Fast Takes with Fast Break: Charlotte vs Washington
Authors: Ben Mertens & Naresh Edala
This is a massive series for both teams. Assuming both teams sweep Ottawa in the other matchups of the super series this weekend. Washington will be 5-3 and Charlotte 3-6. Charlotte can clinch third place in the division only with a sweep of the Admirals. In that case Washington would be 5-6 pending their still-to-be finished third game against Boston, and Charlotte would be 6-6 and in control of the tiebreaker. Even a 2-1 win for Charlotte would leave Washington ahead in the wins column. However, Washington still wants the sweep to keep their hopes of a division title alive. Depending on the results of the New York-Boston series and the 8ish minutes of quidditch left to be played in the Washington-Boston game 3, the Admirals can still take first in the division, but they need the sweep this weekend to do it.
Charlotte will be eager to prove itself after opening the season 0-6. That record simultaneously understates Charlotte’s talent and is the record they deserve, against both Boston and New York Charlotte put together good stretches of play but has yet to put together a complete game. Even with a roster filled with undeniable chasing, beating and seeking talent, the Aviators have struggled to keep up with fast-breaking and hard hitting teams game after game. Washington presents them with the chance to clean up their game and play to their talent level.
That starts with avoiding sequences like the play above. The Charlotte engage beater (Joe Goldberg) gets lured into a low percentage exchange with New York’s Devin Lee. As a defensive beater, there’s nothing wrong with being aggressive, but you want to set up the exchange in a way where even if you miss, you have a chance at recovering your miss (to their credit, Goldberg does manage to swat the ball out of the Lee’s hands and eventually regain control, but at the cost of being out of the play). Charlotte’s beaters need to add more variety to their plan on defense - time and time again their engage beaters were making throws like this and New York’s beaters were prepared for it. Trying to draw the opposing beater in more and looking for blocks, catches, or throwbacks will make the Charlotte beaters less predictable.
With Goldberg occupied, New York swings the quaffle to the back of the field, the Charlotte chaser on the hoops steps out but doesn’t attempt a wrap. Since the chaser isn’t wrapped and is still a threat to score, Charlotte’s remaining beater, Celine Richard has to step out and go for the beat. But nobody has filled the now open spots on the hoops, and so another New York chaser can slip right to the hoops for the easy dish and finish. This is too easy of a goal for a MLQ team to give up. Charlotte needs to make hits when they step off the hoops and be sharper with their rotations to avoid plays like this. If Richard wants to step out aggressively to force a turnover, the chasers have to be perfect in their rotations behind her.
Better defensive integrity is also key for Charlotte because their offense was at its best when they got out and ran against New York. That should be true again this weekend. Washington’s defense has been strong in the half court all season. The Admirals are without John Sheridan and Justin Kraemer this weekend, which takes away some of the muscle they had against Boston, but they’ll still be rolling out top notch point defenders like T.J. Generrette, Bryan Mulchahy, and Riley Starrs, with the intimidating hoops defenders of Justin Cole, Rachel Heald, and Tyler Trudeau behind them. Charlotte will need to get plenty of transition opportunities to win this series.
Washington has had its own foibles in the halfcourt this season and has a notorious habit of “playing down” to opponents they should beat on paper, as was the case when they dropped games to Charlotte and Rochester last season. Washington will therefore want to get as many chances to run as they can. The beater game will be decisive, and Washington has come prepared by bringing a total of 5 beater pairs this weekend - their star pairs of Bernardo Berges & Katryna Hicks and Zain Bhalia & Melissa Smith, the x-factor duo of Heather Farnan & Cody Nardone, the snitch on pitch specialists Colin Bourn & Diana Howard, and the new pair of Cameron Castilaw & Keegan Remy-Miller.
How Washington manages the minutes will be fascinating. Farnan and Nardone had a difficult series against Boston, but both have a history of success. Will the coaching staff let them play through any rough stretches against Charlotte, or will they look to get the new pair of Castilaw and Remy-Miller get a chance? The coaching staff may just want to ride whichever style is working best; Remy-Miller, coming out of the same DCQC program as Berges and Hicks, will hew more closely to their methodical style, while Nardone and Farnan favor the more guns blazing style of their alma mater, the University of Maryland.
On both offense and defense, the Charlotte beaters love to throw first and play physical. Against New York, Celine Richard and her partners (usually Kody LaBauve, but Charlotte is more fluid with their pairs than Washington) were able to win control back on offense more often than not, only to then lose it on defense. Neither of these teams has been adept at cracking 2 bludger defenses this season, so if one side can win and hold bludger control, that could be the series.
Charlotte is without Tony Bonadio, who was one of their best beaters against New York along with Richard. One of Joe Goldberg, Micki Haralson, Devon Shusterman, or Perry Wang will need to really step up this weekend, particularly during the minutes Richard rests. Jordi Sancho, who was not rostered against New York, is also a name to watch. However, all of that is moot if Charlotte doesn't look to try something new on defense. The zone defense that they run was solved by New York and Boston and against arguably the most talented quaffle line-up in this MLQ season, it’s unlikely they can continue to do the same thing and expect different results. As seen with the New York and Boston squads, the two teams at the top of the East division have shown an inclination to switch up their defensive sets based on their opponents and Charlotte would benefit from that tactic as well.
However, the biggest weakness with the Aviators this season has been their inability to create an efficient offense. Charlotte needs something different in the half court offense besides looking for shots. More plays where the beaters are involved in taking out opposing chasers so Charlotte has more room to pass and drive would be helpful. They also need to get the ball in the hands of their most dangerous scorers: Mohamed-Yahia Monawar often goes multiple possessions without touching the ball despite being their most dangerous quaffle player, and Logan Hartman’s trademark post-up plays have been ineffective. Allowing Melissa Ross and Adelynn Morris, who are both capable passers, more touches early in the offense can help open up lanes for better shots but easier looks for everyone on the pitch.
Fun stat: Washington actually has more snitch catches than Charlotte this season, with 4 to Charlotte’s 3. Even more fun fact: according to the most recent tiebreaker policy MLQ has available, snitch catch percentage is the first tiebreaker after head to head. A 3-way tie atop the division between Washington, New York and Boston remains very much in play. A decisive victory in the seeking game will go a long way towards getting Washington the sweep they need and putting them in a strong position to win a tiebreaker if that’s what the division comes down to. But Charlotte has Ryan Davis, who may have something to say about that.
Washington is the stronger team. Charlotte has shown the ability to hang with New York and Boston for long stretches, but has yet to put together a complete game. Washington’s habit of playing down to their opponents should lead to some close games, especially with the absences in the quaffle game for Washington. I trust Washington more to execute in a tight late game situation however, and if one side wins a game in a blowout it will be Washington. Charlotte has enough to at least take 1 game, however, giving the program much needed momentum headed into championships.
Prediction: Washington 2-1.
