12.

At 13s, Sludge turned over the disc and, eventually, the lead. Loss 13-15.

:Game 3:
0-0, 6-0, 6-3, 8-3, 9-6, 11-7, win 15-7 versus Pignition.

Playing a mix of 4:3 & 5:2, Sludge flowed to a 6-0 lead. Nigel to Sarah, 2-0; Charlie's high-release two-handed helicopter to Russ, 3-0; Mike's no-spin hammer to Michael, 5-0.

After David's S-curve pull and Russ' 1-yard incompletion into the turf meant for Christy, Sludge dropped the next 3 points. Steve righted the ship by throwing a score to take half; 8-3.

Sludge carved up Pig' thanks to open receivers - Andrew to Henry to Bucci, 10-6; Michael to Henry to Russ, 11-7. Win, 15-7.

:Outcome:
#2 out of 4 in Pool C. Advance to next week's tournament.

Week 8: Not Sweet

After losing two games last week (12-15 vs Aftershock; 4-15 vs Ultimallers), Sludge continued its post-OBX funk with a slow start to Saturday's game; 0-5.

The brown team warmed up and scored consecutive points; Charlie's backhand to Joe, Andrew to David to Michael on the endzone line, Russ with a catch D & assist to Joe; 3-5.

The first half scoring continued with Brian's downwind backhand to Matthew, David's advised hammer, and a flow-y point of Bucci-to-Joe-to-Russ-to-Rachel; 7-8.

A mighty wind existed which was better navigated by Cardinal Sins, while Sludge's zone defense was tested aerobically with marathon points. On offense, there was no even flow. First and second cuts were regularly denied forcing Sludge handlers into impatience and inability to find mismatches.

Sludge was outscored 2-7 after halftime; loss 9-15. Let's just say this would have been a good game to bring a book to, for any fans visiting from California.

Applause for Rachel & Bucci for playing savage!

Week 5: Not "Furlough" of Trying

Game 1: Disc Toast
Even on a wind-less, humid day, Sludge racked up 11 breaks. The applied zone created turnovers and took credit for unforced errors.

Offense flow was often pinned against the sidelines, yet frequently found the end zone. Michael to Chris, 2-0; Nigel's shoestring catch then flick to Sarah, 3-2; Chris to Bucci, 5-2; Matthew's cross-field huck; 7-2.

Out of halftime (8-4), Joe threaded a backhand which David speared for a score. Later in the half, Steve showed great concentration grabbing a tipped disc in the end zone; 11-5. Brian, then, brought it down a full level by dropping an easy score. Win 15-6.

Game 2: Dr Von Rhino
After an unnecessary field switch away from the coveted shade, Sludge faced off against the spring 2013 WAFC B League champs.

Sludge took an early break at 2-1, though the first half eventually played out on serve; 7-8.

Joe's huck to Rachel, caught by Chris, 3s; Christy to Matthew who tossed a floater nicely read by Russ, 4s; Bucci's one-hander, 6s; Charlie to Russ to Michael's tiptoe of the front line, 7s.

Sludge was broken early in the second half; 7-10. Bucci got brown out of its funk with a flick hanger nabbed by Chris, 9-10; Nigel's cross-field backhand to Bucci was caught by Rachel; 11-12.

Unlike the U.S. government, Sludge was just unable to shutdown Dr's offense. Loss 11-15.

Week 3: Thriving

Sludge earned an early break at the beginning of the game and kept the lead; 1-0. When Sludge did not break, Great Society was forced with many throws due to Sludge's traditional & hybrid zone sets.

Give-and-go's were prevelant in Sludge's 1st half offense. Russ to Brian to Russ, 2-1; Christy to Matthew to Christy, 3-1; Bucci to David to Matthew to David to Bucci, 6-3.

Brian kept brown on a good flow with a 50-yard flick huck to Nigel on the enar sideline who then sent a cross-field backhand to Mike; 8-5. Andrew's backhand to Chris cushioned the lead to 11-7.

In a balance of effort (one cutter) and precision (tight throwing window), cuts from behind the handlers into the endzone were the O du jour.

During garbage time, Michael was beat on a cut underneath but recovered to swat a floaty disc destined for an endzone receiver. Later in the same point, Michael's run-through defense helped Sludge with favorable starting position, and a score to Mike; 14-7.

Sarah's knee-slide-catch of Andrew's backhand safely ended the game. Win 15-7.

Week 2: For Huckness Sake

Game 1: vs Huck Norris
Sludge returned to their 16th fall season and swiftly fell into form.

Broken on the first point, Sludge recovered with the next 4 scores. An active offense was on display after turnovers - Joe-to-Michael-to-Amy; Henry-to-Bucci; Mike-to-Michael.

Christy's defense led to Brian's high flick to Russ; up 8-4 at half.

Both teams took shots down field on the short field. What gave Sludge the advantage were open cuts underneath and then well-angled cutting to space near the end zone.

Sludge rolled in the second half with lofty pulls and deep connections. Charlie's 40-yard backhand to Henry; 10-5.  Henry's tip catch D, then hammer to Russ; 12-5. Matthew's overthrow caught by Joe; 14-6.

Win 15-6.

(Triple-play thanks to Tim!)

Game 2: vs Hucking Justice

The next game was played on the parallel field at Sligo; the second game for both teams.

Sludge snagged an early break with a score from Bucci to Rachel; 1-0. The zone D regularly forced multi-throws and effectively slowed down the G'town grads.

The first half was back and forth (2's, 3's, 4's, 4-5, 6's). Joe's breakside backhands to Rachel were a regular feeder for points as were Henry's connections to Amy.

Sludge's 8-1 stockpiling played to a keep-the-disc-moving sensibility capped off by Matthew's blade-y hammer to Steve. The comfortable 14-7 lead started to shrink just as the sideline complimented the team as "mature."

[STAT: Sludge scored on 69% (29) of the first 42 total points played; then 12.5% on last 8 points of the day.]

Eventually...win 15-12.

Pool Play Results: 5.18.13

:Game 1: 
0-0, 0-1, 1-1, 2-1, 3-3, 8-3, 12-4, 14-5, SLUDGE win 15-9 vs Pignition.

Sludge's post-season offense started with efficiency - goals by Rachel & by Chris, plus scores thrown by Nigel & Brian. Jen caught the 8th point to go into half; 8-3.

The inclement weather of mist seemed to aid the Sludge zone which forced many throws.

Sludge went on a 4-point run with scores from Charlie to Sarah & to Rachel, Brian's hammer to Joe, Andrew’s hammer to Russ. At 14-5, brown's lead started slipping like a forehand with a wet hand. After surviving a 4-point run by Pignition, Michael threw the winning score; win 15-9.

:Game 2: 
0-0, 1-0, 4-2, 4-8, 8-8, 8-12, 9-12, SLUDGE loss 9-15 vs Sundays at Six.

Once the new Rachel+Michael H wedding disc was deemed an unsuitable umbrella, Andrew's grey canopy tent was welcomed. Sludge hurriedly moved into the tent like it was the first day of OBX. The pull on the first point was dropped, so Sludge easily scored; 1-0. The first half of the first half went Sludge's way until Sundays at Six scored seven straight; 4-8.

The precipitation finally stopped around mid-game as Sludge started to close the gap with the next 4 points to start the second half; 8-8. Brian's (in-bounds) layout along the endzone's sideline capped off the Sludge use of a horizontal offense. Sundays tightened their defense and countered with their own run; 8-12. Loss 9-15.

:Game 3:
0-0, 3-0, 3-1, 4-2, 7-2, 8-4, 8-9, 9s, 9-11, 14-11, SLUDGE win 15-13 vs Huckin' Justice.

Sludge carried their newest team member, TC (tent canopy), to the adjacent field to play the last game of the day. Up 3-0, Sludge dictated pace with their defense anchored by Steve. Brian's cross-field huck was caught by Andrew on his knees; 4-1. A few points later, Christy slid to snag a throw from Russ; 7-2.

After halftime, Huckin' Justice started to close the gap with a crash-the-cup offense; 8-9.

Sludge's switch to person defense also resuscitated their offense - Charlie's backhand to Joe; Michael's one-handed score thrown by Andrew, Rachel's backhand to Christy; 14-11. At 14-13, Sludge nicely worked the disc up the field with no turnovers. Sarah finished the game with a flick to Rachel who toed the endzone sideline. Win 15-13.

[Photos by Andrew]

Week 7: Two for the Show

What better way to spend Weekend Eve of Rachel and Michael's nuptials than with their Ultimate family/team?!

:Game 1:
Sludge zone defense was definitely invited to the party as Matthew tallied a handblock, which Henry then hammered to Rachel; 1-0. Sarah's upline flick to Jen; 3-1. Nigel’s high release backhand to Rachel; 4-2. And, Andrew's rejection of a deep throw which led to a deep flick from Brian to Russ; 6-3.

After 10 points (7-3) Sludge missed on 3 score attempts at close range. Up until this point Sludge's play was flawless – forcing turnovers on D, scoring when on O. Further, Matthew then got smacked on a backhanded compliment follow-through. Unrelated, the "Sideline of Conflict" began its intrusion. 7-7.

Sludge took half 8-7 on a 40-yard backhand laser from Russ to Rachel. David, who returned to the playing field for the first time in one year, caught dropped his first point of the season; 10-9.

Backhanded Compliment went on a run as Sludge was throwing the disc like it was a tossing a bouquet. (Hey, why doesn't anyone want to catch it?) 10-13.

At 11-14, Sludge began its comeback - Christy's forehand to Rachel; Mike's sky catch and score to Sarah; Mike's swing-hammer to-Andrew-to-Sarah-to-Jen; Rachel's "bookends" (D, then score); 14-14.

 Sludge continued its defense-makes-offense run with Sarah's D which led to Nigel's leaping catch from Jen's flick, and finally, Russ' bookends with a handblock and then catch of Charlie's looping backhand. Win 16-14.

:Game 2:
The defense of Sludge continued its early dominance. Matthew's mis-Callahan turned into an easy score from Michael to David; 1-0 (David's first Ultimate score in 1 year.) Mike's flick to Michael made it 2-0, but marked the end of Mike's cleats as we knew it. R.I.P. Cleats.

There were glimpses of flow brilliance by Sludge, albeit against an opponent who was also playing in their second game of the day. Michael-to-Christy-to-Nigel-to-Brian on a break point; 5-2.  Matthew-to-Charlie-to-David-to-Brian; 7-3. Sarah-to-Christy-to-Nigel-to-Brian; 8-6.

The numbers of Sludge may have been low, yet the Sludge points kept up in the second half.  Brown held serve while on O and breaking Absinthe Minded 5 times. Win 15-9.

Week 5: Sway

Sludge took the lead early in their tango with Dance Cafe. Bucci completed a two-step by catching the first score and flicking in the second; 2-0. The pesky Sludge zone PLUS the just-enough-to-make-a-difference wind grooved well creating jOy of mOtion.

Charlie-to-Nigel's FLICK-to Christy; Christy's D led to a Mike-to-Jen score; Michael's D in the endzone led to Joe's 40-yard backhand to Nigel; 6-1, 7-4. Sludge swung into half with Mike's high-count swing to Henry and score to Steve; 8-4.

Sludge showed excellent spacing and flow early in the second half. Bucci-to Jen-to Mike at the cone, Henry's toss fingertip catch by Christy, and Mike's hammer* [*Christy-approved] to Steve. Knockdowns by Brian & Steve each led to brown scores. And, who can forget Charlie's steady backhand just over 6 defenders into Rachel's chest? 13-6.

Break dancing began to takeover Sludge O as Dance Cafe went on 5-0 run; 13-11. Deep throws were not judged as not a suitable partner for Sludge during this swing. Sludge finished off their routine with 2 exciting points - Joe to a sprawling Nigel at the endzone line, then tossed to Mike (14-11), and finally Brian's high, outside-in flick to an outstretched Rachel. Win 15-12.

Week 4: Shocking

After the very first point, DC Aftershock went white. This was the first of many turns Sludge created in this game.

Sludge took advantage of early miscues by DCA to transition into a quick-release offense; 1-0, 1-1, 7-1. Charlie's backhand up the near sideline to Nigel; Russ' juggle-juggle-juggle-drop-to-the-ground catch; Rachel's 3-yard hammer to Joe; Matthew's backhand to Sarah.

Sludge looked well-prepared at 8-3, and continued stocking their sheltered lead; 9-3, 10-5, 12-5. Spacing was effective in initial flow and then finding space to cut behind the defense. Henry's inside-out to Matthew; Nigel flick to Jen with an overhead finger snag, Andrew's connection to Steve.

Overall, Sludge O was broken only once the entire game while brown D forced 9 break points. Win 15-7.

Week 3: HO No

All started well for Sludge with a quick 2-0 lead; Joe's backhand to Rachel and then a Henry-Michael-Nigel-Matthew-Nigel connection.

With this solid start, Sludge began to take for granted their break point opportunities - especially, when the disc was near the endzone. The close-range offense was rotten needing improvement. 3-1. Plus, early turnovers plagued the Sludge O.

Ultimallers warmed up and went off to lead 6-3. Sludge's zone was speed bumps rather than stop signs. After a brown timeout and a sole-ful lesson on HO stack, Sludge was actively back in the game. Michael-to-Matthew's blade-y flick to Steve, Chris to Rachel's bobble, and Henry's hammer to Joe; 6-6. 6-8.

Charlie and Andrew helped work up the disc while Bucci and Christy were active on defense. Sarah's D turned into a Henry-to-Joe-to-Rachel score; 8-11.



Honestly, the HO "stack" was fairly effective (when it worked). Otherwise, Ultimallers jumped higher, threw farther, ran faster and defended better. Loss 9-15.

Week 2: Somewhat 'Breader'

Sludge played well right away with D-oriented offense. Up 5-0 courtesy of Mathew's flick to Rachel, Henry's toss to Jen at the cone, Chris' catch deep in the endzone, Joe's juggling catch on the sideline, and a Charlie-to-Steve connection.

By 7-1, Sludge had to gnaw their way out of Disc Toast's encrusting zone cup; Henry's hammer followed by Steve's hammer to Matthew then to Chris. And, another zone flow point from Sarah to Chris. DT took advantage of some early-in-the-offense turnovers by Sludge. There were sideline remarks at Sligo about a "rushed" offense contributing to those late first half turns.

At 7-4, looking to quiet the sideline with Girl Scout cookies, Brian dropped the pull (hey, it was sunny!). But with a DT turnover, Brian redeemed himself with a high-stall, high-arced cross-field flick to take half; 8-4.

Henry started second half scoring with a strong, low backhand through the middle of the field; 9-4. As conditions were less windy and Sludge D became less effective (correlation?), momentum started to shift. Sludge's "rushed" O made unwelcome appearances during this time, too. At 9-6, Christy threw a hammer (causation?).

Sludge did show some very patient zone offense with their 11th point featuring Michael's fake to Jen which opened up a throwing alley to Chris. The team with brown jerseys kept scoring in the second half even though the offense acted like the vehicular traffic en route to the game -- stop-&-go. 

Mike threw a score to Sarah; 13-8, 14-10. Steve finished the game with a high floater to Christy in the back of the endzone; win 15-10.

Week 1: Downhill

Muted celebrations greeted Sludge as its 30th Ultimate season began. Play at E. Brooke Middle School field started on a positive note as Sludge D converted a turnover into an early score; Joe to Matthew, 1-0. Sludge's only other point in the first half was a flow from Charlie to Joe to Rachel.

The Sludge zone did pretty well by temporarily slowing Dr. Von Rhino's active cutting, but could not sustain containment. DVR's poach D was not exactly helping Sludge O. Let's just say: Jake & Griffin had more consistent flow rolling down the hill than Sludge in the first half (2-8).

In the second half, Sludge tinkered with a horizontal stack (a.k.a. "pickup cutting") to counter the poaching. This led to a major offensive push - 2 consecutive points; Mike to Rachel & Bucci's inside-out to Mike, 4-8. Later, in her return to Sludge Ultimate after a 1-year hiatus, Christy scored brown's 5th point.

At 5-13, Michael's D led to a short field and then Joe's lofty zing to the endzone which Rachel skyd for; 6-13.

Sludge had trouble maintaining possession, completing scoring opportunities in the endzone, and keeping up with DVR's quick transitions. What felt like should have been a closer game (maybe 10-15), turned into a 9-point loss; 6-15.

Ultimate Game Tracking

If you enjoy game statistics, then you should be aware of: Ultiworld's NexGen analysis, Ultiapps & Leaguevine. One of the basic stats of any Ultimate game is keeping score. Using this data, you can chart point progression for your team (& benefit fans). Game Point charting provides a more detailed snapshot of the game - beyond the written game recaps.

Using EXCEL and collected data of each point, here's what I developed. Game Point summaries in chart form using 3 games from Sludge's fall season:

Full game summary: vs. Unclique [11/18/12]
Game recap: 20 points were played. Sludge took an early lead & kept the lead, and then closed-out strong; win 13-7.

Full game summary: vs. Dance Cafe. [11/10/12]
Game recap: Sludge was down early but kept it close, eventually scoring the final point; win 12-11.

Full game summary:  vs. This is Why I'm Hot. [11/10/12]
Game recap: A long 26-point game with Sludge losing an early lead in the first half, but completing a comeback; win 14-12.

Tourney: 11.18.12

Versus Unclique
After the engaging news was broke, Sludge was inspired and broke Unclique twice for an early lead that helped establish pace - Andrew to RacHel; Joe's 2-yard toss to MicHael. MattHew threw a bendy flick to CHris intercepted by RacHel; 3-1.  Short, keep-the-disc-moving throws fueled Sludge's first half offense. Bucci to Henry to Russ; 5-1. RacHel (aka, The Nigel Proxy) knocked down the disc in the endzone for a (missed delayed) Callahan, catching the score thrown by Henry; 6-1.

Sludge dictated the game pace while disrupting Unclique’s offense. Defense was also solid. CHarlie had a sweet sky D on the sideline while active wing play by BRian Andrew, CHris & Jen regularly closed off cuts into cutting lanes.
 

Joe to Rachel to CHris with a break-the-mark backhand to Henry; 7-3. Russ' knockdown near the endzone provided a short transition point; 8-3. After two consecutive turns by brOwn (8-5), Sludge returned to first half form; 9-5, 10-6. MattHew's handblock as they were on Sludge goal line was the tipping point for the game. CHarlie to Henry to Joe to Amy; 11-7. The next point saw a tipped D caught by Russ who threw to an open RacHel; 12-7. The last point moved the disc between Bucci to MicHael to Russ to RacHel. Win 13-7.


Versus Hucking Justice
Next up was a young (Georgetown alum), rested (1st round bye) and skilled team who went undefeated in both the regular fall season and pool play. Sludge, with two rostered G’town alums, was broken early; 0-2. Matthew to Joe got Sludge on the board; 1-2. Then some super goal line defense caused the next score by Jen; 2's. Another break with Andrew to Henry to Bucci who bobbled then caught the disc; 3-2. Another point, another break; CHarlie to RacHel; 4-2, 5-2, 5-3. CHarlie's upline to MicHael who threw to the cone where Jen toed inside the line; 6-3, 6-4. Henry stepped in front of the throw for the D, and then whipped an inside-out (IO) flick to RacHel; 7-4.

During the timeout, the 7-2 run was handled differently by the two teams - Sludge sat on their seat-of-choice (e.g. camp chair, blanket) and caught their breath, whereas the opponents huddled up and vocally planned strategy. The next 4 points favored HJ; 7-8.

Defending the long huck was important defense for Sludge as the field was regularly extended with a handler sprint cut. A huck turnover gave Henry a chance to air it out to CHris; 9's. MattHew's just-over-the-defender flick to MicHael then to RacHel; 10-9.

Sludge was competing well making the other team throw lots. In turn, all Sludge O-pportunities were closely defended - Jen to RacHel for a knee catch, 11-13; three consecutive IO's from Henry to Russ to Michael back to Russ; 12's. The light wind, cool day was nice to play in, but did not greatly benefit the Sludge zone. Loss 12-15.
##

Pool Play Results: 11.10.2012

Game 1:
Based on last spring's result, there was no margin of error when playing Dance Cafe. So, playing 5:1 for point #1 was not ideal; 0-1.

At full strength, Sludge kept pace until 5's. Joe to Brian; 1-2. Sarah's leading flick to MicHael; 2-2. Andrew's floater to Nigel; 2-3.

Down 5-7 at half (games to 13), Sludge smartened up the offense. Andrew's cross-field to Nigel deep in the endzone; 6-7. Brian's hammer to Steve; 7-8. Cap - game to 12 - was applied at 7-10.

Sludge eschewed from early offensive turnovers by playing excellent team zone D. The handlers were contained for much of the game because the cup acted like fencing around a cute puppy. Plus, the strategic switch to person D for one point worked and gave Sludge a needed break; 10-10.

Then at universe point (11's), RacHel's knockDown (ahem, a missed Callahan) in the endzone allowed Henry to flick to Nigel who secured his bobble for the final point. Win 12-11.

Joe doing what Joe does.

Game 2:
Sludge continued their s/pace versus Dr Von Rhino (the #1 seed in the pool) through haltime. Henry to Nigel to Bucci; 1-1. Brian to Jen; 3-3. MicHael's fake to Sarah for a wide open Russ; 5-4. Brian's punt to a shoestring catch by Nigel to Andrew; 6-4. RacHel's D led to a close proximity score to take half; 7-4.

Sludge extended the lead with precise handling - Jen to Andrew to Matthew to a low catch by Joe; 8-6.

If the easy go-with-the-flow interpretation of "downhill" described brown's first half, then the opposite translation tumbled Sludge the rest of the game.

Brian honorably defended the layout bid in Sludge's endzone, but was sidelined due to the collision. After which, Sludge was outscored 6-1. Loss 9-12.

Steve prepares to sky. 

Game 3:
After being down 0-1, the Sludge sideline happily remarked: 'One point closer to Saturday pickup'. Like Brian after (3) Advil, (1) beer, (sips) homemade liqueur & (1) PB&J, Sludge was feeling pretty good.

CHris' D led to a Joe to RacHel score; 1-1. Russ' handblock led to Michael's throw to Steve; 2-1. A Henry D led to his assist for Steve's second consecutive score; 3-1. Nigel went solo with a Callahan; 4-2. Sarah to Steve to Nigel; 5-2. Matthew to Joe to Sarah; 6-3. Russ to Nigel to Joe for a disputed line-straddle score, so play continued with a reset to Henry to Nigel to Sarah; 7-5.

The force-SO-many-throws zone employed by Sludge was working as advertised, except that the last throw by This Is Why I'm Hot was for score(s); 8-8. A handful of unidentified person defense was also used on this wind-les, sunny day.

CHarlie's connection to CHris and then to RacHel helped momentarily; 9-8. Sludge was broken a few times; 9-11. Bucci threw a score to Jen to bring it to 11's. Steve's D led to the next score; 12-12. Up 13-12, Matthew put it away with a 40-yard flick to CHris in stride. Win 14-12.
##

Week 9: FORWARD

The first day of "glove" weather of the Ultimate season did not stop a hot beginning to the last regularly scheduled game. The wind and the wind chill were both factors.

Sludge scored early and often - Andrew's backhand to Nigel, Russ' inside out to MattHew (3-0), Henry's hammer to MattHew; 4-1.

Sludge kept the lead with precise short and medium range throws, and primarily kept the disc moving. A sideline chain of CHris to Sarah to a Russ hop-in pushed the score to 5-3. CHarlie facilitated the next 2 points - one to Nigel and the other upline backhand to Russ who tossed to Sarah; 7-5.

Andrew's D, then throw to CHris took brown to half; 8-5.

Sludge pulled in the second half with a comfortable lead. At 9-6, the cordial Sundays at Six prevented Sludge scoring; specifically, three times on the 1-foot line during a crucial downwind point. Bending, but not completely broken, Sludge's "super wing" position (zone defense with one wing playing selective person D) created necessary turnovers which led to quick transitions. Andrew to CHris to CHarlie to Henry; 10-9. Amelia to Sarah; 11's.

Then down 11-12, AND downwind, MicHael's backhand to Nigel broke their zone & led to a Henry toss to an idle MattHew in the endzone; 12's. At this point, Sludge was showing its finely aged fluidness and wearing down the savage S@6 men.  Trapped on the sideline near the endzone, Russ snuck in a 4-yard toss to the cone at stall 9. The lightly D'd disc was caught by MicHael sliding in-bounds; 13-12. With safe momentum, brown closed it out.

Sludge win 15-12.