2017 D2 Playoffs Game 9:
No Coast vs. Dublin
No Coast Derby Girls (#9) vs. Dublin Roller Derby (#16)
The entire 9th game of the 2017 International WFTDA Division 2 Playoffs Pittsburgh was a beautifully executed score volley between a very scrappy Dublin Roller Derby and the heavy hitters of No Coast Derby Girls. Both teams looked confident after upsetting their bracket superiors earlier in the day. No Coast advanced past #8 seed Ohio in their first match, and Dublin started the tournament with a close win over #1 seed Auld Reekie.
Dublin’s highest-scoring jammers were Bloody Harry and Dashing Trudy Snow, while Slam put up a staggering 102 points alone for No Coast. Dublin’s strengths showed in their ability to reset and capitalize on power jams, which became No Coast’s bane in the end.
The teams traded the lead through the first half, with Dublin nabbing a slim 64-58 lead to close the first half. The Nebraskans came back strong in the 2nd half, with Dublin’s jammer going to the box in Jam 3 to open up a big power jam for No Coast’s Slam, who scored 28 unanswered points. But Dublin was able to recover with 14-0 and 13-0 jams respectively.
Jam 8 saw the beginning of No Coast’s jammer penalty spiral. Their defense did well to punish Dublin’s success enough to reduce the bleeding in their own jammers’ absence. For the damage done, No Coast battened down the hatches on their Irish opponents. At the 10 minute mark, Dublin’s desperation put them at a disadvantage with two more blockers in the box, just long enough to let No Coast inch their lead higher.
With just a little over 3 minutes left, Dublin called a team timeout to receive what had to have been the most motivating pep talk ever spoken. Two jammer penalties in a row for No Coast gave Dublin’s Dashing Trudy Snow the opportunity to score 24 points by taking advantage of her blockers’ deftly timed offense.
With a lead change only 2 points away for Dublin (159-157), the team that started at #16 put pressure on their opponents in the last minute-and-a-half. Finally grabbing a lead change in Jam 19 with Bloody Harry’s 8 points to No Coast jammer’s 4, the score was now 163-165 in Dublin’s favor. An official review from Dublin ensured a 20th jam to close the game. Despite No Coast’s gaining lead jammer status and putting up 2 points, Dublin’s jammer was able to sneak by one set of hips, putting the final score at 165-166 Dublin. A marginal, yet intense win by Dublin secured their spot in Sunday’s Championship bracket and will advance them to Game 21 on Saturday at 8 pm against the winners of Game 13. No Coast will move on to play Saturday at 4 pm against the losers of Game 13.
FINAL SCORE
Dublin Roller Derby (Seed #16, WFTDA #58) 166
No Coast Derby Girls (Seed #9, WFTDA #49) 165