Recap

Toronto United Trip Up Hot West Coast Wolverines for Match Win

United Wins Big over Wolverines in Women’s Contest

The Wolverines were on a roll, having won two matches in a row to even their Eastern Split mark to 4-4 and heading into this showdown with the defending champs, who limped in with a 2-5 record. But they were the defending champs for a reason and the first game was an indication they would be tough to beat.

Veteran Carolina Hack drew in after a one-game absence, paired with impressive rookie Joanna Phang. The duo outplayed and outhustled their opposition, Natalie Araya and Sabrina Lam for much of this 21-13 triumph. Hack, who would be Player of the Match for a third time in the Eastern Split, got things going quickly with Phang and they rallied, dinked and shot their way to an early 13-4 lead.

The Wolverines couldn’t staunch the bleeding and were forced to call a timeout down 18-8. The Wolverines did mount a short-lived comeback, rallying in the face of extreme pressure from United, getting to within six at 18-12. It was not to be, however, with Hack and Phang delivering the fatal blows.

Wolverines Win Despite Nearly Blowing Big Lead in Men’s Game

We aren’t going to gild the lily here; in that we have never seen United’s Mark Gottfried and Matt Kawamoto play so awfully – at least early in this one. However, they did attempt a comeback, which just fell short in a 21-19 loss to the Wolverines Haddow Thul and Jonas Dahler.

Thul and Dahler didn’t need to be good in what was a sluggish start. Over the course of many short volleys, United made six unforced errors, including back-to-back long returns of serve, forcing a much-needed timeout down 8-3. United didn’t come back out guns blazing, but it wouldn’t be long before they started playing.

In a short time, United rifled some tremendous shots to trim the lead to 11-9 (after being down 11-4), though Dahler and Thul didn’t completely fold, maintaining at least a two-point lead. The last part of this game saw what was probably the greatest rally of the Eastern Split. The two teams fought hard in the kitchen for what seemed like an eternity, with United winning the point to trail 18-15. They did make it interesting the rest of the way, but ultimately allowed the Wolverines to tie the match.

United Hold Off Wolverines for Key Mixed Doubles Victory

Just like the men’s game before this one, one team got off to a sluggish start, only this time it was the Wolverines duo of Jonas Dahler and Natalie Araya. Before any fans even had a chance to settle into their seats, United’s Mark Gottfried and Carolina Hack were ahead 9-1, thoroughly dominating Dahler and Araya on the way to a 21-15 win.

To their credit, Dahler and Araya didn’t shrink into the background, answering United’s blistering play with some of their own, both participants contributing to a comeback that had them trailing just 12-10 mid-game. That seemed to wake up United, with Gottfried and Hack making some unreturnable shots for points to up the margin to 16-11.

The Wolverines wouldn’t go away, though, and after Gottfried made an unforced error to put the score at 17-14, United took a timeout. The rest was needed and after, Gottfried and Hack played well off each other, defensively and offensively, to finally win it and give their team the match advantage.

 United Triumphs over Wolverines in Exciting Contest

If there is a Kawamoto involved, a Canadian National Pickleball League game is at the very minimum going to be entertaining. With his mother leading the cheering section, Kawamoto and dynamic partner Joanna Phang led wire-to-wire over Wolverines Haddow Thul and Sabrina Lam on the way to a match-clinching 21-15 win.

This hotly contested game began unlike a couple of others in this match, as neither team looked sluggish nor played sloppy. All participants contributed to key shots, dinking and defense in the early stages, with United taking an 8-4 lead after some great defense by Phang and smoking shots from Kawamoto. The two squads then traded points before the Wolverines took a timeout trailing 10-6.

As hard as they played, Thul and Lam were pressed almost every volley, eventually allowing Phang and Kawamoto work their magic to take advantage of Wolverines errors and up the count to 15-8. Thul and Lam did their level best just to stave off the inevitable, with United getting to 20-11 freeze after three straight Kawamoto bombs for winners. The Wolverines did fight back to shrink the lead to 20-15 but had no answer as United transitioned well and won it.