The Monday Snitch: Southern Regional Preview

by Andy Marmer | March 1, 2013

Thirteen teams will compete for the final six Division I World Cup spots this weekend as the Hammonds Ferry Soccer Complex at Riverview Park in North Augusta, South Carolina hosts the Southern Regional Championship. With the World Cup being played in Kissimmee, FL, the six teams that earn the right to represent their region will not have to travel far to attempt to impress on the national stage. For the third week in a row, the Monday Snitch is here to give you an idea of what to expect. Photo by April Stratemeyer The Favorite: No. 10 University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL) This group hasn't lost since October, when they were beaten by No. 20 University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA) at the Hollywood Bowl. The last time Miami lost to a team from its own region was on October 9, 2011 against No. 29 University of South Florida (Tampa, FL), 70-60. UM is 8-0 in intra-region games, and also boasts wins over USC; No. 5 University of California Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA), the Champions of the West; and No. 42 Lost Boys (Lomita, CA), the Western region's runner-up. To put it simply, Miami is the best team in the South. Miami will win this tournament. Miami will be a threat at the World Cup. The Contender: No. 29 University of South Florida (Tampa, FL) USF is 7-0 this year against teams that will be competing in this tournament that are not named Miami. Four of those wins have been by greater than 70 points. While USF has not held Miami within snitch range in a long time, they are still the second best team in the region and should have no trouble qualifying for the World Cup. World Cup Qualifiers: No. 101 Ringling College of Art and Design (Sarasota, FL) Ringling is one of the more experienced teams in the South, having twice travelled to the World Cup. This fall, the squad beat state rivals No. 118 Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL) and No. 146 FAU Owls (Boca Raton, FL), and lost  to South Florida and Miami. Their past experience leads me to believe Ringling will earn a trip to nearby Kissimmee. No. 116 University of Florida (Gainesville, FL) The defending national runner-ups are certainly not repeating their 2011-2012 season, where they advanced all the way to the World Cup final before falling to Middlebury College (Middlebury, VT). This spring, Florida has dropped contests to Miami and South Florida, which is certainly nothing to be ashamed of, and defeated Florida State (in overtime) and Brevard Community College (Titusville, FL). Florida's performance this season has not been outstanding, but given what they showed they were capable of one year ago, it's impossible to count them out. No. 118 Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL) Although they dropped an overtime contest to Florida at the Florida Quidditch Conference matches earlier this year and a match against USF, FSU looked dominant over Brevard Community College and Florida International University (Miami, FL) at the same event. In addition, on February 16, Florida State conquered the Rocky Top Rumble, going 5-0 with victories over World Cup hopefuls host No. 84 Tennessee Tech University (Cookeville, TN) and No. 105 University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, MS). While both those schools performed admirably, finishing third and fourth overall, Florida State took home the title, demonstrating the type of play that is required to qualify for the World Cup. No. 105 University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, MS) USM has competed far more against teams from the nearby Southwest than they have against squads from their own region. However, when they have played against the South, they've performed well. They lost by 50 and 60 to USF this fall, and finished fourth at the Rocky Top Rumble. Still, despite some setbacks, this is an experienced team. Southern Mississippi faced off against World Cup qualifiers No. 52 Austin Quidditch (Austin, TX) and No. 75 Roadrunner Quidditch (San Antonio, TX) earlier this spring, and while both matches ended in losses for the Mississippi squad, the experience should help them to qualify. Predictions: The Southern Regional Championship consists of two pools: one with seven teams and the other with six. The top four teams from each pool will square off in the quarterfinals with the top seed from Pool 1 facing the fourth seed from Pool 2, the second seed from Pool 1 facing the third seed from Pool 3, etc. The winner of those matches will qualify for the World Cup, while the four losers from those matchups will face off for a World Cup berth. The pools are as follows: Pool 1: Florida Atlantic University (Boca Raton Florida Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL) University of Miami (Miami, FL) University of South Carolina (Columbia, SC) University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, MS) Winthrop University (Rock Hill, SC) Pool 2: Brevard Community College (Titusville, FL) College of Charleston (Charleston, SC) Florida International University (Miami, FL) Ringling College of Art and Design (Sarasota, FL) Tennessee Tech University (Cookeville, TN) University of Florida (Gainesville, FL) University of South Florida (Tampa, FL) Pool 1 Records: Miami: 5-0 Florida State 4-1 Southern Mississippi 3-2 South Carolina 2-3 Winthrop 1-4 Florida Atlantic 0-5 Pool 2 Records: South Florida 6-0 Ringling 4-2 Florida 4-2 Tennessee Tech 4-2 College of Charleston 2-4 Brevard Community College 1-5 Florida International 0-6 Quarterfinals (Winners qualify for the World Cup): Miami def. Tennessee Tech Ringling def. Southern Mississippi Florida def. Florida State South Florida def. South Carolina Semifinals: Miami def. Ringling South Florida def. Florida Finals: Miami def. South Florida Consolation Bracket (Winners qualify for the World Cup): Southern Mississippi def. Tennessee Tech Florida State def. South Carolina Florida State def. Southern Mississippi