The University of Rhode Island’s men’s ultimate team competed in the Ocean State Invite on Saturday and Sunday at Plains Field.
Coming off a fifth-place finish with a 5-1 record in the Grand Northeast Kickoff, the Rams looked to bounce back and earn a podium finish in Kingston.
On Saturday, URI opened the event with a dominant 11-5 win over Worcester Polytechnic Institute and followed with an 11-7 win over Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Unfortunately for Rhode Island, the momentum didn’t carry over into Sunday against the University of Maine. The Rams took the lead at numerous points in the match, but the strong offense from the Black Bears forced URI to give up its first loss of the tournament, 11-12.
URI needed a bounce-back game and got it. The Rams took a close victory over Brown University, 11-9, before adding their second win against WPI in the invite, 12-8.
With back-to-back wins to end regular match play, the Rams stood at 4-1 overall, enough for a semifinals match against Tufts University, where they took a commanding 12-6 win to clinch a spot in the championship.
Set to face the team responsible for their only loss of the tournament in the finals, URI had a chance for revenge in a rematch against Maine.
The Rams adjusted well and dominated for the majority of the game, as they led 9-5 with just 10 minutes to go in the match. However, the Black Bears rallied back to score four straight points to tie it up at 9-9, which forced a universe point to decide the tournament.
URI didn’t let the late-game push rattle them, as the Rams would score the golden goal to take the match 10-9 and be crowned champions.
“It was absolutely electric,” second-year Dylan Lang said. “We clinched our first tournament win in four years, so finally getting to celebrate a tournament win after so long, it’s just insane.”
With this being Lang’s second year as a member of the team, the team’s tournament win stems from more than just their play on the field.
“It’s a super tight-knit group of guys, and I’ve made strong relationships that will last the rest of my life,” Lang said. “Practicing three days a week and traveling across the Northeast with these guys for tournaments is just as fun as hanging out with them on the weekends.”
Now coming off a championship win, Lang and his team look to build on their newfound success going into the rest of the season.
“We have sectionals coming up in a few weeks, so we’re going to be gearing back up for that,” Lang said. “Hopefully, we’re going to have a strong performance to get a bid to go to regionals later in May. The goal is to just show off our talents, which should be exciting.”
The Rams look to ride their momentum to Amherst, Mass., for sectionals on April 11-12. To keep up with the results, or if you are interested in joining the team, visit the club’s Instagram account.
