Fast Takes from Fast Break
North Division Preview- Charlotte vs Rochester
The second matchup of the East SuperSeries will also be a fun one! Charlotte and Rochester are two teams that will square off against each other boasting new MLQ talent. Charlotte is playing MLQ for the first time while Rochester’s roster has seen a steady turnover from the big names they used to run into new dynamic collegiate athletes looking to make a name for themselves.
Rochester is filled with young emerging talent but with that comes growing pains. Having a limited number of practices since the initial roster was announced doesn’t help either since the two teams they’ll be facing this weekend both have more established cores. Building chemistry will be very important for the growth of this team and can help them in the long run. For this weekend, however, I believe that even with the impact of promising young athletes like Kit Powpour, Joseph Lombardi, and Madeleine Fordham, this SuperSeries comes way too soon for this young squad. Regardless of whether they’re fully adapted to MLQ play by this weekend, Solomon Gominiak (HC) and Alyssa Giarasso (AC) will continue the tradition of Rochester being a tough and physical team, allowing Rochester to make stops when needed. This paired with their already impressive snitch catch record in 2019, 7-5, (5th best in the League) and the addition of Powpour can make any close game a lock for Rochester. By keeping the score low and using Devin Sandon, Basem Ashkar, and Cody Keefer for their scoring opportunities, I believe that Rochester will be a surprisingly difficult opponent for anyone that believes that they can bully the talent on this team.
Charlotte will see Perry Wang facing Basem Ashkar for the 2nd time since they won US Quidditch Cup 11 as teammates. While this is a fun storyline- I believe that Perry and the beater depth of the Aviators will overwhelm Rochester in the long run. Cat DiCaprio will be the X-factor as she is lauded for her ability to be a leader as well as be the perfect free beater complement to the engage beaters on this team. If Cat can be the reliable go-to weapon outside of beaters Perry Wang, Joe Goldberg, and Ryan Davis, this Charlotte team can potentially run a multitude of beater sets and solidify their dominance. While Rochester could match the initial beater sets, the depth isn’t there to counter different beater styles nor do I believe Rochester has the ability to do so over a prolonged period. If they divert energy to match Perry Wang they could lose too much in the quaffle game, weakening a young chaser squad.
The Rochester team will be a lot better than people expect but unfortunately, time may not be on their side. While we don’t know if this early series has given them a chance to fit their young pieces in properly, there’s no doubt Rochester’s starting line will compete at a high level. They have a bunch of returning veterans that have played high-level quidditch for a long time. Their experience alone can help Rochester stay in games for Powpour to have the chance to live up to his billing as the best seeker in the NE. Charlotte will have to contend with the rugged veteran corps of Rochester and if they aren’t careful I can see Rochester sneaking in a win in this series.
Prediction: 2-1 Charlotte
