Recap

Toronto United Trip Up Northern Rollers

United Women Overcome Rollers in First Game

As good as Northern Rollers duo Emma Li and Jessica Kawamoto were together in this match opener, Toronto United’s Martina Wynia and Hannah Blatt were just a little better. Blatt and Wynia were huge when it mattered and ended up winning 15-12.

Blatt and Wynia roared to an early 5-2 lead, with Blatt playing a well-placed lob that the Rollers couldn’t return and Wynia hitting a forehand bomb that neither Li nor Kawamoto could get to. The Rollers answered right back, as Kawamoto rifled a return for a point and the two combining to rally and get the game to 5-4. It was 6-6 after a great lob by the Rollers gained a point, but the Rollers made two unforced errors to go down 8-6 at side break.

There was a bit of controversy when the Rollers tied it up at 8-8, as the referees had to stick with their original call that a ball United couldn’t return did hit the side net stanchion first. The Rollers then took their first and only lead on outstanding dinking, only to see Blatt and Wynia exchange unreturnable missiles to get the score to 11-9. The Rollers managed to tie it up again on a great crossing shot and good dinking play but hit net to trail 12-11.

Wynia blasted another winner and Rollers Li hit a great cross for her team’s last point, just before United staged a great rally to get to freeze. The game ended, fittingly, with a Blatt blast that the Rollers couldn’t answer.

United Crush Rollers in Second Half of Men’s Doubles Game

Having earlier lost a five-game heartbreaker to the Southwestern Ontario Brewers and dropping the first game in this match, the Northern Rollers men’s doubles team of Rob Krizmanich and Corey Osborne were hoping to catch lightning in a bottle and get their squad back in it. But, after a pretty good first half against United’s Daniel Gottfried and Matt Kawamoto, Krizmanich and Osborne could not answer the bell in a 15-8 defeat.

The two teams duked it out early, with some great rallies and big shots by Kawamoto and Krizmanich, as United took a 5-2 lead. Corey Osborne smacked a winner to get it to 5-3, followed by a great Gottfried set-up for a point. Osborne figured in the game again at 7-5 United when he hit a miraculous return to get the Rollers within one. Gottfried, though, sent his team into side change with an overhand winner.

After Matt Kawamoto sent his serve into the net to allow the Rollers to stay within two points at 9-7, it was all United from there. A lowlight for the Rollers was a foot fault assessed to Krizmanich, giving United a 12-8 lead, which they used to quickly score three to win it on great rally defense and blasts by both Kawamoto and Gottfried.

Rollers Outlast United in Key Mixed Doubles Game

It wasn’t a game for the ages, but the Rollers mixed doubles duo of Corey Osborne and Emma Li took it. With plenty of dinking and shooting fireworks in the first two games, this one between the Rollers and United’s pair Daniel Gottfried and Martina Wynia was quiet, as the Rollers stayed alive in the match with a 15-12 triumph.

Of note early in this one, Li looked made an amazing shot down the line shot to put the Rollers ahead 3-1, but it was ruled side out, at first. After a conference, it was decided in. That then, was likely a key turning point, as the Rollers never trailed after that.

There weren’t many lengthy rallies before side change, with only Wynia delivering a solid blast to make the score 6-4 Rollers and then the teams went into side change with the Rollers up 8-6. The second half was just as quiet, with the two squads trading points to see the score tied 10-10 when Osborne hit a return long.

United took advantage of two Osborne returns that hit the net to make the score 13-12 Rollers, however, Osborne redeemed himself with two huge overhand shots to deliver a much-needed win.

United Edges Past Rollers in Mixed Doubles Match Winner

Just call this one the “Battle of the Kawamotos.” United’s Matt and the Rollers’ Jessica figured large in this heated contest, which saw United eventually win 15-13 to hand them the match. Paired with Matt was Hannah Blatt and on Jessica’s side was wily veteran Rob Krizmanich. Pertaining to Krizmanich, the game got off to an interesting start when his dink return rolled down the Selkirk net, only to land on the Rollers side for a 1-0 United lead. And lastly, with the score 14-13 United, Krizmanich was called for a foot foul to hand United the winning point.

In between, there was some entertaining back-and-forth between the two Kawamotos. Matt hit Jessica with a smash to make it 3-0 United and later Jessica drilled an amazing forehand down the middle that eluded Matt and Blatt to make the score 5-3 United. Matt and Jessica then traded backhand winners before United went into side change leading 8-5.

The rest over, the Kawamotos went at it again, with Blatt and Krizmanich interjecting a little bit more. Matt again smacked a backhand that hit his sister to make the score 10-6, but she got her revenge two points later with a backhand of her own to make the score 11-7. Before this one was settled by that foot foul on Krizmanich, the Rollers, who were down 14-9 at freeze, gamely fought back to get within one.