Liberty University Club Sports
Virginia Conference Championships
Men’s ultimate wins fifth-place game over VCU, earns second regional tournament bid
5/1/2023 3:42:00 PM | Men's Ultimate
The top six seeded teams in the April 22-23 Virginia Conference men's ultimate tournament in Glen Allen, Va., near Richmond held their seeds after the bracket playoff finals.. That included Liberty University's men's ultimate team, which clinched the fifth and final bid to the May 6-7 Atlantic Coast Division I Regional Championships by holding off sixth-seeded Virginia Commonwealth University, 14-10, in the fifth-place final, which was delayed by a downpour last weekend and played this past Saturday morning at the Liberty Lacrosse Fields.
"This is only the second time we've ever qualified for regionals," Flames Head Coach Kevin Habermas said. "We haven't qualified since 2019, before COVID hit (and canceled the 2020 and 2021 postseasons). We lost in the game to go (to regionals) two years in a row. We have a tough conference."
Top-seeded William & Mary defeated the No. 2-seeded University of Virginia in the championship match after both teams finished 3-0 in their respective pools, while No. 3 James Madison University topped No. 4 Virginia Tech in the third-place final.
Liberty went 1-2 in its pool, defeating George Mason, 13-3, before losing to both Virginia (12-11) and Virginia Tech (14-5). In bracket play, the Flames lost their opening match to JMU, 13-12, before dominating Radford, 15-3, and suffering a 15-7 consolation semifinal rematch setback against the Hokies to fall to the fifth-place final. Complete results are available on the USA Ultimate website.
"Our game versus JMU was probably the best ultimate we've played all year," Flames senior captain Jackson Klingenberg said, noting that they were leading 11-8 before losing on a sudden-death Universe Point. "They ran four straight (points) at the end of the game. It was brutal."
Graduate Joshua Duke is the only player who qualified for regionals in 2019 still on this year's squad. Klingenberg was thrown into the fire last spring, his first on the team, and quickly emerged as a leader.
With the Flames leading VCU 13-10, Klingenberg assisted the game-clinching score that put the scoring cap into effect immediately after a defensive hold following the pull restart.
"They didn't have anyone back, so I hit (fellow senior Matthew Rogers) who was wide open with a cross-field assist," Klingenberg said. "They played a little too aggressive and they got punished."
He said the team is making smart decisions on offense and playing with consistency, making the sure passes and catches but also mixing in some spectacular diving grabs, including diving catches for scores by both himself and junior cutter Ian Rankin.
"Our team has great chemistry right now," Klingenberg said "Everybody is clicking on all cylinders. The personalities on the team have clicked great and Coach (Habermas) brings the best out of everyone as we're just grinding through the season. Discipline's very high, especially when we have games like this where we need to lock in. There's trust across the board and we just keep finding ways to play really good ultimate."
He said the Flames have been playing the way they practice, with high intensity workouts translating into games.
"We scrimmage a lot at practice, just playing hard, and it really forces the team to constantly compete and constantly grind," Klingenberg said. "Coach gives us all of the critiques that we need while doing it in a manner that fits everyone's coaching style."
Klingenberg is cautiously optimistic going into this Saturday's and Sunday's regional tournament held in Fredericksburg, Va., knowing the Flames need to finish in the top two to advance to the May 27-30 Division I College Championships in Milwaukee.
"This is my last season on the team (so) I was very happy to make regionals my last year," he said. "We're playing some of our best ultimate (and) if we get hot, I think we can take down anyone. If we get hot for six straight games, which is what might need to happen, likelihood low, but anything can happen. I'm not going to count us out. I've got to give it everything I have."
Klingenberg and his teammates will approach the tournament with realistic goals, realizing they are likely to be the 15th seed out of 16 teams.
"Both UVA and JMU are good teams that we might see at regionals and I would love a rematch with either of those teams," he said. "I would say our goal is just to play well at regionals, build on what we have from this year, and let the guys who are coming back transition that experience into playing well again next semester."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
