This past weekend, February 18th and 19th, UCSD Dragon Coalition's B Team (B-Co) headed up to Santa Clara for their next tournament. At their last tournament the team had played well despite harsh conditions, so they wanted to carry that momentum to Santa Clara. It was very cold on the fields, but there wasn’t much wind, which allowed B-Co to play their game. The first game was against UCB B and B-Co started off very strong. Everyone, returners and rookies, played with intensity, which allowed B-Co to win with a final score of 9-2. The second game was a tougher match-up as they faced UCSC. Santa Cruz played clean, quick offense which greatly challenged B-Co, but they retaliated with strong defense and offense of their own. They made a great effort but ultimately lost 4-10. This loss did not dampen B-Co’s energy as they quickly refocused for their match against UC Davis B. They played with a fiery spirit, especially the O-line, who were doing all they could to score so that B-Co could stay ahead. Due to their impressive efforts, B-Co won this game 11-4. By their last match of the day against Chico, B-Co was exhausted from putting their all into their previous games, so there were several dropped discs and some falls. However, B-Co did not give up, and persevered through their fatigue. They clinched a victory with a final score of 9-3. Highlights of the day went to O-line rookies who were integral to B-Co’s victories. Alexandra “Atlas” Gilden threw jaw-dropping flick hucks across the field and Xuan “Comet” Ly laid out for every disc that came their way and also had some amazing scores. 

Sunday promised to be another set of fantastic games. The first matchup saw B-Co up against Arizona State, where B-Co took care of business and put away the first win of day two, 8-3. In what seems to be becoming a routine occurrence, Ashley “Ladle” Shen picked up yet another Callahan (her second this season). Since B-Co clearly hadn’t played them enough already, the second game was against Reno. Despite the fact that B-Co won the last head-to-head, Reno started out with a few breaks, giving them a sizable 3 point lead. Even though B-Co kept up the fight and managed to get a break or two of their own, it wasn’t enough to save the game, which ended with a score of 7-4, Reno. Moving into bracket play, B-Co took the field against Occidental. The game started out very evenly, but B-Co quickly adapted to the other team’s plays and began racking up the scores. A good amount of the team’s success came from their defensive zone, which showcased standout performances like Yasmin “Osprey” Jaber’s absolutely unrelenting cup mark and Cate “Zyn” Stone’s total shutdown of Occidental’s deep throws. The game ended 8-3 in B-Co’s favor. The final round saw B-Co take on Claremont. Just like in the Reno game, Claremont got a couple early breaks, giving them a two point lead. But again, B-Co did not give up, and managed to get a break as well, putting them only one point behind Claremont. The competitive spirit had everyone on their A-game, especially rookies like Sophia “Mystic” Ramirez, who had a spectacular catch and an equally great assist on one particular point. Finally, it was nearing hard cap. The next point would be vital - if B-Co scored it, the teams would go to universe point. Unfortunately, even after a long, hard-fought battle where every B-Co player on the field gave it their all, Claremont scored, ending the game with a score of 6-4. 

With a 5th place finish, B-Co had broken seed and came home proud of the weekend’s accomplishments.