Fast Takes from Fast Break: NY vs WAS
Let’s jump right into it! The New York vs Washington series is the MLQ series of the week. This matchup should live up to the billing. Both teams are built similarly this year and this could be the closest matchup between these franchises in recent memory. The Admirals are kicking off their season against a team that has had their number every face-off in the past few years. They last beat the Titans in the 2017 season. Unlike 2018 and 2019 where the Admirals went 0-6 against Titans, the new Admirals chaser core is the deepest and deadliest it has ever been. New York is coming off a successful opening weekend where they went 6-0 and established that they are still very much in contention for competing for the top spot in the East. This weekend will be a clash of two elite quaffle lines and we’ll have the opportunity to see if all-world quaffle depth can triumph over long-established chemistry.
The hype surrounding the Washington Admirals so far has centered on the roster additions for this playing season. The quaffle game adds 2019 Benepe Cup champions, Justin Cole and Bryan Mulcahy, gaining an elite off-ball chaser and point defender in addition to chemistry on any line they’re paired upon. While their experience already increases the potential of Admirals, Christmas came again with the addition of USNT chaser/keeper Rachel Heald. Her offensive flexibility as a ball carrier, off-ball chaser, or behind the hoops scorer adds to the overall lethality of Admirals. While Heald, a natural keeper, allows for Tyler Trudeau to jump into any position needed without a drop-off in production. Pairing John Sheridan and Mulcahy in the same line should help this Washington team allow fewer goals than their 2019 season (they averaged 102.2 points allowed per game- 9th best defense out of 16 teams). If they want to compete for the top seed in the East, however, just these roster additions won’t be enough. With the departure of beaters Zain Bhaila and Lane Burgess, Admirals will need to rely on the return of beater Katryna Hicks and the development of new beaters Paul Bovarnick and Colin Bourn to keep Admirals beating core as competitive as last season.
After a weekend going 6-0, it wasn't all sunshine in the Tri-State area. The Titans showed that their quaffle line can be very effective— however, questions remain about the depth that they boast. If a national developmental chaser can’t get more than 7 min of playing time in the span of 6 games— the Titans aren’t learning from the issues of their 2019 Benepe Cup semifinal loss. Their front-loaded quaffle line becoming inevitably exhausted from a lack of playing their subs brought them to the precipice of a semifinal win, before eventually falling to the Austin Outlaws. While their opening weekend 6-0 record offers the Titans a cushion that will allow them to take more risks going forward- we’ll be waiting to see if Titans play more of their depth— which will only serve to strengthen the team come Championship weekend. As the Titans figure out who to play and when in the chaser game, they’ll have many chances to try new lines with low risk due to the team’s strong beater performance, most notably female beater Fiona Wisehart. Her ability to block beats and control the pace of the game was a game-changer for the Titans against Rochester and Charlotte. She was a huge factor in Titan’s Quaffle Point Differential of +73.3 per game. While Fiona dominated during her minutes on pitch, the team’s beater strategy begs similar playtime questions as their quaffle counterparts. Multiple beaters on the Titans roster barely saw the field, leading to some noticeable exhaustion by the end of Day 1. If Titans can’t manage time to switch up beater cores against Charlotte and Rochester, we hope to see more mixing and matching in their next two series as they prepare for championships. This is even more paramount as Wisehart is not on the roster for this weekend. Sources have told us she is scouting Salt Lake City to get an early advantage of how Nationals conditions might look for the 2022 USQ Nationals.
Washington vs New York will be a great battle between two experienced quaffle lines- but it will be their younger athletes that prove to be the X-Factors. Admirals have the young phenom Tai-Juan “TJ” Generrete who took the sport by storm in the last few playing weeks before the abrupt end of the 2019-2020 season. The X-Factor for Titans will be the grizzled veteran JC Arencibia. Arencibia’s return to this Titans team has proven to be a matchup nightmare as he was practically a one-man show in his minutes. I believe this face-off will be the closest that it has been in a while but the experience that the NY beaters have gained will put them over the edge against Washington. While I expect Titans to take the win, I’m certain these will all be close games and I wouldn't be surprised if Admirals upset the Titans with a balanced quaffle attack and a quick catch by any of the Admirals seekers: TJ Generette, Ian Meyer, and Tyler Trudeau, similar to game 1 of their 2019 series (210-205 Titans). While game 1 ended in an Admirals loss- this is the blueprint for Washington if they are to upset the Titans this weekend. The ability of Trudeau to go in as a seeker without a dropoff in the quaffle game is deadly for any Admiral’s opponent. If the snitch on pitch game drags on, however, the advantage will lean toward Titans and the beater depth they’ll be able to throw at the Admirals.
Prediction: 2-1 Titans
