Week 4: Double Header

The Wild hit the road for a double header in the Pacific Northwest last weekend. On Friday night the Wild took on the Seattle Tempest before another game in Portland against the Oregon Soar on Saturday afternoon. 

This competition style is new to the Western Ultimate League this season. While it adds a lot of excitement to an already busy schedule of ultimate, it also comes with added challenges for players. The players had five hours of travel ahead of them before their game on day 2.

"It takes a lot more prep time before and after games to keep our bodies healthy and ready,” said Wild player Serena Hochmuth. 

“The exciting part is all the team time!” Hochmuth added. “I  personally love road trips, downtime in the hotel together, and exploring new places. It can be hard not playing with a home crowd, but it pushes me to lean on my teammates more with full trust.”

#4 Lily Terpstra

4.3.26 UTA @ SEA  (L 10-37)

Utah faced a tough loss against the currently undefeated Seattle Tempest. The Tempest set the tone early and maintained a lead throughout the game. However, the majority of the Wild's scoring came from the first half where the Wild scored 8 points across two quarters. 

Eva Bell led the Wild with a strong performance, ending the match with 2 assists, 319 throwing yards, and 2 blocks. 

4.4.26 UTA @ OR (L 12-19)

Utah delivered a strong performance in a closer match against the Oregon Soar on Saturday. In a highly competitive game, the Wild came out with the same great energy in the opening half, rising to the challenge of a tough Oregon defense and keeping the contest tight.

Again, Bell was a standout player for the Wild in this match, finishing the game having recorded 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 358 throwing yards. 

The Wild’s sixth point of the match in the second quarter was a particularly long one with 2 time outs, a stall call, and plenty of possession changes. It was a tough, well-deserved point for the Wild.

#52 Serena Hochmuth

“Our offense has worked on our end zone reps extensively and pace. We were able to move through the handlers patiently, which led to Lucy hitting me in the fill space in an advantageous position on the goal line,” said Hochmuth, who was credited with an assist on the point. “There was some stoppage of play with a pre-stall, where Terp strategically set up her break side cut. I love a flick break throw so

I’ll always hit it! Plus I'm always looking for a way to hit Terp in the end zone.”

While the results were not in the Wild's favor, this game still demonstrated the strong foundation being built by a majority rookie team. 

“Moments like that in a game are important to celebrate the wins we have on the field. Even though we didn’t win the game, our team had some amazing plays and gritty points!” Hochmuth said. 

#38 Saya Noya

When asked if there was a performance from this weekend Hochmuth would want to shout out, she mentioned rookie Saya Noya. Noya recorded her very first goal and assist this weekend. Hochmuth also wanted to credit her for her handler defense. 

“It was stifling this weekend! She was applying pressure and denying a lot of the handlers'

first looks. It's that sort of pressure that throws teams offense off, and I love to see her drive!” Hochmuth said. “She also is incredibly fast and had some really high IQ cutting on offense, opening up the field and hitting her teammates in stride. I'm happy she is playing this season and I'm looking forward to more plays from her!”

Catch the Wild’s rematch against the Tempest tonight, buy your tickets now or stream on the WUL’s Youtube channel.