Roster Reactions 2022: East Divsion pt. 2
Charlotte - Serena Monteiro
PC: Charlotte Aviators
After spending the 2021 MLQ season as a ‘Trial Expansion Team’, the Aviators can proudly say that they have proved their worth and were extended the invitation to compete as a trial expansion team in the East Division. This season they are well poised to continue to provide strong competition to the East and against MLQ teams across the league. Charlotte’s solidification as a team in the East has bumped the Rochester Whiteout back to the North Division and creates even greater parity across the East teams.
The only team in the East Charlotte has not yet played are the Ottawa Black Bears. Historically, the Black Bears have been lowest ranked in the East and have had trouble scoring against perennial powerhouses such as Boston and New York. Based on the Aviators performance last season, putting up at least 100 quaffle points in at least one game against each of their opponents, I favor Charlotte to take their first series win as a team against Ottawa.
The 2021 season saw Charlotte win or play close games against every team in their division and make a decisive appearance in the Benepe Cup Championship bracket. After battling their way through - and winning - a long Day 1 of the play-in bracket against teams from each division, one of Charlotte’s most notable moments of their breakout season was their win in Game 1 against the New York Titans in the quarterfinals at Championships.
The Aviators present an incredibly seasoned and talented roster with almost all of their top players returning from last season. Their quaffle line boasts impressive names such as Ryan Davis, Quincy Hildreth, Lee Hodge and Trey Pressley and their beater core is as seasoned as any other in the East–led by incredible players such as Joe Goldberg, Kody LaBauve and Celine Richard. Davis and Pressley pull double-duty as gifted seekers that measure up to other great seekers in the East such as Harry Greenhouse, Tyler Beckmann, and Greg Bento from Boston, Tyler Trudeau from Washington, and Kellan Cupid for New York. Snitch on pitch scenarios and seeker matchups in the East this season are about to be incredibly entertaining to watch–even more than they have been in seasons past!
Incoming new talent for the Aviators are Mohamed-Yahia “MY” Monowar and Jordi Sancho, both UNC players making waves in the collegiate game. Monawar is UNC’s primary ball carrier and keeper and Sancho coached the team and represents a crucial part of their beater core. Monowar’s fast and athletic play style will fit right in with the Charlotte chasing core and he is definitely an MLQ rookie to keep an eye on this season.
All of the aforementioned Aviators returners and many more of their teammates will benefit from having played on Terminus together during the past USQ season. However, will head coach Lee Hodge show up to their opening series against Boston with a new approach and gameplay strategy for the summer season? Or will teams who have watched enough Terminus film be more than adequately prepared to face off and win against the Aviators?
The Aviators are looking well positioned to make a name for themselves as a top team in the East Division, but while they have proven they can get a win against their competitors, the team’s inability to come out on top during back-to-back close and hard-fought games has been a weakness. Will they be able to keep up with the stamina and focus of other teams this season and put together multiple series wins?
Prediction: 4-8
Washington - Ben Mertens
PC: Washington Admirals
The Washington Admirals enter the 2022 MLQ season looking to build off of the best season in franchise history, but ultimately a disappointment. The team defeated their longtime foes, the Boston Forge, for the first time ever, taking the series 2-1. On the other hand, they failed to take any games off their other archrival, the New York Titans, and dropped games they shouldn’t have to the Charlotte Aviators and Rochester Whiteout, ultimately finishing the regular season 6-6. After surviving another spirited challenge from Charlotte in the play-in games, the Admirals ultimately bowed out in the Quarterfinals, losing 2-0 to the Austin Outlaws.
Rome wasn’t built in a day however, and Washington will be bringing back almost their entire core and looking to build off of the very solid base they established last year and seize the first division crown in program history.
Returners:
Washington will be returning it’s entire first two quaffle lines:
Line 1: Tyler Trudeau, John Sheridan, Dale Farnan, Julia Baer
Line 2: Justin Cole, Rachel Heald, Bryan Mulchahy, David Littleton/TJ Generrette
For those keeping track, that core contains three team USA players, four former MLQ champions, two former USQ champions, and too many regional champions to count. The team will also return Riley Starrs, who missed the entire 2021 regular season with injuries, but returned just in time to replace the unavailable Cole on the second line at championships and score the game clinching goal against Charlotte in the process.
At Beater, the team will return its top two pairs: DCQC’s Katryna Hicks and Bernie Berges (another Team USA alum, though as a chaser) and Maryland alumni Cody Nardone and Melissa Smith. Also returning will be Colin Bourn, a young phenom from West Virginia who excelled in a spark-plug role last season, and now has another full USQ season under his belt.
Departures:
While the team is returning almost all of the players who played major minutes, almost all of the depth pieces have departed. In particular, the team will miss Maggie Dodson, Mari Nerbovig, and Julia Rankin. Dodson missed the entire season with injury and Nerbovig missed multiple series with illness, but scored multiple big goals when she did get on the field and flashed great chemistry with Trudeau and Sheridan. Rankin was healthy and available all season and showed her immense talent every time she played, notably against the eventual champion Austin Outlaws.
The loss of these 3 talented female chasers will sting. Baer and Heald are among the very best chasers in the sport, but the team would be well served by getting them more rest this season, particularly in the early rounds at championships where the Admirals will be looking to make a deep run.
The other notable absence will be Lawrence Lazewski. The 2012(!) Team USA chaser had no defined role for the team but when called upon delivered, coming up with a hat trick of goals in the team’s first game against Charlotte. The team has other options at offball chaser, but Lazewski’s knack for finding the soft spot in zones as a cutter was a weapon the team will miss.
At beater, the team loses former assistant coach Brenden Hutton along with Abby Lloyd and Zach Grigorian. Hutton and Lloyd were very firmly the third beater pair, and at times the team rolled out Julia Baer as a beater rather than Lloyd. But Lloyd showed continued improvement throughout the season (and the USQ season that followed) and Hutton brought a level of aggressiveness and occasional chaos to the position that no other beater on roster did. Grigorian played only sparingly, but when he did play he provided massive impact, notably with a crucial stretch of snitch on pitch beating that allowed Hutton (at seeker) to make the catch that won Washignton the decisive game 3 of their series against Boston (losing Hutton at seeker is also a sneaky big loss).
Washington is well situated to recover from all these losses however:
Additions:
Washington’s legion of talented chasers grows even more impressive this season with the following additions: Paige Bellamy, Kevin Hayes, Diana Howard, Justin Kraemer, Shane McConaghie, Juli Nuetzel, Ben Phillips, and Ryan Scheponik
Phillips previously made the 30 man roster for the Admirals in 2019 but did not make any series roster. The stalwart, former-UVA keeper can do it all - he shoots, he passes, he moves well without the ball, he blocks shots, and, despite what his skinny frame might lead you to believe, he’s a mean tackler with a long wingspan that makes him difficult to get around.
Kraemer, a consensus first team All App 5 pick fresh off his senior year at Virginia Tech, adds one more elite point defender to the Admirals ranks. On offense Kraemer is capable of running the show but prefers to operate as a wing chaser, and could serve as a crucial connective piece between Washhington’s top tier ball handlers and their legion of play finishers.
McConaghie, Kraemer’s younger teammate at VT, is a wiry keeper with shooting touch and good passing vision. He’ll have his work cut out for him with the incredible list of chasers and keepers on this roster, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on at least 1 roster.
Nuetzel seems likeliest to win the female chaser minutes after Heald and Baer. Bellamy, a Virginia Commonwealth University Alum, was well-regarded in her previous stint with the Admirals but has not played MLQ or USQ in five years. Howard was in the rotation for Charlotte Aviators last summer but will face increased competition for minutes on the Admirals. Nuetzel, fresh off an excellent USQ season, brings the best ball handling skills of the bunch to the table, and should be able to play a somewhat similar role to Baer on offense. She is also an excellent defender and could be a big contributor during the snitch on pitch period. Nuetzel is also a talented beater and while MLQ’s website only lists her as a chaser, don’t be surprised to see her don the black at some point. Ideally, the Admirals will see large contributions from some or all of these new chasers to relieve some of the burden on Baer and Heald.
At beater, the Admirals have also added a ludicrous amount of talent: Zain Bhalia, Gabbie Benda, Cameron Castilaw, Heather Farnan, Kevin Florinon, Keegan Remy-Miller and Tori Nutt. Last year, Washington had the best quaffle depth in the league outside of Texas, but struggled at times with their beater rotations due to a lack of depth that was made worse by availability and conditioning issues. This year, while you might prefer another team’s top talent, Washington’s beater depth is inarguable, to the point that some very talented beaters aren’t going to even make rosters.
Heather Farnan is perhaps the most important addition, having just completed an excellent season where she led UMD to the final four while often playing entire games. Her likeliest partner seems to be fellow UMD alum Zain Bhalia, who’s returning to the Admirals after being on the team in 2019. The duo compliment each other well: they both have cannon arms and love to force the issue before the other team’s beaters have the chance to get set. Bhalia was occasionally prone to periods of over aggression in his previous stint with the team; Farnan, a natural born field general, should be able to help curb his worst instincts, while Bhalia gives Farnan a partner with enough skill and athleticism to handle any situation. If the two can gel quickly, they should be among the teams top pairs.
On paper, the Admirals have a roster that can win both the division and the championship. The only question is if the team, with so many new pieces, can figure out the best lines and quickly develop the chemistry and strategy necessary to win at the highest level. I would expect them to ride their first two lines from last season, most of whom played together on BosNY in the USQ season, during the first part of the season. Washington’s best groups likely feature some of the new additions, but, facing a front loaded schedule where they will play both New York and Boston in the first four weeks of the season, Washington may not have the luxury of time.
Prediction: 9-3, Second in the East.
