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Game 1 vs. Quiet Coyote (U.S.A.): 3-17
FDK Zagreb arrived in Prague on Saturday afternoon after 8+ hours of
travel, multiple stops, multiple maps. Iva and Inga had a particularly
arduous trek, stopping in Graz for six hours of shopping. The team was
well rested and enjoyed a lovely breakfast spread to energize us for
our first match up. Coyote started on offense and quickly showed us
that they were capable of throwing swings without error. They scored
the first point but FDKZ was not about to fold. We quickly replied
with an accurate huck from Gregor to Luky. For a brief moment, we were
tied with Coyote, a feat we didn’t expect to accomplish. Despite our
initial success, we were only able to score two more points during the
rest of the game. Dario and Vid worked the disc upfield in a give-and-
go and then Vid caught a tough hammer in the back left hammer. Markus
came down with a disc in the end zone thrown by Vjeran. The large
point differential, 17-3, was mainly a result of errors on our part.
We had moments of excellent passes, give and go, as well as hucks, but
were unable to put it all together consecutively. Our defense seemed
rather flat with the exception of Vjeran’s layout-D in the second
half. Gregor received a Coyote hat at the conclusion of the game in
recognition of his outstanding throws. We enjoyed our first game,
especially the occasion for many players to match up against American
players for the first time.
Game 2 vs. Bologna (Italy): 11:16
A large contingent of the team spent time on our break watching our
competition in our pool. We witnessed in dismay as Italy frustrated
Japan with needless calls and bad spirit. Zagreb rallied before the
game, determined to play a clean game with Bologna. Bologna went up on
us 3-0 immediately and with Gregor suffering a knee injury, our
chances at winning looked pretty bleak. We were able to reply, scoring
four points in a row during the first half, tying the score 6-6. We
were also tied at 9-9. However, the bad spirit from Italy was
overwhelming and contributed to our ultimate defeat. Andrea was named
MVP and received a kilo of bologna for an overly flashy, high layout
in the second half, thrown by Vjeran.
Game 3 vs. Iku (Japan): 7-17
This Japanese team was super quick; they used this to their advantage
in throwing a classical 3-3-1 zone on us for most of the day. A heavy
thunderstorm the night before left the fields wet and a little slick.
The zone forced the handlers to swing up to four handlers across the
entire field. Numerous times the team was able to work the disc up to
the red zone but were overly anxious and couldn’t score. At the end of
the first half the score was 1-9. Zagreb was able to pull it together
during the second half with a number of scores in a row. Vid had two
assists: the first was a backhand to Zivac and the second was a hammer
to Andrea “Americans don’t know how to throw/catch hammers” Henkel.
Vid then scored on a forehand I/O from Dario. Spirit was super high
during the game – we even enjoyed a wonderful cheer with the Japanese
group, including “rowers, drummers, shakers, and singers”. Iva P and
Dario were named MVPs and received a Japanese Kit Kat bar and a hat,
respectively. We were quite pleased at the final score given the fact
this team is ranked fifth in the tournament.
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Game 4 vs. Thundering Herd (England): 5-17
This team came out strong and fast, especially the women. Zagreb
worked to switch up defenses to mess up their game but they proved
capable of working with zone or man D. During the second half, there
was a lovely continuation up the line Iva J to Andrea to Sokey to Iva
J deep. We missed Vid as he was in the hospital after being cleated in
the ribs during the game against Japan. With Gregor out as well,
Vjeran took on a solid handling position. Markus threw a full-field
huck to Dario in the endzone who skied the British opponent but in the
end, this team was superior to us in athleticism. Sokey and Andrea
were named MVPs from the British team and were tattooed on the forearm
with a Thundering Herd bull.
Game 5 vs. Blue Arse Flies (England): 9-17
Pools were rearranged after the first two days of competition and
Zagreb, finding itself without a win, was placed in the lower bracket
– top possible rank now is 21st. Blue Arse Flies was originally seeded
17th but lost in a close match on Monday. Their frustration about that
loss was evident as they entered the field on Tuesday morning. England
called many fouls and yelled at their own teammates throughout the
match. Zagreb was able to capitalize on this frustration early on in
the game and even scored the first point in a huck from Gregor to
Lukey. England responded in this slight up-wind, down-wind game with a
similar huck over our zone. Zagreb scored the first up-wind point in a
huge huck from Vjeran to Andrea who continued with a bladey forehand
into the endzone to Hannes. The teams traded points for a while as we
found that our women could beat their women in match ups so we
proceeded to isolate the Zagreb women in the endzone. Andrea made two
corner cuts from the stack for scores, both thrown by Gregor . England
switched from man to zone as the wind started to pick up. Gregor,
Vjeran and SIgi handled the pressure from the cup with ease and Zagreb
was still able to work the disc down to the red zone. A few
overzealous passes resulted in turnovers that the Arse Flies used to
their advantage. Half time was called at 50 minutes and the score was
6-7. The second half definitely went to England. As they stepped up
their game, we tried our best to bring ours up as well. Sokey, Markus,
Gregor and Andrea all had layout D attempts but were unsuccessful at
preventing the Arse Flies from progressing the disc. It was Iva J who
had an impressive four Ds in the game. We continued to make the
defense work as the handlers swung the disc up the field. Gregor
threaded the disc through the cup to an open Mirna. The game concluded
on amicable terms as Gregor and Andrea were awarded MVP gifts of
wristbands and CDs from the British team.
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Game 6 vs. Ah Ouh Puc (France): 7-15
Zagreb came out well rested to this game as it was the first day in
which the team did not have an 8:30 game. The extra energy was evident
as the team went up 7-3 in the first half in the stadium fields.
Gregor hit Andrea in the corner during an isolation play. Isi then
had an impressive hammer catch in the endzone and then received a huck
the following point near the endzone and threw the assist. Our zone
proved effective in the first half as we were able to cause a lot of
turnovers and even some active Ds. Andrea, as a marker in the 3-3-1
modern zone, finished off the first half with an active D on a swing
between handlers then scored the point. This excitement, however, was
quickly dashed when the France started to make a comeback at the end
of the first half. The half concluded 7-6. The second half was a
disaster for Zagreb: the team couldn’t manage to make more than a
throw or two consecutively. France quickly ran away with the game to
our dismay. Jan and Iva J were named MVPs and received Paris thongs
from the French team.
Game 7 vs. Ahau Ik (Mexico): 11-12
Such bitter disappointment from the morning’s game left a winless
Zagreb a little anxious about this game. Ahau Ik proved to be a very
athletic team, especially the men. They actively D-ed many of our
discs with quick run-throughs or layouts. Vjeran had a number of
midfield hucks that put the team within scoring distance. Chrissy and
Francie also had excellent games, both moving the disc up-field with
ease. Vjeran, usually a handler, made a cut long to receive a hammer
in the endzone in a stunning dive/roll. When time was called, the
score was 7-10, so the game would be played to 12. Zagreb rallied with
incredible force. Andrea made a sweet layout catch in the endzone for
a score then Markus beat out two Mexicans in the air to snag another
point. The game was tied at 11-11, last point, universe point. Some
confusion over what defense was being played left Zagreb vulnerable
and the Mexican team was able to run away with the last point. Ahau Ik
named Vid and Andrea as MVPs, passing out Mexican bracelets and
chocolate to them. The then circulated a bottle of tequila which the
team was aptly able to finish with each player taking a few gulps.
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Game 8 vs. G.H.D. (Belarus): 9-17
The game started with G.H.D. going up 3-0 in decisive breaks. Andrea
made a layout D on the opposing endzone but Zagreb was still unable to
punch the disc into the endzone. Francie had an excellent game and
scored two points, one nearly a simple hand off in the endzone. It was
clear that our women were superior so we tried to switch up offense so
that the women would cut and the men would handle. The score was 3-9
at half. In a desperate attempt to clean up the offense, Gregor
separated the team into FDKZ and BBears. Dario received a full-field
huck from Vjeran for a point then Andrea scored making a corner cut
and receiving a disc thrown by Markus. The division of the team
brought out several offenses and defenses that each team individually
knew how to run. Sokey made a crucial layout D that was then converted
quickly into a huck downfield for a score. At the end, however,
Zagreb’s rallying effort was not enough to beat the Belarusians. Sokey
and Andrea were named MVPs by G.H.D. and received Belarusian doll
figurines.
Author&photos: Andrea
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