The Oberlin Review
<< Front page Sports October 13, 2007

Horsecows Defeat Ball State for Ultimate Title
 
Threading the Needle: Horsecow Asa Ivry-Block tries to find a pass in a tournament game at North Fields last weekend. Oberlin won the title 15-11 against Ball State.
 

The gods of Midwestern Ultimate Frisbee found themselves in a world entirely foreign, ruled by Horsecows, battling for the title of Force Freedom Tournament champions.

Fourteen teams of titans took to North Fields to see who could best break through the fortified defensive lines to advance the plastic disc into the other team’s end zone. In the end, it was Oberlin’s Horsecows, defending their grazing ground, that bucked the title of champions away from rival Ball State in the final, 15-11.

“It felt really really good to finally win a huge tournament&hellip;.It’s the first time it has ever happened,” said junior Mike “Noodles” Dirda.

Apparent throughout the weekend was the constant support of the Oberlin community. “Having fans and the marching band, and OSteel come out and stuff, it was an unbelievable experience,” Noodles commented.

The tournament included national powerhouses Syracuse University and Michigan State University alongside divisional rivals Ohio Wesleyan University, Case Western Reserve University, Earlham College, Muskingum College and John Carroll University.

Oberlin fielded two competitive teams in the men’s tournament. Oberlin’s A team was placed in a pool with Case, John Carroll and Syracuse B, while the Horsecows’ B squad lined up against OWU, Wright State and Western Michigan University.

Unfortunately, the B team could not muster the points necessary to win. They ended the tournament 0-3, but the experience will help their development as players for future Horsecows A squad.

The A squad, on the other hand, played like a gaing of warrior poets throughout the tournament as it slaughtered its opponents with the grace and skill necessary to best an Ultimate opposition. It outscored all three group opponents 39-10 on day one to give the squad the top spot in the group and a bye in the first round of the knockout phase, advancing to the quarterfinals to face off against Western Michigan, which dismissed the Oberlin B squad with a score of 13-4.

Seeking revenge for their fallen comrades, the Cows put Western Michigan’s head into the guillotine before ending their tournament hopes with the score of 15-11. The victory brought the team that much closer to the title, but next in its way stood powerhouse Syracuse University in the semifinals.

Syracuse, who was also undefeated at that point in the tournament, stood no chance against an Oberlin side determined to fill one of the compartments of its stomach with the scalp of another opponent.

The match, ending with a score of 15-11, advanced the Horsecows to the final of the tournament. In their path stood Ball State University, which had not let up more than 12 points in a contest. In the championship game, it was mandatory to win by two and hit a target number of 15 scores.

Galloping, bucking and mooing, the Horsecows established a lead that stuck throughout the contest, taking home the Force Freedom Tournament by a 15-11 score as they defended their grazing green for another year. 

“Ball State played hard for awhile, then gave up when they realized we are the better team. We’re that good!” Noodles said enthusiastically.

Throughout the tournament, it was apparent that certain individuals played their hearts out. According to Noodles, “Sam ‘Quatch’ Kitross-Schnell tore up the competition. He was sick nasty.” Also, co-captains “Dan ‘Smums’ Lesser and Axis ‘Bold as Love’ Sivitz really played their hearts out. It was their last home tournament. It was nice to win it for them.” 

Having protected their turf, the Cows will look to expand their territory eastward this coming weekend, October 13-14, at Case Western Reserve University’s Prof. Phil W. Morrison Memorial/CWRUL tournament.


 
 
   

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