offensive end for they often had to deal with only one or no Bludgers. Nevertheless, they still had to do deal with Domoretsky, an absolutely dominant presence around the hoops. Chaser Derik Wagner had a couple of glorious chances, but was stuffed on a goaltend by Domoretsky on one chance and dropped an alley-oop pass from Keeper Jeremy Work with Domoretsky looming. Still, IPA found a way to hang in there. The Ashwinders had sustained presence in the offensive zone that was eventually capped off by a rocket shot through the tall hoop by Poole from the Keeper line. The score was kept within Snitch range at 50-20 on a fast break led by Wagner. He had beaten the entire defense but was dropped to the ground by Domoretsky by the hoops. He was able to get a hand free long enough to roll the Quaffle to a wide open Poole by the small hoop who shoveled it home. Alas, North Shore pulled the comeback away with a Snitch grab and a 80*-20 victory.

 

 

 

 

India Point moved to the loser’s bracket in an elimination game against Smith College Quidditch. Smith had earned the 8th seed by defeating Wellesley but then lost to UMass. The Ashwinders dispatched the play-in winners relatively easily but the game wasn’t without its intensity. Chaser David Reich was crashing to the hoops to receive a pass and ended up taking down the small hoop and the game had to be completed with only two hoops on each side. The Ashwinders kept Smith at bay for the entirety of the game aside from a couple of scoring chances, one of which was buried on a nice shot from behind the hoops. On the other end, Wagner and Work led the attack by driving through the Smith Chasers for four goals apiece. Seeker Max Rosenwasser grabbed his first Snitch of the day to cap off the 110*-10 victory.

 

With the win, IPA earned the right to play on in the tournament against second-seeded Clark University Quidditch. Clark had dispatched Westfield State University but lost to the Brandeis Wizengamot. The match was the most spectacular of the season. Both teams were very evenly matched which led to a dogfight with both sides trading goals, bludger control, hits, and never letting up through utter exhaustion. Led by Keeper Stan Austin, Clark controlled much of the possession with a short, give-and-go passing game. The Ashwinder Beaters held their position very well so it often didn’t lead to a strong advance which Wagner and Co. used to generate several takeaways. On one play, Wagner turned a timely beat into a takeaway on the left side of the pitch. Work noticed that Clark’s defensive zone was completely open on the right side and sprinted into the void. Wagner threw a bomb in front of him which he picked up off of a bounce and dropped it through the tall hoop. The two squads took advantage of the opportunities that they earned in the sea-saw battle. IPA took the lead a couple of times on a couple of long shots by Wagner and Clark clawed back for a twenty point lead with a few drives on blown defense. The battled raged on as Providence College’s George Killian came back to the pitch as the Snitch. With the Bludgers distracted on the Snitch, Keeper Amanda Richards carried the Quaffle on the left side with Wagner running with her to set up the best play of the season. She was met by a Clark defender inside midfield and she powered her way through him which drew another defender on her. Just as he approached her, she flicked a pass to Wagner in the corner of the zone. Wagner palmed the ball and ripped a pass to Reich who had inside positioning on a defender in front of the hoops. He snagged the ball above his head with two hands and slammed it through to keep the game within Snitch range. The team’s efforts were rewarded when the whistle blew three times and everyone saw Rosenwasser standing with the Snitch tail above his head.  The Ashwinders won by a score of 80*-70.

 

The victory set up another match against North Shore. The two small squads were exhausted from their previous games and limited subs. Once again, the Nor’Easters athletic Chasers gave them many scoring chances and a small lead but India Point was able to hold their own in the defensive end while keeping the game close with a couple of goals. Work sunk a long shot early in the game and later Wagner and Reich went down field on a fast break with no Bludgers. Wagner had gotten around Domoretsky and shoveled a pass to his teammate for a goal but it was called back on a stoppage of play. When play resumed, Wagner had the ball with no speed and Domoretsky right on him. He was able to pass over the towering Keeper to Reich who dropped it in for his second alley-oop of the afternoon. Not long after the Snitch returned and Domoretsky had the ball with no Bludgers guarding him. He ran over Reich and Wagner before slamming into Work and the hoop as he put the ball through for a 50-20 lead. Alas, at the same score, the same ending occurred when North Shore pulled the Snitch to end the game. The India Point Ashwinders finished the tournament in fourth place and gave North Shore a good fight for third.

 

North Shore went on to give UMass a valiant fight for a spot in the finals but were ultimately overrun. UMass also had a smaller group which was exhausted for their finals match against the larger and fresher Brandeis squad but gave them a fantastic game. Goals were traded all game between UMass Keeper Thomas Walsh’s incredible long shot accuracy and Brandeis Chaser Faust Nunez’s blazing speed and quickness. Ultimately, Brandeis grabbed the Snitch and SNEQC Cup 2014. It marked the second time in as many years in which the SNEQC regular season champion went undefeated in the regular season and lost the tournament. The Ashwinders dethroned former SNEQC member University of New Haven last year.

 

Four Ashwinders, Rod Hasbun, Nate Kingston, Amanda Richards, and Joy Yamaguchi, were honored for their stellar play over the course of the afternoon by being named SNEQC Cup 2014 All-Stars.

 

 

The Ashwinders just launched a poster sale to fund their efforts for next season.  You can support the team with the Latin-themed poster, Veni Volavi Vici.