The Summer of Los has coming to a heartbreaking conclusion with this past weekend’s loss to Pike in the 3-4 game to determine the recipient of the last bid to Nationals.
When we started our Sunday we had no idea it would hold for us the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. We actually started out as we finished–playing Pike who came into the weekend ranked third in the region. We gave them a tough game but ultimately couldn’t muster enough breaks to regain the lead we lost in the first half. Our second game against Burgh was an unexpected chance to knock off the team that had just beaten us that Saturday, not to mention 3 times previously in as many chances. This time they were not quite so lucky as we strangled the life out of their season right then and there. Game 3 put us up against Medicine Men who were too old and stodgy for the likes of us young guns. We handled them fairly easily.
All this was prelude to the final rematch with Pike. Los was intense on defense forcing many more breaks than on the first encounter. With a combination of luck (1, 2, 3) and skill we converted on a number of these and stretched the lead to 14-10 in a game to 15. It’s in the bag, right? A number of spectators thought so. I could hear them congratulating my teammates as they packed up their things for the ride home. We actually put the disc in the endzone for the final goal but it got called back on a questionable travel. Time and time again we would work it all the way to the goal line only to have the disc slip out of grasp or throw it away in a rush to secure the victory. Credit must be given to Pike for capitalizing on our mistakes, but in the end, that was the story of the game.
After an improbable run we came within inches and split seconds of clinching a Nationals berth. The final loss was a bitter pill to swallow, but ultimately it may be the best medicine for the team’s future. Let it simmer Los…