Photo credit: Norman Timonera
June 24, 2024
By Grant Loehrke
Many Union fans remember the away loss to the Indianapolis AlleyCats earlier this month “all too well.” However, on Taylor Swift night at Martin Stadium, the Union were able to get a measure of revenge, pulling off a victory on yet another windy evening in Evanston.
Chicago trailed at the end of the first quarter by a score of 4-5, but were able to close that gap en route to a final score of 19-14 in the Union win. Union captain and Neuqua Valley Ultimate alumni Jack Shanahan led the charge in three key categories Saturday night -- plus/minus (5), points played (21), and total assists (4) - aiding the Union’s 76% red zone conversion rate.
Photo credit: Norman Timonera
Indianapolis trailed starkly in huck percentage, completing a mere 2/11 of their deep looks. This cost the AlleyCats many offensive possessions in the long run, and was a factor in their elevated turnover total (35). On a breezy night, strikes and dumps by the Union were necessary in order to break Indy’s double-team and zone defense strategies, along with many <5 yard strikes on offense while playing small-ball in the handler space. Short game is an area where the Union have excelled this season and over the course of the team’s history, so have these been familiar tactics to veterans and rookies alike. Over-the-top throws (a mix of scoobers and hammers) were also employed to combat the AlleyCats height advantage, especially while Chicago's gentle giant John Lithio was sidelined due to a knee injury. A setback for the Union came when Lucas Coniaris of the AlleyCats caught a Callahan in the first quarter, resulting in an Indianapolis goal. However, as Taylor advised, the Union were able to “shake it off” and score shortly thereafter on a seemingly easy downwind possession. Many of this matchup’s points featured an upwind-downwind battle and the Union were able to break upwind throughout the second half, giving them the upper hand on their lakefront home turf.
Photo credit: Norman Timonera
The Union celebration at the end of the game heightened even further when players learned that the Detroit Mechanix had done the unthinkable defeated the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds earlier in the evening - breaking the Mechanix's 81-game losing streak - which dropped Pittsburgh in the standings and boosted the Union to second place in the increasingly competitive UFA Central Division.
Photo credit: Norman Timonera
The results from Saturday night will tee up an already much-anticipated rematch against the Minnesota Wind Chill back at Martin Stadium on Friday, June 28, at 7:00 p.m. The theme night for this game will be Beach Night (hopefully Mother Nature will get the memo) with tickets still available online!
