2017 D1 Playoffs Seattle Game 11: Angel City vs. Rat City
Angel City Derby Girls (#2) vs. Rat City Rollergirls (#6)
The penultimate game of Day Two at the 2017 International WFTDA Division 1 Playoffs Seattle saw the Angel City Derby Girls of Los Angeles, California, U.S. (#2, WFTDA #4) face off against host league Rat City Rollergirls of Seattle, Washington, U.S. (#6, WFTDA #16). Both teams had already secured a spot at the D1 Championships in Philadelphia later this fall, so Angel City edged closer to top seeding in that tournament with a 224-142 victory Saturday.
The last time these two teams met was at 2016 International WFTDA Division 1 Playoffs Vancouver, where Angel City came out on top 256-64. Though the outcome remained the same this time around, Rat City determinedly closed up the gap, more than doubling their score from 2016.
Angel City came out strong in the first jam, forcing Rat City jammer Evergreen Jean to pass the star to pivot Carmen Getsome. Getsome picked up a track cutting penalty soon after, giving Angel City a power jam, then returning to the penalty box again in the following jam for a forearm penalty as Angel City put up 28 quick points on the board.
Luna Negra of Rat City was the first jammer from her team to pick up lead jammer status 10 minutes into the first half. She continued her domination throughout the first half as top scorer for Rat City and tip-toeing through even the tiniest of holes in Angel City’s walls.
The first half was dominated by fast packs and big hits. Lacy Knight and Lo Betancourt of Angel City continued to lay out jammers, and Rat City’s CeeCee threw huge hits on Angel’s jammers, often serving as the formidable last line of defense.
At the half, Rat City was able to reduce Angel City’s lead to only 45 points, with a score of 115 for Angel City to Rat City’s 70.
Throughout the second half, Angel City displayed a committed effort to offense, led by powerhouse blockers Lacy Knight and Tui Lyon. Rat City dialed in on a strong four-wall defense, with dynamic rotating walls and quick reforming in the front of the pack.
Just five minutes into the second half, Rat City suffered a blow when veteran skater and team captain Carmen Getsome was expelled from the game for avoidable contact with a referee, earning loud boos from the hometown crowd. Despite the shocking loss, Rat City kept their composure and remained relentless in their fight. Rat City’s Amythest and R. Rickle were standout blockers for Seattle, regularly drawing back jammers and landing enormous hits on those attempting to exit the pack. Meanwhile, Rat City jammers continued to come up against impenetrable walls created by Ima Blowbya and Soledad of Los Angeles.
On a home-crowd-pleasing power jam roughly 13 minutes into the second half, Rat City’s Alyssa Pray went 17-0 against Angel City’s Whiskey Von-Sweets, allowing Seattle to close up the gap and fight their way back into contention. Another huge run for Rat City came in the final minutes of the game, with Luna Negra going up 27-4 against Angel City, but it wasn’t enough to take away Angel City’s domination and 224-142 victory.
Satan’s Little Helper continued her reign as Angel City’s top scoring jammer with a total of 100 points, followed by Darby Dagger with 67. For Rat City, Luna Negra had 71 points and Renegade Ruthie picked up 29 points for her team.
The Angel City Roller Girls move on to play for tournament gold and a chance at top seeding for November’s WFTDA Championships in Philadelphia. They will face either defending WFTDA Champions the Rose City Rollers of Portland, Oregon, U.S. (#1, WFTDA #2) or Montréal Roller Derby of Montréal, Quebec, Canada (#5, WFTDA #14) at 6 p.m. Sunday. Rat City faces the loser of that game to battle for third place at 4 p.m. Sunday.
FINAL SCORE
Angel City Derby Girls (Seed #2, WFTDA #4) 224
Rat City Rollergirls (Seed #6, WFTDA #16) 142
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