Last Saturday, Stevens Ultimate defeated both TCNJ and Rider University. The two wins led the team to claim the Metropolitan New York Division III Conference and poises them for a strong start at the Metropolitan East Regional Conference.
The first of Saturday’s two games was against Rider University. Stevens came out strong, leading 8-1 by halftime. The team played well defensively as well as offensively, and won 15-1 in a blowout. The next game was against TCNJ, and required the team to put in more effort. Stevens was down 4-1 early in the game, but rebounded and finished the second half 8-6. The team took control during the second half and won the game 15-11.
Now that the team has won their sectional conference, they will advance to the regional competition. This is the first time the team has made it to the Metropolitan East Regional Conference since 2013, and the team is up against strong competitors such as Colgate and Hamilton Universities. In order to advance to the Nationals, the team will need to win the regionals. “We have a lot of momentum behind us; we’re playing fluidly and have great chemistry,” says Colin Aitken, president of the Ultimate team. “We have errors we need to fix, but that’s what practice is for.”
With a strong finish in sectionals, the team is optimistic going into regionals. “I think the biggest thing we has gotten us this far this year is our team mindset,” says Aitken. “In the beginning of the season, we focused on taking responsibility for our mistakes, and as the season progressed, our tam motto has been ‘prove it’. Nothing is going to be given to us, we have to prove it ourselves.” The teams’ first game in regionals will be on Saturday April 30th. The competitor for the game is to be announced.
