The Northeastern Tournament, which took place the weekend of May 11th in Massachusetts, proved to be a test for the Dice Girls’ Ultimate Frisbee team. Undefeated in the Pittsburgh High School Ultimate League (PHUL), they had swept aside all competition prior to that weekend. They were confident going into the tournament. “We have such depth in our team,” said Senior captain Vaughn Skinker before Northeasterns, “and the work we’ve put in makes us a contender against anybody.”

Such confidence had taken awhile to build, though. Losing key seniors took some getting used to. “It was a little weird at first,” Skinker said, “but after a few games, [the new Seniors] took control.” After losing two of six games at their first tournament and losing in a tie-breaker to Mount Lebanon, Dice Girls’ Ultimate never looked back, finishing first seed in the PHUL playoff competition, above their suburban rivals. They were well on their way to reaching the PHUL finals, crushing Fox Chapel in the PHUL quarterfinals 15-2. The high-flying Lady Dragons looked to continue their run at the Northeastern Tournament.

Their first game, which took place on Saturday May 12, pitted them against Amherst High School, the winners of last year’s Northeastern Tournament. The girls entered the competition hoping for a result against the renowned squad. However, the Lady Dragons were defeated 15-5. They finished the tournament with a record of two wins and three losses, a good showing for a team with hardly any substitutes.

For those who don’t know much about Ultimate Frisbee, games last at least an hour and a half each, with seven players per team on the field at the same time. The maximum number of players per team allowed at the Northeastern Tournament was 12 players. Allderdice was represented by ten.

The Lady Dragons played five games against tough competition over a span of two days at Northeasterns, then returned for a semifinal on Monday, which they won 15-4. Their journey finally came to a victorious end after they beat their old rivals Mount Lebanon in the finals on Wednesday, May 16 in a pulse-pounding match that finished 17-16.

“In retrospect,” said sophomore Janny Petzinger, “Northeasterns was a gauge for our team. It showed us what we had to work on individually, and how we need to improve as a team. PHUL helped reassure us that we are still the best team in Pittsburgh, but now we need to focus outside of our area, and I know we can compete. Anyway, we now have a goal for next season.”