(SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH) The Arch Rival Roller Girls netted a Friday morning victory in its first bout at the International 2014 Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) Playoffs but a setback later that day against a higher-seeded team pushed them into the tourney’s consolation bracket.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
St. Louis, the Salt Lake City’s playoff seventh seed, notched a 244-111 victory against tenth-seeded Tri-City (Kitchener, Waterloo, Canada) Friday morning to advance to the tournament’s quarterfinal round. The local rollers then fell to second-seeded Angel City (Los Angeles, CA) later in the day, 240-80.
Current placement in the tourney’s consolation bracket means that Arch Rival will not be eligible to compete in the WFTDA International Championships later in the year, but the possibility still exists that the squad could potentially finish the ten-team playoff higher numerically than when it began.
Arch Rival faces the winner of Saturday’s consolation game between eighth-seeded Oklahoma Victory and sixth-seeded Wasatch. St. Louis’ challenge against its determined opponent is set for 6 PM MDT (7 PM St. Louis time).
If Arch Rival wins its Saturday night scheduled game, it will compete in the tournament’s fifth-place bout while a loss pushes the league into the playoff’s seventh-place contest.
(7) ARCH RIVAL 244 (10) TRI-CITY THUNDER 111
In the first historical meeting between the two leagues, St. Louis barreled out to a 26-0 lead by netting lead jammer status in the game’s first four rotations. Arch Rival stretched the advantage, 50-6, nine minutes deep into the first period.
As the locals widened its lead to 68-19 midway through the frame, Tri-City rebounded and capitalized on Arch Rival penalties. Within minutes, the Thunder countered with a 21-0 rally and cut the deficit to 68-40.
Following a timeout, St. Louis finished the half outscoring Tri-City, 76-25. Thanks to multi-scoring passes from jammers Brickyard, Mighty Mighty Boston and Annie Swanson, Arch built a 144-65 lead at intermission.
The dominance shown in the first half’s final stages were tempered by the stubborn Canadians in the final period. Ten minutes deep, Arch Rival maintained a 167-87 edge.
A 15-3 power jam strike from Swanson extended St. Louis’ lead to 182-90 three minutes later.
Tough St. Louis defense resulted in minimal points scored by the Thunder down the stretch. St. Louis outscored Tri-City, 100-56, in the second period to net the 133-point quarterfinal play-in win and advance to the winner’s bracket.
Brickyard finished the game with 78 points, followed by Swanson’s 63.
(2) ANGEL CITY 240 (7) ARCH RIVAL 80
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
The contest against the highly-regarded squad from Los Angeles, ranked seventh internationally in the WFTDA, saw St. Louis behind the proverbial 8-ball early. Thanks to early double-digit strikes, the second seed achieved a 63-2 lead ten minutes deep.
After Arch Rival’s scored nine in jam number eight, Angel City went on 54-0 rally, resulting in an Angel City 117-11 lead. St. Louis countered with a 23-0 run over the next three jams to narrow the gap to 117-34.
The Californians held a 142-32 at intermission. As Arch Rival tried to maintain pace in the second period, Angel City pushed its lead to 179-60 a third of the way in.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
A late 34-0 run by the second seed widened the differential and secured the win. Angel City outscored Arch Rival, 98-56, in the second period to notch the 160-point win and advance in the winner’s bracket.
Brickyard notched 35 points in the bout, followed by Boston’s 21.
After Friday’s split, the locals look for a win on Saturday night in order to advance to the tournament’s fifth-place bout. The squad will compete against the winner of the Oklahoma Vitctory (OK) versus Wasatch (Salt Lake City, UT).
Live online coverage of the Salt Lake City playoff is available via wftda.tv with its complimentary audio feed.
Additional reporting by Kevin Marshall and Sarah Anderson.
