Team Analysis San Francisco Fury, USA Nationals 2023 (4)
Fury's cutters coordinate to make good use of space and time cuts well to smoothly move the disc to the endzone in three passes.
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In a short sequence of passes, a Peppermill cutting pattern leads to power position, and Fury's well-spaced horizontal stack enables a wide open deep look for the score.
Breaking it down
1. Peppermill
As Anna Nazarov (#33) catches the pull, Amel Awadelkarim (#19) cuts upfield from the open-side handler reset position before cutting laterally to the break-side in hopes of getting an inside throw. As Awadelkarim cuts laterally, Dena Elimelech (#46) stops heading downfield, changes direction, and cuts underneath from the middle of the field to get the disc.
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2. Power Position
Notice that although Awadelkarim did not get the disc while cutting laterally to the break side, she changes direction to cut back to the open-side reset space, and when the disc is thrown to Elimelech cutting underneath, Awadelkarim takes advantage of her trailing defender to cut up the line. Elimelech then throws the disc to her, and she catches the disc with power position on the open-side sideline.
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3. Long Throw
When Amel Awadelkarim (#19) cuts upline to the open-side, there are already three cutters downfield. Calise Cardenas (#14) who is near the open-side sideline, immediately clears laterally to the break-side. Rachel Chang (#29) is downfield near the far-side sideline and stays there to prevent clogging the lanes. Although not shown in frame, by the hesitation from the defender near the open-side sideline, Octavia Payne (#7) probably was cutting underneath but changed directions after seeing Awadelkarim cutting upline. By the time Payne appears in the frame, she is well ahead of her defender with a wide open path down the middle of the field to the endzone. Awadelkarim uses her momentum from power position to fake a forehand throw which causes the mark to overcommit to stopping the forehand. Then Awadelkarim pivots and throws a long backhand straight down the field which floats above Payne's inside shoulder. Payne keeps her eyes on the disc as she runs and is able to run on to it for the smooth score. Notice that the defender guarding Chang near the far-side sideline anticipated the huck but was too far behind to be able to make a play on the disc.