It was a great weekend for Berserk's first home tournament. In the first game Saturday morning, Berserk encountered a tough clam defense by Humboldt State, the team that eventually went on to win the Qualifier. Undeterred by Humboldt's intense defense, Berserk played a strong zone which continued to improve throughout the rest of the day in games against Claremont and Redlands.
Sunday saw Berserk playing both of Cal's B teams, winning the last game of the weekend against Cal B-X on Sunday afternoon. Berserk's defense really shined this weekend as new players literally stepped up to get important run-through d's and did a great job setting the hardest marks the team had seen all season. Especially memorable were Slush's layout d's, beautiful hucks from all of our handlers, and watching our rookies' field sense and decision-making get better and better. The whole team is ready to work hard and continue growing at practice, and Berserk is looking forward to its next tournament later this month.
The Psychos' first opponent on Saturday was Stanford B. UCSD got to a slow start, giving Pterafly multiple opportunities to tie the game. However, the Psychos quick-start offense and consistent defense gave UCSD a 10-8 win.
Seeking redemption after a previous loss against CSU Long Beach No Regrets during Santa Barbara Invite, and an unsettling slow performance during the previous game, the Psychos rallied against No Regrets pulling a decisive 11-1 win. UCSD's efficient box plus one defense shut down No Regret's captain and key player, completely shutting down their offense and preventing a huck game.
UC San Diego then went on to sweep pool play with an 11-7 win against the UC Irvine Grass Ninjas, a team the Psychos have constantly faced. With San Diego's infamous cup, a highly effective zone defense, the Psychos were able to stop Irvine's offense, immobilizing the deep game. This victory was, however, not without cost as one of the returning handlers was injured during a point and unable to return. After an extremely successful tournament for the Psychos, UC San Diego watched as Humboldt State upset #2 Claremont, and picked up a 15-10 win against Cal Poly SLO in the finals, earning a free bid to Pres Day Invite.