Day 6... Streaking uli... LOSING!! NNNOOOOOOO!!

Sunday. May 25, 2008.
Day 6. Summer League.
Alabang Country Club

Ultimate… Warriors… Ultimate… Warriors… Ultimate… Warriors… Ultimate… Warriors… Ultimate… Warriors… Ultimate… Warriors… ULTIMATE… WARRIORS!!!

Armed with a new cheer, the Ultimate Warriors braved the fields of Alabang pumped up and ready to go. And with last week’s losses all but forgotten, the Warriors were back to their happy-go-lucky, “quota”-cheering ways. All smiles. No pressure. What a perfectly nice day to play some disc.

Players: (Sino naman kaya nalimutan ko ngayon?!?)
Dondi
Sarah
Greg (1st game only)
Nana
Czarmel
Lawrence
Roy
Junjun
Alvin
Bobby (may balat sa pwet!)
Gladys
Tisha
Cel
Ivy
Jane
Ena
Ubai

Fans: (Yeba!)
Yelle
Mavs
Apple
Kring

As you can see above, the Warriors were missing a lot of its key players. Jaguar Paw was up in the mountains, Enteng Kabisote was nowhere in sight and Mike was in faraway Boston . Lei was in CDO, Jomen was singing “Happy Birthday Lola” and the Doctor was out. Mina was explaining how she got her "chinese get-up marks" to her family and Garry was pounding on his tita's roof, mourning the loss of their chickens. With just a little over two lines, the Warriors were a bit shorthanded as they try to sneak in another pool B win…

Results:

Game 11
Ultimate Warriors – 8
Monster – 13

Before the start of the game, Michell told the Warriors that this is a must-win game for the team. If the Warriors beat Monster, they had a chance for a higher seed and would then be assured of a lower seed opponent in next week’s finals. The Warriors were faced again with a familiar foe: the pressure to win. But they brushed it off and decided not to give in to the pressure. They wanted to play their game and have fun on the field and a winning result would just be a bonus. (Fact: There would be no bonus today. Haha.) There was no wind and it would have been the perfect condition for Jaguar Paw’s long hucks. But the Warriors would have to make do with their players who are present on the field. The Warriors went to their short running game and would be able to bring the disc down just to fall short of a goal. And even though the movement and the flow of the offense were quite good, the Warriors could not finish consistently early on. Monster would rely on their hucks and the Warriors slow feet (take a bow Dondi and Greg) as they piled on the points to build a five point lead at the half. Monster also showed the Warriors different looks on defense as they switched between Man and Cup throughout the game. The Warriors also struggled a bit with the Cup but they were eventually able to break the defense and score some goals. The team made a run after the short halftime break to cut down Monster’s lead. They broke their quota of five points and everyone was pumped up after each goal as the team remained competitive with Monster for the remainder of the game. (Fact: Spectators taught the Warriors won the game because of the way they were cheering!) With a need for handlers, a number of players stepped up with Sarah helping out in breaking the Cup and assists on goals by Roy and Lawrence. And of course, Greg’s long bullet pass to Cel to the endzone (Greg to Dondi: forehand yun ha!). And everyone else shared in the handling duties as the Warriors mostly played a short to mid game with the occasional long play here and there. The Warriors were able to give Monster a little scare but the early deficit was just too hard to overcome. The Warriors went down for their third consecutive loss, 13-8. But most of the team (if not all) was already extremely happy with the results. (“8 points! Lagpas sa quota!”)

Game 12
Ultimate Warriors – 9
Circus Weng Weng – 12

After a one hour break, the Warriors would lace ‘em up again and take on a team it met twice in the previous Malakas at Maganda league. Both times, the Warriors and Circus teams pushed each other to the limit. Both times, the Warriors succumbed to defeat. But Circus was on the second game of a back to back set and the Warriors were looking to take advantage of this to finally get over the hump. With the aid of some orange juice (uy, orange juice lang daw!), the Warriors were ready to take on this challenge. They would play the same short game formula they used in the Monster game and would surprise Circus with their quickness and accuracy as they would score from endzone to endzone without dropping the disc. Circus also showed them a Cup defense which the Warriors easily broke and were converted into quick points. But the Circus team had more experience. They used their highly organized offense and took advantage of some Warriors mistakes to build a four point lead. Despite the deficit, the Warriors remained in high spirits. And instead of feeling down and walking to the other end of the field after a Circus point, some Warriors decided to put on a show. The people on the sidelines were treated to a tumbling, cartwheeling and splitting exhibition. (Fact: Si Lawrence napressure, nagtumbling din!) After the “show”, the Warriors proved that they had a little more fight in them. With the “orange juice” taking effect, they made one final push. A good defensive stop in the Circus’ endzone followed by an efficient short game was converted into a goal. The “orange juice” effect was mostly reflected in Czarmel’s game as he turned into a monster on defense. He was all over the field, running and sky-ing for some great defensive plays that prevented Circus from extending their lead. However, the Warriors were slowly running out of time. Down by just two points, the five minute time mark was called on the field. Showing a bit of desperation and exhaustion from their latest run, the Warriors blew a number of scoring chances. In the end, Circus would score the final point to take the 3-point win and deal the Warriors their fourth loss in as many games.

Pool B Record: 2-4

Overall record after 10 games: 8-4

Although the Warriors lost both games, they were able to show some improvement and a lot of potential for the future. We were competitive in both games. We’re just a bit inconsistent, a bit inexperienced, and a bit impatient at times. But in both games, we were right there. If not for some careless mistakes, we would have been in position to at least challenge for a win. Nevertheless, everyone still had fun in the field. And that’s the most important thing. (I’m all for fun, but can we please win at least one more game? Please? Haha. Pressure!!!)

In the end, we can attribute all our four losses to one thing: Bobby’s presence. (Ross, abswelto ka na) Thank you Bobby, for sharing your “gift” with us. Peace. =)

Finals next Saturday! That just means one thing: Inuman na!