NationStates Jolt Archive

Alright, the World Lacrosse Championships will be beginning soon. At time of this post, we have 13 sign-ups. Signups will close on Saturday the 27th, so there is still time if you wish to take on the world in this great game. I will add a puppet if necessary to ensure an even number of teams, so don't worry if your signup creates an odd number.

As no one countered my bid to host, all games will take place in Newmanistan. I will hold the group draw on Sunday the 28th. The group structure (amount of groups and amount of teams per group) will be determined after the group draw, and thus so will the amount of games.

The scorination will heavily rate RP over rank to the tune of about 80% RP, 20% rank. Scorination is done via a spreadsheet program that I have used in regional competitions. RP bonus is cumulative. Do note that Newmanistan is presently the #1 ranked team in World Lacrosse and any RP's I may do will be scored on the same criteria I score everyone else's. That said, I have noticed that historically I RP very little in competitions I host so this probably won't be our year. Any success that Newmanistan may or may not have is based on the same criteria and scoring as there would have been if someone else scorinated the game.

MD1 will be October 1st.

Please begin creating your roster now. There are no style modifiers, by the way. Feel free to create a RP permissions box that you deem appropriate for your team and RP enjoyment.

Also, be aware that this is the outdoor game (not indoor/box lacrosse). A normal roster (you're free to not be "normal", but 10 players is a maximum) has a starting goalie, three defensemen, three midfielders, and three attackers; with as many bench players as you want.

Games should be RPed as having four quarters.

And here they are the 3rd (tied) place finishers from WLC 1.

Goalkeeper Greg Fornfelt 79 24
Left Defense Ryan Yelaylee 42 23
Center Defense Zaxle O'Peerson 27 20
Right Defense Chrichenham Baker 19 26
Left Midfield Ollie Richenham 7 25
Center Defense William Kelly 15 24
Right Midfeild Xevenes Hutch 13 22
Left Attack Seth Thatcher 17 21
Center Attack Peirs Fohneger 2 27
Right Attack Rowan Qwarant 14 19
Subs
Goalkeeper Fred Geigar 56 23
Defense Alexander Fwenchie 81 20
Midfeild Derese Sanchez 9 24
Attack Jack Smith 45 25
Utility Miles Beckett 66 22

Those mildly familiar with us in the competitions that we have taken part in to date probably know that Secristan does not choose its team by talent, but instead awards positions to the highest bidders (meeting criteria, of course). In lacrosse, this is not going to be the case. The players in which Secristan is sending to the World Lacrosse Championships are indeed the best, and most talented players in the country.

RP Permissions: Everything short of killing, or seriously hurting my players is ok.

Coach: Steve Cameron, 46, East Penthoria Marlins
– Cameron likes to emphasize speed in all components in of the game. On the national team, the attackers will be the quickest, but even the middies and defense run very well. So while the Millionaires will be explosive, they will be better defensively then you may think.

STARTING LINEUP:

GK: Eric Hutchinson, 34, Ocala Sun Devils
– Veteran leadership is something that Hutchinson will provide to this team as a true field general in directing the defense. He has good vision, and reads the ball off the stick extremely well. As a top goalkeeper in our league for many years, he will have the respect of everyone in the field.

LD: Chris Anderson, 33, Key South Islanders
– Anderson is another player who directs the play very well mainly in communication with the goalie so that he always knows where the ball is. Chris isn’t afraid to whack you with the stick a few times, but knows how to conceal it pretty well.

CD: Steve Traulsen, 30, Homestead Sailors
– Traulsen is a master with the stick and intercepting passes. Not just that, but he does a good job in getting the ball up the field, as the first pass from the defensive zone can be so crucial. He runs very well, making him ideal to play in the middle.

RD: Jack Benjamin, 29, East Penthoria Marlins
– Benjamin is a player that looks like he’d be better as a middie, but it’s because of extraordinary defensive awareness that he plays in the back. Opponents won’t sneak plays by him very often.

LM: Shane Ellis, 26, Manchester Panthers
– Ellis has blazing speed, and because of that, the opponent must know where he is at all times. He will get right up there with the attack, and then quickly get back to cover his man on defense. He could be a little soft, but that only matters when the opponent can catch up to him.

CM: Matt Gardiner, 27, Lakeland Sea Wolves
– First off, Gardiner is a master in the circle on faceoffs. His ability to position himself is unparalleled, and then he does a terrific job finding his man. But Matt will also take quite a few shots himself, and score frequently, though he will have more assists in the long run.

RM: Tim Pozniak, 25, Bridgefield Warlords
– Pozniak is a complete package. There isn’t one thing that immediately stands out at you, because he’s able to do everything so well and do it so effortlessly. If anything should be mentioned above all else, it will be that he will likely lead the team in penalties.

LA: John Dineen, 28, Stockton Firebirds
– Dineen has the hardest shot on the team, and perhaps in the entire tournament, once clocked at around 103 MPH. This will make him absolutely deadly, and even scary playing besides the finesse playmaker Scott Cushman. You will see these two hook up quite a bit. Not only does he have the shot, and he is frighteningly (for everyone else) accurate with it.

CA: Scott Cushman, 25, Manchester Panthers
– Just an absolute delight to watch. The things that this man can do while carrying a stick are absolutely mind-boggling. He always knows where his teammates are, and passes with such precision. Scott also does a terrific job in confusing the other team, because they never know which teammate he is going to pass too. And to boot, he’s also very good defensively.

RA: Tom Sutterby, 26, Kleric City Mustangs
– Sutterby is more like Dineen then Cushman in that he had a blistering hard shot that also gets into the triple digits. But he is also a playmaker himself, so look for a ton of creative type passes between Sutterby and Cushman.

BENCH
G- John Printzky, 30, Stockton Firebirds
D- Craig Genski, 32, Kleric City Mustangs
D- Mark Keating, 29, Key South Islanders
M - Aaron Proctor, 23, East Penthoria Marlins
M - Mike Vincelli, 27, Cloverfield Hurricanes
A- Eric Hopkins, 26, Lakeland Sea Wolves
A- Michael Stark, 24, Ocala Sun Devils

Good afternoon everyone! It is now time to announce the Group Draw for the 2nd World Lacrosse Championships. A total of fourteen nations have signed up to participate, so we will be placing everyone into two groups of seven. You will play everyone just one time and the top four teams in each group will advance to the quarterfinals. In them, you will be seeded as 1st Group A vs 4th Group B, 2nd Group A vs 3rd Group B, etc. etc. All games are played in Newmanistan.

Rankings of returning nations. (These were paired off so that 1 & 2, 3 & 4, and 5 & 6 would be in different groups)

1) Newmanistan
2) Land de Wood
3) Taeshan
4) Secristan
5) Kura-Pelland
6) Lovisa

From there.... the rest of you: Colburne, Kenavt, Myedvedeya, Dancougar, Greal, Tortuga y Hispaniola, Miroxia, and West Pocono were fair game to end up in either group.

And here our Groups:

Group A:
Newmanistan
Secristan
Lovisa
Myedvedeya
Kenavt
Greal
West Pocono

Group B:
Land de Wood
Taeshan
Kura-Pelland
Dancougar
Miroxia
Tortuga y Hispaniola
Colburne

Group A Schedule:
MD1 (Oct. 1): All Games @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds- Newmanistan vs West Pocono, Myedvedeya vs Kenavt, Lovisa vs Greal. Bye: Secristan

MD2 (Oct. 2) All Games @ Loudon Stadium- Newmanistan vs Myedvedeya, Secristan vs Greal, Lovisa vs West Pocono. Bye: Kenavt

MD3 (Oct. 3) All Games @ Olympia Field- Secristan vs West Pocono, Myedvedeya vs Greal, Lovisa vs Kenavt. Bye: Newmanistan

MD4 (Oct. 4) All Games @ Centralia Stadium- Newmanistan vs Greal, Secristan vs Kenavt, Myedvedeya vs West Pocono. Bye: Lovisa

MD5 (Oct. 5) All Games @ Pocono City Stadium- Newmanistan vs Lovisa, Secristan vs Myedvedeya, Kenavt vs West Pocono. Bye: Greal

MD6 (Oct. 6) All Games @ Putnam Lake Stadium- Newmanistan vs Kenavt, Secristan vs Lovisa, Greal vs West Pocono. Bye: Myedvedeya

MD7 (Oct 7) All Games @ Dover Field- Newmanistan vs Secristan, Lovisa vs Myedvedeya, Kenavt vs Greal. Bye: West Pocono


Group B Schedule:
MD1: (Oct. 1): All Games @ Pocono City Stadium- Land de Wood vs Kura-Pelland, Taeshan vs Dancougar, Miroxia vs Colburne. Bye: Tortuga y Hispaniola

MD2: (Oct. 2) All Games @ Hastings Field- Land de Wood vs Tortuga y Hispaniola, Taeshan vs Miroxia, Dancougar vs Colburne. Bye: Kura-Pelland

MD3: (Oct. 3) All Games @ Southport Stadium- Land de Wood vs Miroxia, Taeshan vs Kura-Pelland, Tortuga y Hispaniola vs Colburne. Bye: Dancougar

MD4: (Oct. 4) All Games @ Loudon Stadium- Taeshan vs Colburne, Dancougar vs Tortuga y Hispaniola, Kura-Pelland vs Miroxia. Bye: Land de Wood

MD5: (Oct. 5) All Games @ The Stadium at South Tier- Land de Wood vs Dancougar, Taeshan vs Tortuga y Hispaniola, Kura-Pelland vs Colburne. Bye: Miroxia

MD6: (Oct. 6) All Games @ Springfield Stadium- Land de Wood vs Colburne, Dancougar vs Miroxia, Kura-Pelland vs Tortuga y Hispaniola. Bye: Taeshan

MD7: (Oct. 7) All Games @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds- Land de Wood vs Taeshan, Kura-Pelland vs Dancougar, Miroxia vs Tortuga y Hispaniola. Bye: Colburne

Quarterfinals: (Oct. 9)
Game A- 1st Group A vs 4th Group B @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds
Game B- 2nd Group A vs 3rd Group B @ Loudon Stadium
Game C- 3rd Group A vs 2nd Group B @ Southport Stadium
Game D- 4th Group A vs 1st Group B @ Pocono City Stadium

Semifinals (Oct. 10)
Game E- Winner Game A vs Winner Game B @ Pocono City Stadium
Game F- Winner Game C vs Winner Game D @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds

3rd Place (Oct. 11)
Game G- Loser Game E vs Loser Game F @ Loudon Stadium

CHAMPIONSHIP (Oct. 12)
Game H- Winner Game E vs Winner Game F @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds.


Note: The 1st World Lacrosse Championships has been Wikinated: http://www.nswiki.net/index.php?title=World_Lacrosse_Championships

This one will be shortly.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!

Hosts running scared

In an attempt to avoid having to play our great nation again we have learnt that the hosts have seeded themselves 1st and us 2nd. This means that not only do we avoid each other in the group stages but as long as we both come in the top two in our group we will not meet in the quarter finals. In fact it may well not be until the final that we meet and get our chance for revenge.

We are pleased to hear that 14 teams are entered into the competition as Lacrosse begins to grow across the world. We will be covering the competition throughout and will be bringing you squad news tomorrow.

MYEDVEDEYA ANNOUNCES ROSTER

COACH- Grigory Borisov/Григорий Борисов

STARTING LINEUP

Boris Sarvolov/Борис Сарволов- GK
Viktor Ivanev/Виктор Иванев- LD
Slava Sarvolov/Слава Сарволов- CD
Mikhail Sezhev/Михаил Сежев- RD
Lyonya Markov/Лёня Марков-LM
Pyotr Romanov/Пётр Романов- CM, Captain
Dazdrapetrak Kafaev/Даздрапертрак Кафаев- RM
Yuriy Zhorvaenko/Юрий Жорваенко- LA
Ilyusha Gennadev/Илюша Геннадев- CA
Mikhail Lobov/Михаил Лобов- RA

BENCH
Vanya Lebedev/Ваня Лебедев- GK
Ivan Kuznetsov/Иван Кузнетсов- D
Nikolai Dimitriev/Николай Димитриев- D
Konstantin Konstantinov/Константин Константинов- M
Vladimir Karpov/Владимир Карпов- M
Yasha Sergeyev/Яша Сергейев- A
Pavel Valentin/Павел Валентин- A


SCHEDULE

Myedvedeya(Медведея)vs Kenavt
Myedvedeya vs Newmanistan
Myedvedeya vs Greal
Myedvedeya vs West Pocono
Myedvedeya vs Secristan
BYE
Myedvedeya vs Lovisa


for more sports news, log on to www.novymoskva.mye/sports

Group Draw Announced

The Groups have been announced for the second World Lacrosse championships in which one of the founding members the Flaming Falcons will partake. The Falcons will be with World Runners up Land de Wood, and 5 other teams. More to follow. Including a llok at both groups, predictions, and an in depth(not totally) look at all 14 teams entered in the competition.

Estevan Bloch
annouces squad

Estevan Bloch this morning announced the following squad for the 2nd World Lacrosse Championships.

GK Luca Gray 22
Two years on from his brave keeping in the 1st World Lacrosse Championships, Luca Gray has grown in stature.

LD Eishi Chan 23
Eishi took advantage of Issac Davidson's failings in the first game last time out to win a place in the team and he will be seeking to cement his place, but there are one or two newcomers waiting on the bench.

CD Issac Davidson 24
Last time out, everyone thought he would be straight back on the plane home after a disastrous first game, however, given his chance later on in the tournament he showed he is a quick learner. Two years on and he is now the senior defenseman, following Avery Fisher's retirement.

RD Deverick Brand 19
Swapped out to the right with Issac Davidson moved inside. Deverick was the young teenager superstar at the back last time out and will be attempting to repeat his heroics and show why Newmanistan Centralia invested so much money in him.

LM Ethan Hovsepian 24
The left midfield man racked up assist after assist last time out and will be looking to serve the attackers even more.

CM Alfie Blair 20
Young Alfie was another teenage superstar last time out but he will be looking to show he has come of age since.

RM Declan Basile 27
Signed by Newmanistan side Olympia, he will feel right at home playing the tournament here. He has enjoyed a good season out here.

LA Courtenay Egger 30
Tundra Falls of Newmanistan, invested heavily in this striker who didn't have the best of seasons out here and will be looking to show that he has what it takes on this stage.

CA Adelio Acosta 23
Newmanistan side Loudon's super striker is back on the world stage and will be aiming to score even more goals than last time out.

RA Choovio Aadli 21
Choovio Aadli, is a young attacker who was picked up during recent trials back in Land de Wood and impressed so much that he is expected to start the first game.

Bench
GK Lewis Abdullayev 24
Lewis struggled to win a place in the first team last time out and is expected to warm the bench again this time.

D Marcelo Christie 21
One of the fastest Lacrosse players I've ever seen. This defense man will be looking to beat for pace the fastest of attackers he may come up against.

D Dyaus Gomez 18
Dyaus is the youngster of the players to make the squad and will be hoping that he is not just here for the experience.

M Harry Arnot 20
Rumoured to be one of the best passers seen in a long time, but will he get his opportunity to shine?

M Geraldo Fisher 20
Avery Fisher's nephew. Is he here just because of the family tie, or is he any good, to be honest we don't really know but hopefully we'll get to find out, well that is if he is any good anyway.

A Kenichi Ikeda 25
Despite being one of the starters last time out, never really got going and will have to wait his chance in this tournament.

A Enzo Edwards 27
Enzo seemed to get better as the tournament went on but with Choovio Aadli impressing in timeouts, will have to bide his time.

Estevan will be assisted by former international Avery Fisher who struggled to cope with the pace of the game as the tournament went on last time out, but has since taken up coaching. Carlos Campbell who was a reserve midfield man last time out, has since trained as a physio and will be our physio for the tournament.

We are sorry to report but that since our last tournament Billy Gelashvili has had to retire from the game due to injury and is now running a sports insurance company back in Land de Wood.

So as our brave Woodpeckers seek to go one better and win the tournament this time, we bid them the best of luck.

We gather here on the field, and a thundrous roar
Welcomes combatants in a match of destiny
The clash of sticks and of men as we shoot at goal
Awakens urges and the spirits deep within

Lacrosse! Lacrosse!

These youthful men and women bravely give their all
Fighting to protect their pride and to fill their hearts
Never halting the charge
Till the final victory!!

Will you love me tomorrow?

Cutting through the field of dreams
With the speed and strength and will
Never stopping till they reach the goal looming up ahead!

Lacrosse! Lacrosse! Lacrosse!

Roster
GK Kai-Fu Linn
D Sally LaClaudia
D Kamjin Kravshera
D Layla Laplamiz
M Ben Zakikaki
M Sterling Jenius
M Molly Fallyna-Jenius
F Roy de Havilland
F Rick Gatherer
F Lisa Hayase

Staff
Coach: Bruno Worldly
Assistant: Samantha Millome
Assistant: Beck Sedol
Cheerleader: May Linn

HERE ARE YOUR DEFENDING CHAMPION ROCKETS

Manager: Prince Michael
Age: 42
Team: Pocono City Capitals
Bio: Prince Michael is the brother of Empress Jessica and has made lacrosse his life. He has coached in Pocono City for just five years, after a stellar career as a striker. His tactical knowledge of the game is amazing, and being royalty will immediately get him the respect of the team, though he would have had it anyway.


Player: Jason Copeland
Position: G
Age: 28
Number: 31
Team: Centralia Cougars
Bio: Copeland reads the play very well, and doesn’t bite on the first move by attackers. He is confident and poised in front of the goal. Not only does he read the attackers well, but he has exceptional anticipation for options the ball carrier may be looking to pass too. This has made him the best goalie in the Empire, so likely, by association one the best in the world. He’s not afraid to give you a whack either, if you get too close.

Player: Pete Buckley
Position: LD
Age: 26
Number: 8
Team: Hastings Crusaders
Bio: Reads and anticipates the play as good as you could possibly want. He’s got average height, but Buckley is bulked up quite well. This gives him great strength to overpower attackers in nearly every situation. Pete knows this, and uses it on every possible chance he gets.

Player: Chris Mattison
Position: CD
Age: 27
Number: 4
Team: South Tier Seagulls
Bio: Mattison is speedy enough to be an attacker or play in the midfield, but his defensive awareness make him best suited to play in this spot. That speed and great reaction will help him always be in proper position defensively, and allows him to jump into an attack every once in a while if he sees an opening for himself. He’s led the NLL in goals by the defense the last three years. He’s not the type to be extremely physical, but he’s not a pansy either.

Player: Michael Leahey
Position: RD
Age: 25
Number: 3
Team: Pocono City Capitals
Bio: A very intelligent and physical defender. This may deceive those who are not as familiar with him, because Leahey’s physical frame doesn’t immediately strike you as someone who can hurt you. But once they’ve been hit a few times, they’ll become a believer. Though there is much more to him then that. Michael will completely take the person he is assigned to out of the game by smothering him with great defensive skills, especially in terms of knocking the ball lose and intercepting passes.

Player: Johnny Serrotta
Position: LM
Age: 27
Number: 13
Team: Loudon Leopards
Bio: Serrotta is more of a defensive minded player, so don’t look for him to jump into the attack unless the opportunity just screams for him to take part. He isn’t totally absent from the offsnevie rush though, as he has pretty good vision to get the ball down low to the attackers. Serrotta will overpower the majority of the wingers that try to come down his end of the field.

Player: Kyle Foster
Position: CM
Age: 26
Number: 25
Team: Tundra Falls Mariners
Bio: Foster is a highly confident player who believes he can do anything he pleases out on the field. His skill set makes this pretty easy. He has a cradle like you’ve never seen before, which enables him to maneuver around the opposing midfielders pretty easily. Foster will have more assists then he will goals, because he will always prioritize setting up the attackers, but he will quietly rack up a decent goal total for himself as well. His speed also allows him to get back very quickly, and be good on defense. He is a trash talker. But he can back it up.

Player: Matt Knight
Position: RM
Age: 29
Number: 19
Team: Putnam Lake Eagles
Bio: Knight is probably best compared to a power forward in hockey. He will jump right in to any offensive chance, and like to crowd the area in front of the goal and set a screen or a pick. His shot is very accurate. Knight will not be the first guy the Rockets look to to score goals, but you cannot forget about him.

Player: Jason Green
Position: LA
Age: 24
Number: 28
Team: Olympia Gladiators
Bio: Green, for the longest time, has been in the shadows of the great Keith Taylor and Curt Farrell, so now that he has an opportunity to play with them, in the same attack, he is just drooling with excitement. Look for Green to be impressive, and it will be worth watching to see the kind of chemistry that he can get with himself and the “Capital Connection.”

Player: Keith Taylor
Position: CA
Age: 28
Number: 14
Team: Pocono City Capitals
Bio: A complete playmaker. Taylor is one of the greatest players in the world, and as he graces the ground of Kura-Pelland for this tournament, he is expected to have a huge following. He is, already, a three time NLL MVP, with more trophies likely to come. He can find the back of the net with a level of accuracy that should be among the best in this tournament. Everything you could possibly ask for in an attacker is something in which Taylor excels in.

Player: Curt Farrell
Position: RA
Age: 28
Number: 10
Team: Pocono City Capitals
Bio: Taylor to Farrell or Farrell to Taylor are among the most frequently uses phrases within the Empire. These two have played together for the longest time, and will know where the other is on the field without even looking at them. This leads to a lot of razzle-dazzle finesse type plays between the two of them, and when they play some of the weaker teams in the tournament, look for them to deliberately try to put on a show. Farrell, himself, as an NLL MVP award to his credit.


Bench: (Bios will come if time permits)
– Scott Burnett- G (27, Putnam Lake Eagles)
– James Lyons- D (25, Southport Tigers)
– Aaron Applegate- D (24, Tundra Falls Mariners)
– Tyler Jamison- M (26, Centralia Cougars)
– Andy Jacobs- M (27, Stroudsbourg Panthers)
– Kirk Rowen- A (27, South Charlotte Condors)
– Robbie Ferguson- A (29, Springfield Thoroughbreds)
– Shawn Watson- Utility (29, Loudon Leopards)

Roster for the West Pocono Snipers

Starters: age in ( )
GK- Shawn Pritchard (32)
LD- Scott Specht (26)
CD- Jake Pryor (31)
RD- Rick Ansley (24)
LM- John Rooney (26)
CM- Mickey Tyler (27)
RM- Chris Mahoney (28) - Team Captain
LA- Allen McCarren (25)
CA- Mark Fischer (21)
RA- Otis Irving (26)

Bench:
GK- Mark Pratt (28)
D- Richard Belmont (25)
D- Carl Vedder (27)
M- Isaiah Spofford (30)
M- Shawn Burrows (27)
A- Scott Campisano (28)
A- Jose Cota (25)
Util- Brandt Howlett (33)

Coach- Matthew Kaplan (55)

The In Depth Look at the 2nd World Lacrosse Championships

Group 1
Newmanistan Rockets: The Champions of the first WLC, and the host of the second. The Rockets defeated the Falcons in the first playoff game being the first team to defeat them.
Secristan: They shall look to avenge there upset in the semis last time to the Woodpeckers. Look for them to be in contention.
Lovisa: The Worlds greatest underachievers. They finished sixth in the first competition, and shall also contend.
Myedvedeyan: The bears are new to the competition but they should make some ripples.
Kenavt: The Kenatans are a proud nation, and shall also make a impression before this is done.
Greal: Yet another yound team. They should compete.
East Pocono: They are a young team from somewhere near the Stanis. Look for a total wipeout.

Group 2
Land de Wood: the Woodpeckers were the suprise of the first tournament. They stunned Secristan in one of there semis on there way to a runner up. They should be in the running to win the group.
Taeshan: And we've made it to the Flaming Falcons. One of the founders of the WLC the the Falcons should have a major impact on the competition.
Kura Pelland: The Hosts of the first WLC the Arrows are a strong team, and should contend.
Dancougar: The Black Wings are a pretty good team, and shall effect the competition.
Miroxia: E ntering there first competition the Miroxs look pretty good.
Tortuga y Hispaniola: The best part of this team is the name. They should be easy.
Colbourne: A Republic really. Oh well.

Predicitons
Group 1
Newmanistan, Secristan, Myedvedeyan, Lovisa, Kenavt, Greal, East Pocono
Group 2
Taeshan, Land de Wood, Dancougar, KP, Miroxia, Colbourne, Tortuga

Coach Worldly sat in his office. By office, I mean he sat in what normally passed for the concession shack at the local multipurpose sports field. The Kingdom of Dancougar Sports Ministry had presented him with this facility in the hopes that the national lacrosse team might accomplish more than the basketball team in its first real tournament. His main concern was whether or not the players he'd sent for would actually show.

He reached for his pipe and a lighter. "That's bad for your health, sir," came a voice from the corner. Worldly fumbled with the lighter and it clattered to the floor. He turned to the source of the chastisement. Typing away busily on his laptop computer was Beck Sedol, official archivist from the Ministry. He was the one who'd dug up the players they'd contacted.

"Ah, I was just putting it in my mouth, I wasn't going to light it!" Worldly muttered, putting the pipe away.

"I apologize if I've offended you," Sedol replied, tonelessly, without looking up. "But it will set a bad example for followers of the national lacrosse team."

"You think we'll have followers?" said Worldly with a sigh. "That would be nice."

"Like American Football, lacrosse is a niche sport with Dancougar that nevertheless boasts a fervent regional following," Sedol began, now looking up. There was a twinkle in his eye as he recounted what he knew. "It is, of course, most popular in the northeastern counties with strong college teams in Raymaley, Port Vigilence, and..."

"I read your reports," Worldly interrupted, "and I'm impressed by the thoroughness of your research. Still..." He looked at the empty field and the pile of random lacrosse equipment that lay in a disorganized pile. "... Can we really compete in a state like this?"

"Excuse me..." Worldly jumped as a voice came from the front of the shack. A trio had made their way onto the field. The man who spoke wore glasses and placed an envelope on the table. Inside was a letter inviting him to the national team. "We received these notices, and were wondering if this was the place..."

"Doesn't look suitable for a field of battle," chimed in the woman with him. She was hanging off his arm and was a green-haired beauty. She turned her head. "Are you sure this is the right place?"

"Ah, so you did find it!" exclaimed Worldly, standing up and leaning out of the shack. The three took a step back and glanced at each other nervously. "Allow me to introduce myself! I'm Bruno Worldly, the coach of this team. The man in the corner is one of my assistants, Mr. Beck Sedol from the Sports Ministry."

"How do you do?" said Sedol, placing his laptop on the counter. "Your names, please?"

"Midfielder Sterling Jenius," the first man announced, "along with my wife..."

"Molly Fallyna-Jenius," she finished.

"Sterling is a natural athlete, and Molly is also highly skilled," said Sedol, reading from his reports. "Matches between their schools were always highly anticipated because of their duels. If I recall correctly, they said that your blue and red jerseys became a blur as you chased each other and the ball around the field... the Purple Haze, I believe."

"Please, you'll embarrass us," said Sterling, prompting Molly to give him a quick jab in the arm.

"And your friend?" asked Worldly, noticing for the first time the large man following behind them.

"Ben Zakikaki, and with this, your midfield has arrived!" he proclaimed. "Sterling and I are a bit new to this, but with us around, you're guaranteed to have no problems! Ah~hahahahahahaha!!" His laugh was pronounced and confident. And fake. Worldly just grinned stupidly. Oh boy.

*************************

The man downed another shot and stared at the television. The guys on DSPN were saying something about a lacrosse tournament. Faces appeared on screen announcing the players rumored to have been selected. He saw his own and turned away, waiting for his next drink. On the bar in front of him was a letter from the Sports Ministry.

The woman next to him, whose short hair made the two indistinguishable from the back, finished her own drink and slammed her glass on the table, signaling she wanted another. "But really, Kamjin, you should be happy!" she said, giving him a hearty pat on the back. "Think of all the guys you'll get to hit if you play."

He took his shot and coughed. "You're in good spirits, Laplamiz!" he said. "You're really putting them away! I like that!"

Layla Laplamiz was a big, strong woman. She had to be if she was going to survive as a defender. But she had a soft spot for the man she'd met in college and roamed the backfield with, gleefully smashing opponents - and occasionally their teammates. Kamjin was known as 'The Ally Killer' for a reason, but one couldn't doubt his effectiveness. Hearing him praise her brought a blush to her face, but she buried it in her mug before he could notice. She finished another.

"You know, I was thinking maybe this wasn't a good idea, but you've got my spirits up again!" Kamjin said, grabbing his letter. "Yeah... it's been way too long since I got to nail someone. I think I might enjoy this!"

*************************

Kai-Fu Linn sat at the table with his arms folded. A letter sat before him, right where he'd opened it. He'd read over it, sure. Once again reaching out to the world through sport... was this Dancougar's aggression, policy through athletics? If so, he wanted no part of it. The last thing the world needed was more conflict, and even the pitch was too much. He'd lost track of how many crazy wars had been fought because of athletic contests.

The door burst open and in bounced his cousin, May. She had the same long blue hair as he did, reaching halfway down her back. But hers curled more and, at sweet sixteen, she was easier on the eyes than he was. "Kai-Fu!" she cried, whirling around the table and throwing her arms around him. "Is it true? I heard they were forming a team..." He sighed as she picked the letter up from the table. She glanced over it and hugged it to her chest, spinning on her toes with a big smile. "They did pick you! Kai-Fu, isn't it great?"

Kai-Fu should've expected that. People wondered why he had chosen to play lacrosse instead of football because his defensive reflexes were superb. In the end, he'd wondered why he'd even bothered playing sports at all. It was just a way to channel the strength of rampaging men and women, wasn't it? "Honestly, May, what good will come of this?" he asked. "People are just going to get hurt. Is that really what this world needs?"

"Well, maybe if you gave them your strength, they wouldn't be in such a pinch!" May replied giddily. "Come on, I promise to cheer really hard for you. You might actually have some fun! Come oooooooonnnn...."

Kai-Fu sighed. She wasn't going to let up, now, was she?

*************************

"... And so he made me his assistant!" Samantha finished. She walked down the street, shopping bag in hand, alongside Lisa Hayase and Sally LaClaudia. Samantha was two years younger than her friends, but they were fairly close. They had decided to celebrate making the lacrosse team by going on a shopping spree.

"But still, I wonder if I still have it," Lisa said, flicking her curly blonde hair out of her way. "I've barely played since leaving the academy. What about you, Sally?"

Sally was tall with dark skin and fiery red boy hair. Her infectious smile and calm demeanor seemed to be completely out of character for her role as a defender. "Now and then," she replied. "Roy's been keeping busy as a coach, you know."

"You're still together?" asked Samantha with a surprised tone. "Honestly, I never understood that guy. Such a bigshot forward! He'll wear himself out but he acts like he's still a teenager!"

"And that's a bad thing?" asked Sally with a wink. Samantha and Lisa both blushed and looked down at the sidewalk. They walked past a field surrounded by a fence. Sally's face lit up and she ran over. Samantha and Lisa looked at each other, shrugged, and followed. "Roy!" Sally called. "Hey, Roy!"

On the field, a mature-looking man in his late twenties grilled a teenager on the finer points of ball control. His tall, black hair poked out from underneath his headgear as he whipped the ball at goal. One hop and in. It looked impressive, but his instructor was still shaking his head. "The wrist, Rick, the wrist!" he was saying. "You're still using your arms too much!"

The boy removed his mask and breathed greedily. Lisa sized him up. "A little rough around the edges," she remarked. "But he's got talent."

The two walked over to the fence. "Hey, good looking!" said Roy, leaning up on the fence opposite Sally. "Ladies."

"Who's the kid, Roy?" asked Lisa.

"My name's Rick," the boy replied. "Rick Gatherer, forward." He took a look at the women arrayed before him. He turned to Roy. "Hey, senpai, who are these old ladies? Are they scouts or something?"

"O...old?!" cried Lisa. She was maybe five or six years his senior, but that surely didn't... Roy burst out laughing. That wasn't helping. "Watch it, kid, I'll have you know we're all members of the national lacrosse team," Lisa announced.

"They were looking for veterans for the first team, then?" asked Rick. Now he was just playing with her. Lisa's face was bright red, and Roy was trying to breathe.

"Oh man... oh man, Rick, take it easy," he gasped. "Actually, you'll want to get to know them pretty well, because you'll be playing forward alongside me and the old lady there."

"You mean he's...!!" Lisa cried.

"Oh, so this is the boy you were telling me about," Sally said. "The one you recommended to the Ministry. His attitude might need a little work, but as a forward, he looks all right."

Lisa turned her face in disgust and walked off in a huff. Samantha chased after her and Sally joined them after saying farewell to Roy. Rick watched them leave and Roy threw his arm around the lad. "A word of advice," he said. "Women can be very sensitive about their age..."

THE ROCKET REPORT

EMPIRE READY TO WELCOME WORLD

Tundra Falls, Newmanistan- Not too long from now, the 2nd edition of the World Lacrosse Championships will kick off with Newmanistan looking to defend their title on their home turf. As was the case last year, the Empire will be considered one of the favorites to win. Look for Land de Wood, the runner up last year, as well as semifinalists Taeshan and Secristan to be serious threats as well. Solid teams from Kura-Pelland and Lovisa will be threats too, and a few newcomers likely will contend. Dancougar, is the nation on the tip of the tongue of most people when looking for debutants most likely to be a threat to win the championships, but don’t count a team like Myedvedeya. Land de Wood’s runner up finish last year was a Cinderella run, so perhaps one of the nations not mentioned as a similar run in them. We don’t know much about the lacrosse programs of places like West Pocono, Greal, Kenavt, Miroxia, Colburne, or Tortuga y Hispaniola, and one of them may be a sleeper.

It will be a fun tournament, and we would like to welcome these nations to Newmanistan. The Empress has chosen ten venues to host the tournament. The obvious choices such as Pocono City, Tundra Falls, and Loudon will see the most action. Though Southport, Olympia, Centralia, Dover City, Putnam Lake and Hastings will have another chance to have interregional play on their turf. These stadiums also saw action in Cup of Harmony 33, and well as some of them in World Bowl I & II. Two new cities though will see interregional action for the first time. Springfield and South Tier will have an opportunity to showcase their cities, both hosting games in Group B. Newmanistanians, showing their love for the game of lacrosse, have picked up many tickets for games in all venues, and it is expected that their will be sold out crowds for all games. Tickets are sold in a “package”, so for example those wishing to see Taeshan vs Dancougar at Pocono City will also have valid tickets for the other games played at the Stadium that day, which in this example would be Land de Wood vs Kura-Pelland and Miroxia vs The Republic of Colburne.

As far as Newmanistan’s tournament, as a team, is concerned, they have been placed in Group A as they attempt to repeat as champions. They will be matched up with regional rival Secristan once again, a game that has been scheduled for the final day of group competition. In addition to the Millionaires, the Rockets will also be facing their closest ally in the Atlantian Oceania region, a region known for sporting prowess, the nation of West Pocono. The Snipers of West Pocono will be the Rockets matchday one opponent. Between them and the finale with Secristan will be matches against Myedvedeya, Lovisa, Greal and Kenavt, in that order. The Rockets are ready, and so too, is the rest of the world. Let’s enjoy what should be an outstanding tournament.

Huge crowds on hand in Tundra Falls (Group A) and Pocono City (Group B) tonight. All 14 flags have been spotted at least once, including those of the two teams that have byes.

It's time to play!! RP CUTOFF; right here, right now.

Group A:

Newmanistan 15-10 West Pocono
Myedvedeya 11-11 kenavt
Lovisa 16-8 Greal

Group B:

Land de Wood 12-9 Kura-Pelland
Taeshan 15-12 Dancougar
Miroxia 9-10 Colburne

You want tables? Well you'll have to wait until tomorrow. We'll see you then as Group A heads to Loudon and Group B goes to Hastings.

Land de Wood 12-9 Kura-Pelland

THe first game was never going to be easy for our boys, they may have been runners up last time out, but these were the hosts last time and they knew the game inside out and will be looking to make amends for not winning it last time out.

THe first quarter went against us, our boys scored just once to our opponent's three goals. Acosta set up by Egger getting our only goal. 1-3

But then the second quarter our Woodpeckers went out in force, Acosta and young Aadli both got two a piece, while our opponents only got the one goal. 5-4 and our boys are flying.

Our opponents were back in the mix of things during the third quarter going 8-6 up at one point but finishing it 9-8 down as our boys performance soared. Hovsepian and Blair joined the scorers with one a piece along with Egger who got two.

So 9-8 up going into the fourth quarter and our boys needed to keep their heads and win the game. A good defensive backline, backed up by Christie who was brought on for Hovsepian to sit between the defense and midfield, let just one goal past them.
Meanwhile three more goals were got at the other end, Acosta was back amongst the scorers, his two goals prompted the change of tactics, as at 11-9 up the manager felt his boys needed Christie's pace to add cover to the defense. Meanwhile Egger got another to make it 12-9
Final score:
12-9

Man of the match: Acosta, he was our top striker last time and he has done it again with 5 here today.
Worth a mention: Aadli looked assured as he made his debut on the world stage.
Also Christie though he played for just 8 minutes he played a good role covering both sides of the pitch at various points.

Flaming Falcons Sart off With a Win

15-12 over Dancougar led by Rowan Qwarants 7 goals the Falons sarted the tourney off with a win.

"Where IS he?" Lisa was fuming. She and the rest of the team were already in full gear and trying to delay the start of the match with Taeshan. Rick had yet to show. Roy tossed his phone into his duffel bag and shrugged. "Hmph, kids are so irresponsible, that's why they can't be trusted with something like this!"

"Hey, I said he could play," Roy replied, "I didn't say anything about his ability to read a map."

"Well, we can play with nine of us, can't we?" said Ben cheerily. "I'll just work extra hard. Get me the ball, and I'll score Rick's share! Ah~hahahahahaha!!"

The referee came over to inform Worldly that the team would forfeit the game if they waited any longer. He turned to the team and waved them onto the pitch. Dancougar would go with nine.

*************************

Unbelievable, thought Rick, stumbling through the brush. His bag got caught again, and he violently shook it free. The snap of twigs and leaves surrounded him. On the upside, there was the girl...

"Taxi!" Rick waved down the first cab he saw. Damn, he overslept! At this rate, he'd miss the face-off. As he climbed in, a girl ran up to the door and tapped the window. "Sorry, but I'm in a hurry," Rick said.

"You're going to the lacrosse game, right?" she asked breathless. "I slept late and now I'm going to miss Kai-Fu's debut!"

"Huh? You know Kai-Fu?" asked Rick.

"I'm his cousin, May!" she replied. "If you don't mind, can I jump in with you?"

They were on their way. Rick unfolded the map he had of the area and tried to figure out the best way to get there. The taxi was taking a roundabout route, and if was reading the map correctly, he could possibly take a shortcut if he got out early and cut through some forest. Easy enough, right? He showed it to May and she agreed...

"Rick, how much longer?" May asked. "You said it would only be a five minute walk!"

"Maybe we're going in the wrong direction," Rick muttered. "My phone's signal is horrible out here. I can't find where we are."

"Let's take a break," she said, leaning against a tree. The sun peeked through the canopy, bathing her with rays of light. May was certainly cute. Rick caught himself staring and looked bashfully at his bag, which was starting to show some tear after getting dragged around the forest. He wondered how the team was doing with him.

*************************

SWISH! Rowan Qwarant could do no wrong. Five goals so far and Taeshan were up 8-2. Kai-Fu was already regretting his decision to come back, because he was busy shouting instructions that half the team was ignoring. "The ball's coming left!" he yelled. "Kamjin!"

The Ally Killer made no attempt to play the ball and just laid the poor guy out. The ball bounced free to Fohneger, who was just roaming behind the Dancougar goal to pick up anything loose. He whipped it back in front for the quick shot, but Kai-Fu managed to turn that one away. Molly scooped it up and tried to counter.

Worldly fidgeted on the sideline. They were certainly suffering without Rick in the lineup. Roy got number three after Molly weaved past Baker and picked him out, but it was still an uphill battle. There weren't enough bodies to enforce ball control. He reached for his pipe.

"Coach, there's no smoking on the sideline!" cried the shrill-voiced assistant, Samantha.

*************************

Rick and May continued to stumble through the woods. In the distance, they saw it getting brighter. Figuring it to be the field, they looked at each other with relief and ran for the light... and emerged in just another forest clearing. It had been almost an hour now. May sat on the ground and heaved. Rick couldn't stand the sight and handed her his water bottle.

"We're really lost, aren't we?" she sighed.

"Seems so," Rick answered. "I'm sorry, May, if only I hadn't..."

"No, it's okay," May replied, handing back the bottle. "I'm glad I'm with someone as nice as you."

"You... you think so?" said Rick, turning away shyly.

May giggled and stood up. She really was cute. A little gust of wind brushed her hair back. "If you had told me... that I'd never feel your warmth again... I would say before you go... hold me close to you and make sure I'd remember when... oooooooo... it's long, long good-bye."

"You have a lovely voice..." Rick said at last.

May smiled. "I'm glad!" she replied. "You might think it's silly, but... I always wanted to be a singer."

"What's stopping you?" Rick asked.

"Eh?"

*************************

It was 12-8 now, and Dancougar was getting back into it. Hayase had funneled some of her anger towards Rick into her sizzling shots, but Fornfelt was starting to figure them out. Kamjin's punishing defense had slowed the Taeshan attack and frozen Qwarant at seven goals.

"The most effective role for Molly would be to play Rick's normal position behind the net," Sedol mused, checking his clipboard. "Her control has been excellent and her vision has created most of our scoring chances."

"But we can't leave the midfield undermanned as long as Zakikaki's our man..." Worldly admitted.

"With only nine players, we must make a sacrifice somewhere," Sedol replied coldly. "Time is running out, coach."

...

The final, 15-12. A game that wasn't nearly as close as the score indicated. Once Taeshan built the lead to 15-10, they slowed the attack and brought on some of the bench players to get some exercise. The team was heading back to the bus when, from the woods at the edge of the grounds, out stumbled a very bewildered Rick and May.

"We made it!" cried May. "Now we... huh?" She noticed that the stands were empty and the team was already changed and prepared to leave. "We missed the game?"

"You mean to say you were on a date the entire time while we suffered out there?!" yelled Hayase, struggling to avoid decking the boy.

"No, you've got it all wrong, it's..." Rick stammered, his confidence from the day before completely evaporated.

"Oh-ho, Rick, at least you know how to pick 'em!" said Roy, catching Rick in a headlock. "Although girls only come after you win, you know!"

"May, what on earth are you doing with an attackman?!" exploded Kai-Fu.

The rest of the team surrounded Rick with fire in their eyes. Roy looked up, grinned, and backed away slowly. "S-s-senpai!" cried Rick. The crowd closed in. Coach Worldly stood by and watched.

"Should we stop them?" asked Sedol.

"If this team's going to win together, they have to work things like this out," Worldly replied, taking his pipe. He lit it and inhaled deeply. "They'll see to it that he's punished, and we'll move on." He got onto the bus. Sedol nodded and followed, while Rick tried to outrun a very angry lacrosse team.

BRING IT ON!

Lacrosse. The great game of Lacrosse. There is no more popular sport in the nation of Secristan then lacrosse, and this time we are out to show that there are no other nations in the world that are better then us. A year ago, Secristan had an undefeated group stage before losing in the semifinal to a nation that had never heard of the sport before. Granted, the Land de Wood players were very talented and they earned what they got, but that was embarrassing. We settled for a third place tie with Taeshan because there was no third place game. This was probably a good thing because Taeshan takes out the frustration of their losses to our fellow One Big Island nation and current host of the tournament when they play us.

In this tournament, Secristan is more normal then we may be in other tournaments. Players do not have to bid to represent the nation, and they are chosen based on their talent and skill level. We do not need to resort to using Cheerleaders as we did in the World Bowl or Ice Girls like we did in the World Cup of Hockey, even though both groups of young ladies did surprisingly well. The Ice Girls after all, got us a win over Taeshan! However, some things will remain the same. Games are only available on a pay-per-view basis within the country, at a rate of 29R per quarter, or 115R for the entire game. The sheer enjoyment of lacrosse leads the Secristan Department of Sports to be very confident that purchases will be high and a good amount of revenue will be generated.

It is expected, too, that a large number of Secristanis will cross the Penthoria River into Newmanistan to watch the games live, with the games in Eastern Newmanistan cities such as Pocono City, Loudon, and Dover City will have a huge number of Secristanis in attendance making it seem like a Secristan home game, the MD2 game against Greal and the MD5 game against Myedvedeya will be the primary games affected by this. The final game of the group stage against Newmanistan is in Dover City, so that will be exciting.

The competition actually has already started, but there is an unwritten that hosts of Sporting competitions seem to have: When Secristan is involved, and there will be a bye day, Secristan is to have it on MD1. It seems like this is always the case!

MD1 was so much fun, let's do it again! But with different dance partners! Cutoff time!

From Loudon Stadium, here’s the Group A results:

Newmanistan 17-12 Myedvedeya
Secristan 15-8 Greal
Lovisa 14-11 West Pocono

Now to Hastings, for Group B:

Land de Wood 18-7 Tortuga y Hispaniola
Taeshan 14-10 Miroxia
Dancougar 13-10 Colburne


Group A W D L P GF GA GD
Lovisa 2 0 0 6 30 19 11
Newmanistan 2 0 0 6 32 22 10
Secristan 1 0 0 3 15 8 7
Kenavt 0 1 0 1 11 11 0
Myedvedeya 0 1 1 1 23 28 -5
West Pocono 0 0 2 0 21 29 -8
Greal 0 0 2 0 16 31 -15




Group B W D L P GF GA GD
Land de Wood 2 0 0 6 30 16 14
Taeshan 2 0 0 6 29 22 7
Dancougar 1 0 1 3 25 25 0
Colburne 1 0 1 3 20 22 -2
Kura-Pelland 0 0 1 0 9 12 -3
Miroxia 0 0 2 0 19 24 -5
T.y. Hispaniola 0 0 1 0 7 18 -11

Flaming Falcons F;ly Past Miroxians

Wow, watching the tape of that game you would never know that it was ever even close. The Falcons won 14-10. There second win in the tourney, in there second game. Rowan Qwarant who easily leads the sport in World Lacrosse Championship goals, with his 8 goals in the game. And they easily won. I believe we may play the Millionares next, but that is just speculation.

"I have half a mind to keep him cuffed to you!" Lisa shot Roy a dirty look and sat on the field waiting for the coach to make his appearance. Rick was in the middle of his eighth lap around the field. Kamjin had volunteered to dish out harsher punishment if he didn't finish, and judging from the gleam in his eyes, he might pound Rick anyway.

Kai-Fu was not one for that kind of behavior, but he kept silent this time. "It's his own fault," he muttered, lying on the grass with his arms behind his head. I can't forgive that guy... for being alone with May like that.

"Look alive!" called Samantha, as she skipped onto the field with coach Worldly close behind. Archivist Beck Sedol brought up the rear and was carrying a clipboard with a thick stack of printouts. "Rick, we're starting!"

"Hey, that bastard's got, what, thirty more laps or something?" Kamjin replied roughly. "How many'd we tell him to do?"

"It can wait until after practice," Worldly returned.

Kamjin spat at the ground. "Feh, do what you want," he said. "I'll just work him extra hard during drills."

Rick jogged over to the group and kept his distance. Forty laps around the field wasn't that bad if he paced himself. As soon as he arrived, Worldly took the papers from Sedol and began passing them around to everyone. He got his packet and took a look. "This is our new offense," Worldly said. "As you know, we don't really have any reserves at the moment, and in a situation where a player is injured or otherwise absent, we have to adjust accordingly."

Lisa glared at Rick and then turned back to the coach. Rick took a step back just from the look... it was as if he'd been shot between the eyes. His next start came from Kamjin, who shouted, "The hell is this everyone plays everything nonsense?!"

"This game is very fast, and we can't afford to be leaving blank space on the field just because we don't have a body to fill it," replied Worldly. "We need everybody to be ready to pitch in at a moment's notice."

"Of course, we do not expect everyone to be capable of playing in goal," said Sedol, nodding at Kai-Fu. "There are, as you know, three main field positions. Defense. Midfield. Attack. All of you are specialists in your current positions, otherwise you wouldn't be here. But we need to channel your athletic abilities and make you more complete lacrosse players. The phrase we've coined for this strategy is 'Variable Athlete.'"

"Starting today, everyone will take part in the same drills, and all of them," Worldly continued. "You will keep your current starting positions, but think of this as extra flexibility during the actual game."

Rick was given his first real go at defense. He tried tracking the ball, but there was too much movement. Molly whipped it over to Lisa, who he had ignored because he was trying to play the ball. This put her in a perfect position to school Kai-Fu. "Rick, you're not listening to me!" he yelled. "Ignore the ball, just get your man!"

"Right, right!" responded Rick, waiting for the next drill. Kai-Fu called the play. Rick drifted over to the left to guard against Lisa's run. She received a pass and made her run. Rick did as he was told and went for her, delivering a clean hit that sent the ball bouncing towards the sideline and out of play. He reached down and offered her his hand. "Sorry 'bout that, you okay?"

Lisa motioned to take it, paused briefly, and then helped herself up. "You're learning," was all she said before walking away.

*************************

Game day, and the team lined up to take on the Republic of Colburne. Kamjin was stirring on the sideline. "Hey, Laplamiz, you remember our bet, right? Whoever gets the fewest hits buys the beers."

"As long as you can drink 'em!" Laplamiz fired back. Since her mask was on, she didn't reveal her reddening cheeks. He two shook on it.

Rick, in the meantime, was stretching near the bench. Roy walked over. "Hey, you nervous?" he asked. "Your first international."

"I guess," Rick replied.

"Completely natural," Roy answered. "All you need to do is just focus on doing your job. Just play it like it's any other game."

"Just don't hold us back," came Lisa sharply from the other side of the bench. "I'm expecting you to show us why Roy thinks so highly of you."

"Good luck, Rick! Kai-Fu!" Rick turned to the stands and saw May waving at them with a Horrible Hand-Towel.

Now it was Kai-Fu's turn to confront the youngster. He placed his hand firmly on Rick's shoulder. "Rick... she told me what happened, but I'll be honest, I haven't quite forgiven you. But because she's cheering for you, you'd better pay us all back double for the last game, you got it?"

"No problem," Rick replied. He gritted his teeth. Why is everybody being so annoying? Damn it, do they even want me here?

"Oh, Rick," Kai-Fu said as he was walking away, "May mentioned something silly last night about a talent show. Do you know what she's talking about?"

*************************

Max got the ball and starting to break upfield. He had Molly running alongside him and he passed it over. She tried to juke a defender before passing back to Max, who alertly snapped the ball into the middle. Rick was on it in a flash, taking control and diving low for a shot at goal. He beat the Colburne 'keeper between his legs. 11-8, now, and they had a little more breathing room. It was his sixth of the game.

The small Dancougar section was waving its towels energetically, but Colburne soon went back on the offensive. They narrowed the gap to 11-10 and started to take all the momentum. Sedol walked over to coach Worldly and gave him a tap on the shoulder. "I've noticed that miz LaClaudia is slowing up, and they're exploiting her at the back," he said. "Might I suggest shifting personnel?"

"I was thinking that, too," Worldly responded. He turned back to the field. "Rick!" he shouted. "Switch with Sally and play defense!"

"He is our highest scorer in the match," said Sedol. "I don't understand why you would move him back. Perhaps you would rather exchange one of the Jeniuses, or miz Hayase?"

"If we're trying to be more defensive, we need our midfield to remain strong," Worldly answered. "Rick has a lot of energy right now and can play more physically. We can park Sally behind the Colburne goal and let the others drive the attack."

It wasn't long before Colburne was challenging again, and it was clear that they were trying to avoid Kamjin and Layla. By his count, Kamjin was winning. By her count, Layla was winning. Kai-Fu was too busy yelling instructions to care. Rick watched the movement of the oncoming forward. "The ball's to your right!!" shouted Kai-Fu.

It's like practice... he thought. Exactly the same!! As soon as he saw the attacker's stick snap back to receive the ball, Rick jumped him. Boom, a clean check!

The ball bounced free and Max scooped it up. He immediately ran in on goal. He whipped it to Lisa, who found Sally, we brought it around to Roy. Roy sidestepped one defender and went top shelf. Goal. It was 12-10 and the Colburne comeback was stopped cold. Max scored late to give them the 13-10 victory.

"Gotta say, that was a half decent hit!" Kamjin said afterward. "You did good... but you still owe us thirteen more laps."

Sedol watched the team crowd around the bench and celebrate, with poor Samantha caught somewhere in the mass of bodies. "Variable Athlete... huh?"

Newcomers taught a Lacrosse lesson

In what proved a walk in the park our Woodpeckers soared to a 5-0 lead in the first quarter.
The second quarter we won 5-2 as our opponents started to play but we were still 10-2 up at this point.
The third quarter we won 6-2 (so that's 16-4)
but we actually lost the fourth quarter 2-3 but had already done enough and took our foot of the gas.
Land de Wood 18-7 Tortuga y Hispaniola

Acosta got another 7 goals.
Young super striker Aadli got 6 goals and Man of the Match
Egger got 2 goals
Enzo Edwards was given the 4th quarter in place of Acosta and got 2 goals.
Declan Basile got 1 goal.

Assists:
Ethan Hovsepian set up 5 goals.
Egger set up 4 goals
Aadli set up 3 goals.
Basile set up 3 goals
Blair set up 2 goals
Fisher came of the bench in the third quarter and got one goal (though he also set up one of the opponents!)

With Newmanistan on their bye, and Olympia being the furthest possible Newmanistanian city from our neighbors Secristan, today's Group A games in Olympia were a hot ticket for fans of Myedvedeya, West Pocono, Greal, Lovisa, and Kenavt.

Traveling fans in Group B also get a treat: The beautiful city of Southport, the #1 resort area in the Empire, awaits them.

But it's now cutoff time.... let's see what happens.

Group A:

Secristan 12-10 West Pocono
Myedvedeya 11-14 Greal
Lovisa 13-13 Kenavt

Group B:

Land de Wood 14-9 Miroxia
Taeshan 16-12 Kura-Pelland
Tortuga y Hispaniola 12-13 Colburne

For MD4, Group A heads to Centralia, where the city is pumped for these games as they have only had one interregional game ever in the city. Group B goes to the “Jungle” in Loudon.

Tables!!


Group A W D L P GF GA GD
Lovisa 2 1 0 7 43 32 11
Newmanistan 2 0 0 6 32 22 10
Secristan 2 0 0 6 27 18 9
Greal 1 0 2 3 30 42 -12
Kenavt 0 2 0 2 24 24 0
Myedvedeya 0 1 2 1 34 42 -8
West Pocono 0 0 3 0 31 41 -10



Group B W D L P GF GA GD
Land de Wood 3 0 0 9 44 25 19
Taeshan 3 0 0 9 45 34 11
Colburne 2 0 1 6 33 34 -1
Dancougar 1 0 1 3 25 25 0
Kura-Pelland 0 0 2 0 21 28 -7
Miroxia 0 0 3 0 28 38 -10
T.y. Hispaniola 0 0 2 0 19 31 -12

Hmm, Dancougar has a bye week. Does the team travel to Southport for some fun in the sun, engaging in the time-honored tradition of the fanservicey resort episode? Or do they haul ass straight to Loudon to prepare for Tortuga y Hispaniola?

As it turns out, Coach Worldly said something about driving to Baltimore later today. Except I'm pretty sure that's not in Newmanistan.

Flaming Falcons Win Again

Walk in the park, that was last nights game between the Falcons of Taeshan and the Kura Pellandi Arrows. 16-12. Hmm it was close, but they never had a chance in the third down 10-9, when Rowan Qwarant added to his earlier 5 goals with 5 more. 10 goals in one game. That kid is awesome! Yeah. Next the Falmin's play Colbourne #3 in group b right now before there bye.

Land de Wood 14-9 Miroxia

Another straight forward game for Land de Wood.
Two goals from Acosta, and one each from Aadli and Egger meant they were 4-2 up after the first quarter.
Egger then struck twice along with one from Blair to make it 7-4 after the second quarter.
The third quarter ended with the score at 11-6 with two from Aadli, one from Acosta and one from Hovsepian.
The fourth quarter was a more relaxed affair as Block took the opportunity to rest his players, with Acosta and Aadli both coming of for Edwards and Ikeda we also saw Abdullaye come on for Gray in goal, to give him some playing time.
Edwards and Ikeda both got a goal as did Basile.

Top of the assists was Basile with 4 and Hovsepian and Egger with 3 each.
Man of the match: Basile his constant runs down the right caused the opponents no end of problems.
Injury doubt: Goalie Gray strained his finger but is hopeful that after the bye round he'll make the match against Dancougar.
The Dancougar game promises to be a tight one. They may have had a slip up in their first game but they are not to be underestimated.

It's that time once again. Centralia and Loudon are ready to go and so are we. Cut off time!

Group A:

Newmanistan 14-8 Greal
Secristan 18-11 kenavt
Myedvedeya 12-13 West Pocono

Group B:

Taeshan 16-6 Colburne
Dancougar 15-8 Tortuga y Hispaniola
Kura-Pelland 15-7 Miroxia

More action on your way tomorrow as Group A goes to the nations capital in Pocono City while Group B goes to the Stadium at South Tier. It will be the first time that any international game will be played in South Tier, ever. So the locals there are really going to be pumped!


Group A W D L P GF GA GD
Newmanistan 3 0 0 9 46 30 16
Secristan 3 0 0 9 45 29 16
Lovisa 2 1 0 7 43 32 11
West Pocono 1 0 3 3 44 53 -9
Greal 1 0 3 3 38 56 -18
Kenavt 0 2 1 2 35 42 -7
Myedvedeya 0 1 3 1 46 55 -9



Group B W D L P GF GA GD
Taeshan 4 0 0 12 61 40 21
Land de Wood 3 0 0 9 44 25 19
Dancougar 2 0 1 6 40 33 7
Colburne 2 0 2 6 39 50 -11
Kura-Pelland 1 0 2 3 36 35 1
T.y. Hispaniola 0 0 3 0 27 46 -19
Miroxia 0 0 4 0 35 53 -18

Interview with the manager

Well with no game for Land de Wood today we caught up with the manager to see how he thought things were going.

Larry: Good evening Estevan,
Estevan: Good evening Larry,
Larry: so Estevan, three games, three wins, you've got to be pleased with that.
Estevan: Indeed the first game against Kura Pelland was always going to be difficult and we were very pleased to win it, and the two newcomers well you can never be sure of victory against newcomers, we of all people know that after our sensational run last timeout.
Larry: Quite, over-confidence can indeed cost you.
Estevan: Indeed it can, but I'm happy to say we were professional about it and got the victories.
Larry: So what about Dancougar, theirs a bit of history between our two nations on the sporting front.
Estevan: Well I don't want to go into the past, we all make mistakes, it is now time to show our class on the Lacrosse field and win.
Larry: Indeed so what about Choovio Aadli quite a competition he is having.
Estevan: Yes, he has been sensational, for someone so young he has a great understanding of the game and a knack of being in the right place at the right time.
Larry: Before the competition everyone was talking about Marcelo Christies pace, yet he hasn't featured much yet.
Estevan: No, well the defense has been solid and while we've used Marcelo once or twice as a covering midfield man, he is going to have to bide his time.
Larry: So is this squad good enough to go all the way and win the title?
Estevan: I believe it is, mark my words, this is not an easy competition but I have confidence in the squad.
Larry: Who are the main dangers to our chances?
Estevan: Well Taeshan have proved again they are no mugs in our group, while in the other group Newmanistan and Secristan have again showed their class, so it could well be the same top 4 as last time. Kura-Pelland in our group will be glad to have won a game but they could be yet outsiders after a difficult start and Lovisa have played well so far in group A.
Larry: Thanks for that Estevan well we wish our boys all the best in the rest of games and hope to talk to you again soon.
Estevan: Thank you.

So there we have it Estevan Bloch confident as ever and why not our boys have played 3 and won 3, and are building on their performance last time out.

Flamin Falcons Rock Colbourne

16-6, there biggest win so far in the tournament the Flaming Falcons of Taeshan rocked the Colbourne squad. Rowan Qwarant led with 8 goals. It was never close. Know the Knights have a bye game.

Laplamiz was milling about the stadium entrance. She'd gotten in an early jog to warm up, and she'd apparently beaten the rest of the team to the stadium. Rather than take advantage of their day off in the sunshine, the coach had sent them all ahead to Loudon with vague instructions on what to do in their next game. He was off doing something weird in Baltimore, wherever that was.

A few guards walked over to her, obviously displeased with her loitering. "This area is off limits to fans," one said.

Laplamiz smiled and stood up on her tiptoes to peer inside. The stadium was already rocking from one of the earlier matches. "Sounds like quite a to-do inside," she said. "And how is it that two upstanding gentlemen such as yourselves didn't receive an invitation?"

"Somebody has to make sure this area stays off limits to fans," the guard replied, not noticing her duffel bag and athletic frame.

"Ah, a noble job, to be sure..." She made a move to get inside, but they shifted to block her. She stepped aside again, and was likewise obstructed. "I was just thinking, though, that... a stadium like that makes the others in this country superfluous, really."

"Ah, well, Tundra Falls has the best grounds, sure enough," the guard answered. "But no one can match 'The Jungle' for passion."

"I've heard of a stadium," Laplamiz began, figuring this was a fun way to kill time before the rest of her team showed up. "The fans are supposed to be incredible passionate, nigh unbeatable... the Black Dome."

"Heh," laughed the guard, "well, there's no REAL stadium that can match The Jungle."

The other guard turned to his partner with a serious look on his face. "But... the Black Dome is a real stadium."

"No... no, it's not," said the first, shaking his head.

The other's eyes remained cold like steel. "Yes it is, I've been there."

The first guard turned towards the other and rolled his eyes. "You've been to a stadium with an event staff consisting of the damned that only shows matches between teams so evil that hell itself spat them back out?"

"Well... no," admitted the other, "but I did watch a game in a dome that was black!"

"OH, and no stadium that isn't staffed by the damned and doesn't pit teams that were so evil that hell itself spat them back out, so it couldn't POSSIBLY be the Black Dome..." The first guard had gone off on a tirade but stopped when he noticed that Laplamiz had snuck past and was heading for the locker rooms. The guards ran over to her and got in the way again. "Hold on, you're not allowed in here, ma'am!"

"What's your name?" asked the second.

"Layla, " Laplamiz replied with a smile. "Layla Laplamiz."

"What's your purpose in Loudon, Miss Laplamiz?" asked the first guard.

"And no lies!" chimed in the second.

Layla slung her duffel bag over her shoulder and shrugged. "All right," she said, "I'll confess. My intention is to enter your locker room, change into my lacrosse gear, and run straight at Tortuga to check, hit, poke, and otherwise beat their black, weasely guts out."

The two just blinked at her. "I said no lies!"

"I think she's telling the truth," the first guard said, sizing her up.

"You think she'd really tell us the truth if that was it?"

"Unless, of course," Layla interjected, "she knew you wouldn't believe the truth, even if you heard it..."

NOW IT BEGINS

The Millionaires have officially beaten the cream puffs on the schedule. Greal, West Pocono, and Kenavt by scores of 15-8, 12-10, and 18-11. Don’t quite know what happened in that West Pocono game to allow them to have been so close, but the team has treated that game like a wake up call. They didn’t lose, but it showed the team that they can’t quite take the teams from these unaccomplished teams too lightly. Kenavt then paid the price in our seven goal win last night in Olympia. So now those games are over and now come the more difficult opponents, the opponents that have decent enough lacrosse programs for us to respect. It will start in Pocono City against Myedvedeya, though they are probably more like the fourth pushover on the schedule. They have lost three times with a draw, and that was to Kenavt, the team we just destroyed by seven. Then though, comes a respectable opponent in Lovisa. We should still beat them, but they will provide an adequate warmup for our big showdown in the group finale against Newmanistan, in a game that will probably determine first place. Group B seems a little deeper right now then Group A, so there could be a considerable difference in your first round quarterfinal opponent based on finishing first or second here in this group.

The Secristan Department of Sports is pleased with the 3-0-0 record of the team and looks forward to more success within the group. Pay-per-view ratings have seen a mixed bag of success so far. For the Greal game, sales were high, but not a lot of people seemed to be too interested in the games against West Pocono and Kenavt, and sales were below expectations for those matches, though not terrible. According to SDOS reports, the same figures should be expected for the Myedvedeya game, and interest really peaking for the final two games of the group schedule.

The competition continues with Group A in Pocono City, where the supprots of the six involved teams can take the time tour the Empire’s capital if they so desire. Meanwhile, in Group B, South Tier finally has their day to host an interregional competition. Supporters of Taeshan still come out in high numbers despite an X Island Inquirer report that today was their bye day. It all leads up to this, your cutoff for MD5.

Group A:

Newmanistan 14-12 Lovisa
Secristan 15-7 Myedvedeya
Kenavt 13-8 West Pocono

Group B:

Land de Wood 14-14 Dancougar
Taeshan 18-8 Tortuga y Hispaniola
Kura-Pelland 15-10 Colburne

Tables!!


Group A W D L P GF GA GD
Secristan 4 0 0 12 60 36 24 Q
Newmanistan 4 0 0 12 60 42 18 Q
Lovisa 2 1 1 7 55 46 9
Kenavt 1 2 1 5 48 50 -2
Greal 1 0 3 3 38 56 -18
West Pocono 1 0 4 3 52 66 -14
Myedvedeya 0 1 4 1 53 70 -17 E



Group B W D L P GF GA GD
Taeshan 5 0 0 15 79 48 31 Q
Land de Wood 3 1 0 10 58 39 19 Q
Dancougar 2 1 1 7 54 47 7
Kura-Pelland 2 0 2 6 51 45 6
Colburne 2 0 3 6 49 65 -16
Miroxia 0 0 4 0 35 53 -18 E
T.y. Hispaniola 0 0 4 0 35 64 -29


In Group B, Miroxia is eliminated because the best they could do is tie Kura-Pelland and Colburne for 4th. They already have losses to both teams, so would therefore lose a tiebreaker if that were to happen. Tortuga y Hispaniola however, still has a game to go with Kura-Pelland, so they still have a mathematical shot.

For Matchday 6, Group A heads out to Putnam Lake while Group B will be in Springfield.

Flaming Falcons Win Again

First we here at the inquirer would like to apologise to all the fANS OUT THERE WHO MISSED THE fALCONS GAME AGAINST tORTUGA Y hISPANIOLA BECAUSE OF OUR FALTY REPORTING OF A BYE. iT WAS AS YOU KNOW NO A LIE. wE HAVE FIRED THAT REPORTER. aNYWAYS THEY WON AGAIN AGAINST THE AFFOREMENTUION TEAM NOT MENTIONEDS TO SAVE SPACE. WOW ALL CAPS. 18.8, led by Rowan Qwarants 8 goals. Next is the bye andf then the pivoltal match vs Land de Wood, but who cares we've already qualed for the next round.

Land de Wood 14-14 Dancougar

Dancougar were always going to be one of the tougher opponents Land de Wood faced and this game could have gone either way, lets go through the goals as they were scored:

3rd minute: (1-0) Land de Wood take the lead through an
4th minute: (1-1) Dancougar equalise after a mistake by Brand
6th minute: (1-2) Dancougar take the lead with some brilliant play
8th minute: (2-2) Land de Wood equalise through Aadli set up by Egger.
11th minute: (3-2) Land de Wood take the lead through Egger set up by Hovespien
(3-3) Dancougar get a quick equaliser start away
13th minute: (4-3) Land de Wood take the lead again through young Aadli.
14th minute: (4-5) Dancougar score twice in quick succession.
End of first quarter Dancougar lead 5 goals to 4 after a high scoring quarter.
17th minute: (5-5) Land de Wood grab an equaliser through Acosta
19th minute: (6-5) Land de Wood take the lead through Basile
21st minute: (7-5) Land de Wood extend their lead through Hovespien.
24th minute: (7-6) Dancougar peg Land de Wood back.
28th minute: (8-6) Land de Wood regain their 2 goal advantage through Aadli
End of second quarter Land de Wood lead 8 goals to 6 after a calmer second quarter.
32nd minute: (9-6) Land de Wood take control of the game through Acosta
36th minute: (10-6) The Woodpeckers are flying high as Egger scores again.
38th minute: (10-6) Disaster strikers, Acosta is stretchered of injured having been hacked down by a Dancougar player who only gets a warning. Edwards is on in his place.
39th minute: (10-7) Dancougar score against a shaken Land de Wood.
41st minute: (10-9) Dancougar score two in quick succession as Land de Wood struggle to come to terms with the loss of Acosta
44th minute: (10-10) Dancougar equalise and Bloch is going to have to calm his shell shocked team.
End of third quarter Land de Wood and Dancougar are level at 10 all.
48th minute: (11-10) A resurgent Land de Wood take the lead through Edwards
49th minute: (11-12) Dancougar score two in quick succession.
51st minute: (12-12) Land de Wood equalise through Egger.
53rd minute: (13-12) Land de Wood take the lead through Aadli
56th minute: (13-14) Dancougar grab two in quick succesion to take the lead in this sea-saw of the game.
59th minute: (14-14) Land de Wood grab a late equaliser through Basile.

Well what a breathtaking game that was. Land de Wood will be pleased with the point that guarantees them qualification but will be very concerned by the injury to Acosta who will definitely be out of the next game. Bloch will be hoping he is back for the group decider against Taeshan.

The Greali team rested today, watching other teams play. Now, Greal will play Newmanistan today. Despite being inexperienced, Greal will do its best today and hope for a tie, or even a win. The World Lacrosse Championships 2 Match day 1 was watched by 80 million viewers on Greali television. A new record. We wish luck to Newmanistan also.

Sally and Roy were walking towards the stadium, and the South Tier atmosphere was buzzing. The fans here were great - it didn't matter what sport it was, there were people coming up and wishing them well in the upcoming game, even though their Rockets were playing up in Pocono City. They were well aware of the task ahead. Land de Wood were finalists last time around. A win would probably be asking too much.

A guy on the street tugged at Roy's duffel. He wore a trenchcoat and had a brown hat pulled down over his eyes. Stubble was visible on his chin and cheeks. "Hey, so, uh... I hear you guys are playing Land de Wood today..." he said with a scratchy voice. But it was somehow familiar.

"You bet, we're on our way over now," replied Roy. "Hey, you sound awfully familiar... I know! You were that guy on DSPN, weren't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," said the man gruffly, with just a hint of Kenneth Prime in his voice. "But I'll tell you what, if you need me to rustle up some..." He looked side to side before continuing. "Misinformation."

"Come again?" asked Sally.

"I can set it up so that Andrew Wood believes something completely different about your team and screws them up completely," said the man, who was definitely NOT Kenneth Prime on the street after losing his sportscasting job. In Newmanistan, if you can figure that out. "Then you go out and do something that completely surprises them. What do you think?"

"We'll have to pass," said Roy, tugging Sally's arm. "We'll compete the way we know how. Good luck with that job hunt..."

*************************

Through halftime, the newcomers were hanging in. The Woodpeckers led only 8-6 but within six minutes had built a four-goal lead. Their experience was starting to show. Acosta and Egger showed off the abilities that had secured them professional gigs in Newmanistan during the previous tournament by embarrassing Kai-Fu and the entire Dancougar defense. That didn't sit well with Kamjin. Next guy, he decided... next guy's getting crushed.

Within two minutes, he had his chance - Adelio Acosta already had two goals and was looking for a third. The Woodpeckers had lots of weapons, Kamjin decided, so one wouldn't mean much to them. Acosta received a pass and turned to run at goal. Kamjin had an unimpeded run at the player and took it. Boom. Laid that guy out. The ball came free and Acosta's head bounced awkwardly off the turf. He stirred but didn't get back up.

Kamjin walked away from the downed player as the referee halted play. "Another of those, and you're done!" he yelled, waving a stretcher onto the field.

A funk descended on the Land de Wood camp and before the quarter was done, Dancouger had scored four unanswered goals. Two to Gatherer and two by de Havilland made it 10-10.

*************************

An epic seesaw battle ensued throughout the fourth quarter, but with only a few minutes left, Lisa set up Rick for the go-ahead goal. "Nice shot!" she yelled, giving him a rough slap on the back. "That's what, five for you now?"

"If you keep feeding me, I'll keep shooting," he replied. He noticed that her mood had improved greatly over the last few games. I guess that's what a few wins do for a team... he thought. He turned to the stands to try and find May, and there she was waving her towel and trying to get the rest of the section on their feet.

Lisa followed his eyes and used her stick to give him a tap on the head before heading for her restraining line. What was that about?

Worldly looked at the clock and at the field. Land de Wood had been shellshocked when Acosta was carried off, but they were back in it. And they'd made a few runs specifically at Kamjin to pay him back for the hit, and he was fuming after getting roughed up a bit. But Laplamiz would say, after the game, and she hadn't seen him have that much fun in a long time. "Can we hold them off?" he asked Sedol.

"We cannot single out any one player to mark, since they have several players who are capable of scoring goals," said Sedol, his hand to his chin. "We'll need to be more careful about defending territory rather than players."

"A zone defense, then?" asked Worldly. "Can that work?"

"They can most effectively utilize their remaining energies by restraining their movement," said Sedol. "They can move within regions to defend against local threats, which will contribute to global defense. I call it the 'Pinpoint Barrier.'"

"Let's do it, then!" Worldly shouted. "Defense, zone!"

Kamjin took the area right in front of the goal and menacingly stared down anyone who got too close to him. He had Sally and Laplamiz to either side. The two Jeniuses pulled back to plug up the gaps between the defenders, with Zakikaki roaming behind the goal. Edwards and Aadli tried to find an opening, but were continuously turned aside. More players came forward.

Egger tried to shoot the gap between Molly and Layla. "No, no, not there!" cried Layla, shifting right after he worked around Molly. She delayed him long enough, forcing him to pass rather than go at goal.

Alfie Blair pushed forward and put his right foot down as a pivot, holding his stick out for a pass. Kamjin bit and went to break it up, but Blair let the ball fly through to an oncoming Declan Basile, who looked to be the intended target all along. He was around Kamjin and had a big gap between Molly and Sterling with only Kai-Fu to beat. "I'll never make it!" shouted Sterling as he tried to accelerate to Basile's speed. No dice. Top shelf. Kai-Fu whiffed, and the game was tied.

The upset bid was over, but a point was a point.

Welcome to Matchday 6. It is now cutoff. *snip*

Group A:

Newmanistan 17-10 Kenavt
Secristan 16-13 Lovisa
Greal 12-11 West Pocono

Group B:

Land de Wood 14-10 Colburne
Dancougar 15-9 Miroxia
Kura-Pelland 12-12 Tortuga y Hispaniola

One more group stage game left to play, highlighted by Newmanistan vs Secristan in Group A and Taeshan vs Land de Wood in Group B.

Tables...


Group A W D L P GF GA GD
Secristan 5 0 0 15 76 49 27 Q
Newmanistan 5 0 0 15 77 52 25 Q
Lovisa 2 1 2 7 68 62 6 Q
Greal 2 0 3 6 50 67 -17
Kenavt 1 2 2 5 58 67 -9
West Pocono 1 0 5 3 63 78 -15 E
Myedvedeya 0 1 4 1 53 70 -17 E


Lovisa has qualified because Kenavt and Greal go head to head in matchday 7, making it impossible for both to pass them.


Group B W D L P GF GA GD
Taeshan 5 0 0 15 79 48 31 Q
Land de Wood 4 1 0 13 72 49 23 Q
Dancougar 3 1 1 10 69 56 13 Q
Kura-Pelland 2 1 2 7 63 57 6 Q
Colburne 2 0 4 6 59 79 -20 E
T.y. Hispaniola 0 1 4 1 47 76 -29 E
Miroxia 0 0 5 0 44 68 -24 E

Layla jarred the Miroxia forward and the ball came loose. Kamjin scooped it up and his momentum carried him all the way into Sally. There was a clash in the larger central defender knocked the smaller Sally LaGuardia aside. "Sorry about that!" he grinned, whipping the ball upfield. Sally muttered something under her breath and got to her feet. So long as he started the counter, she could deal with his lack of control.

Sterling received the pass crisply and turned upfield. He shook off one challenger. He saw Ben open, but that guy was useless, so he opted to run it farther himself and pass it to Roy. Roy looked for Rick in front of the goal, but he was covered. With a defender closing in, he could either bring it back out or continue towards the end line. He chose the latter, running farther behind the net before passing it across the field to Lisa. Lisa wasted no time and threaded it to Rick, was now in front his defender. In one smooth motion, he received the ball and snapped it around his body and under the goalie's legs. 13-7.

Five to Rick, now, to lead the team, on top of three each to Roy and Sterling. The team had been a little shaky in those first few games, but now they were starting to come together a bit. It would finish 15-9 for third third win, and it would earn them a spot in the knockout stage.

*************************

The players crowded around three tables in the bustling Chinese restaurant. Roy and Sally were sipping tea and enjoying the aroma, while Layla had gotten into a drinking war with Kamjin. "I must say, you've been playing pretty well," Lisa said, pouring a cup of tea for Rick. "I suppose I owe you an apology for before."

"No, it's okay," Rick replied, taking the cup in both hands. "I kind of deserved it..."

He took a sip but almost dropped the cup when May wrapped her arms around him. "Rick, you played great today!" she bubbled. "So you guys get to play at least one more, then?"

"Well, we still have one more group game, but we did make the playoff," Rick replied. "I can count on you to be there, right?"

"Actually," she smiled, taking an envelope out of her purse, "I have to go back to Dancougar for a few days. I thought about what you said, and I decided to finally go for it!"

"Eh?" he said, reading the letter. "Wow, so you're trying out for Dancougar Idol?"

"I was hoping you and Kai-Fu would be able to come," she said. Lisa just stared at her - her arms were still wrapped around Rick. "But the first round is on the same day as your quarterfinal."

"I'm sure you'll do great," he said. "Right, Kai-Fu?"

The team's goalie only shrugged. "If it's what she wants, I guess there's no stopping her," he said, taking a drink. "I'll warn you, Gatherer, she's a stubborn girl."

Rick blinked. Lisa blushed and turned away. May just smiled, equally oblivious to what he was implying.

*************************

"Ah, Samantha, I heard you took over for me against Tortuga while I was in Baltimore," said Worldly as his assistant entered the room. "Thank you for that. I read the match report; the team played well."

"Just doing my job, sir!" Samantha replied with a smile. "Although we all got together and tried to figure out what Baltimore was, and came to the conclusion that you just made it up."

Worldly coughed and took the documents she was carrying. "I see... well, don't think too much into it," he said, thumbing through them. The packets were clearly marked 'Secristan' and 'Newmanistan.'

Sedol took notice. "So you're not even considering the mathematical possibility of jumping Land de Wood?" he asked.

"Experience has taught me that it's not worth troubling yourself over scenarios involving math," said Worldly. "But it doesn't hurt to look ahead a little. We'll get some good tape from their game."

"I suppose I should tell the players that it's business as usual tomorrow morning?" asked Samantha. "They're at Nyan Nyan right now, I think..."

"I think we can skip the morning session," said Worldly. "Although they should expect to work that much harder once the group stage ends..."

Greal 12-11 West Pocono

A close and fierce game for Greal. West Pocono and Greal clashed during the game and nearly ended in a loss, but Brian Windor scored twice, bringing a win for Greal. Had Greal lost, there would have been no chance of qualifying. Now, Greal has a small chance to qualify in its first ever World Lacrosse Championships. Today, Greal will play Kenavt in its bid to qualify. Newspapers are predicting a record number of people will watch the final Greali qualifying match. Coach Joesph Frands said in a interview that he was "proud of his team".

THE ROCKET REPORT

IT ALWAYS MEANS SOMETHING

Dover City, Newmanistan- Don’t tell anyone that lives in the nations that border the Penthoria River that this upcoming match between Newmanistan and Secristan is meaningless. Games between the nations always carry some kind of meaning, and when they meet in lacrosse, you can just forget about it, the passion will be at a fever pitch. Out of respect to the supporters of the other two games being played in Dover City, tickets for the first two games could be purchased separately instead of being packaged together as they have been on all other matchdays. Or else, the important game between Greal and Kenavt may have been completely devoid of fans of those two nations. This game is a stand alone event. With both teams at 5-0-0, first place in Group A is at stake. Both teams will qualify, and both teams look as though they will avoid the Group B powers of Taeshan and Land de Wood. Dancougar and Kura-Pelland have good programs, and the Black Wings actually have been rather impressive in their debut, so maybe it won’t really matter who finishes 1st and 2nd. This game doesn’t need to have anything on the line. They could be playing for a spare gold coin lying on the side of the street and there will be the same passion. Newmanistan-Secristan in lacrosse. Enough said for us, and for them likely as well. I (Meghan Traynor) got a chance to sit down with the Prince, who’s lead the team to impressive run so far, dismissing of the rest of the Group A competition fairly easily.

MT: I’m in Dover City, where the big game between the Rockets and the Millionaires will take place, and I am joined by His Highness, Prince Michael. Good morning.

PM: Good morning. Looking good as always, Meghan.

MT: Why thank you.

PM: No problem, I could tell that you used to be a lacrosse player yourself. You should be playing professionally somewhere, forget this journalism stuff.

MT: I did try out once for Dover City actually, but I didn’t make the team, so I pursued a career in what my college major was.

PM: Awww, too bad.

MT: Yeah well anyway, got the big game coming up against those arrogant rich snobs, your thoughts?

PM: Well, Secristan has a good lacrosse program, we know that. The rivalry runs deep. But this is still just a group stage game and while it is big, we may have a bigger meeting later in the tournament, I think both of us are playing well enough for that.

MT: I agree. Without completely giving away the game plan, what kind of adjustments do you think you need to make for the Millionaires?

PM: We’re going to play our game. The biggest adjustment has to be in our heads. Group A hasn’t been as tough as Group B, let’s not kid ourselves and pretend it has been. We have to be ready for a serious jump in class. That said, we know who were playing, we’ve played them before, so there is no worry that we won’t be up for it.

MT: Did the Empress make a mistake scheduling this game for Dover City? I mean, right on the Secristan border? What may have been a nice home field advantage is going to be more of a split.

PM: We prepared the venues before the official matchday draw was scheduled. We could have made a change then, but it didn’t really occur to us. And besides, Dover City deserves to have a high quality game too. We expect a lot of Secristanis to be in attendance, but it will still be a pro- Newmanistan crowd.

MT: Well, best of luck to you and the team.

PM: I think you should try out for professional lacrosse again, you’re still young. How old are you?

MT: Uhmm... 27.

PM: See, you can make the cut. We’ll find a spot for you on the Capitals.

MT: Well I don’t know, I haven’t played competitively in a long time.

PM: How about this, watch the game down on the sideline with us. Give you a different perspective then up in the press box and maybe it will get you to want to try to play again.

MT: Yeah that sounds great! Thanks your Highness.

PM: You can call me Michael, cutie.

Land de Wood 14-10 Colburne

A nice easy run of the mill game for the Woodpeckers after the seesaw battle against Dancougar. However, these games still need to be played and they still need to be won.

With Acosta out injured, Edwards made a rare start, we also saw Christie brought in for Chan.

First quarter saw goals from Edwards (1), Egger (1), Aadli (2) as they stormed to a 4-1 lead.
Second quarter saw more goals fly in as Edwards, Aadli and Basile all got one a piece. Colburne managed to pull 2 back to make it 7-3.
Third quarter and Colburne came out flying while the Woodpeckers took their foot of the gas so much that Colburne actually won the quarter 4-2, our only goals came from Blair (1), Aadli (1), so the score was now 9-7 but Bloch looked furious.
He was even more furious when Colburne got the first goal of the fourth quarter to make it 9-8, so on went Fisher for Hovespien who seemed to be letting this game pass him by, Egger was also pulled of for Ikeda.
Ikeda took his opportunity to net a couple as did Edwards and Aadli got one more as the Woodpeckers went on to win 14-10 after that third quarter scare.
So just one group game left that against Taeshan, neither team has lost a game so far, so it is going to be quite a game.
Meanwhile Dancougar face Kura-Pelland while all four teams have qualified, a win for Dancougar and defeat for the Woodpeckers with a 11 goal swing, would mean Dancougar finsihing above the Woodpeckers and so not facing Newmanistan or Secristan.
However, the Woodpeckers will want to win Taeshan not just to prove they are the best team in the group butalso to give more time for Acosta to recover from injury before they face one of the other top four teams. Expect the Woodpeckers to fly out of the stalls next game especially as we are hearing that Ikeda will be given his chance as Egger is rested.

Group play has reached it's conclusion. Soon, you shall see the scores. First, though, must come the RP cutoff.

Group A:

Newmanistan 16-14 Secristan
Lovisa 12-7 Myedvedeya
Kenavt 11-15 Greal

Group B:

Land de Wood 12-11 Taeshan
Dancougar 17-13 Kura-Pelland
Miroxia 12-8 Tortuga y Hispaniola

Final Group Tables:

Group A W D L P GF GA GD
Newmanistan 6 0 0 18 93 66 27 Q
Secristan 5 0 1 15 90 65 25 Q
Lovisa 3 1 2 10 80 69 11 Q
Greal 3 0 3 9 65 78 -13 Q
Kenavt 1 2 3 5 69 82 -13 E
West Pocono 1 0 5 3 63 78 -15 E
Myedvedeya 0 1 5 1 60 82 -22 E




Group B W D L P GF GA GD
Land de Wood 5 1 0 16 84 60 24 Q
Taeshan 5 0 1 15 90 60 30 Q
Dancougar 4 1 1 13 86 69 17 Q
Kura-Pelland 2 1 3 7 76 74 2 Q
Colburne 2 0 4 6 59 79 -20 E
Miroxia 1 0 5 3 56 76 -20 E
T.y. Hispaniola 0 1 5 1 55 88 -33 E

Quarterfinals: (Oct. 9)
Game A- Newmanistan vs Kura-Pelland @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds
Game B- Secristan vs Dancougar @ Loudon Stadium
Game C- Lovisa vs Taeshan @ Southport Stadium
Game D- Greal vs Land de Wood @ Pocono City Stadium

Semifinals (Oct. 10)
Game E- Winner Game A vs Winner Game B @ Pocono City Stadium
Game F- Winner Game C vs Winner Game D @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds

3rd Place (Oct. 11)
Game G- Loser Game E vs Loser Game F @ Loudon Stadium

CHAMPIONSHIP (Oct. 12)
Game H- Winner Game E vs Winner Game F @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds.

Land de Wood 12-11 Taeshan

So it was time for the group decider, Taeshan had just had a rest and should be fresh, while Land de Wood were still with out star striker Acosta. A win here would ensure they didn't face Secristan or Newmanistan until the semi-final when Acosta was expected to be back.

Land de Wood come flying out of the blocks in the first minute Ikeda sets up Edwards and it is 1-0
Four minutes later it is 2-0 as Aadli scores a beauty.
In the seventh minute Basile went past two and swept it across to Edwards who scored his second of the game 3-0.
Less than a minute later Blair makes it 4-0.
Taeshan still seem a bit asleep after their bye but finally wake up in the tenth minute to get a goal of their own 4-1.
They score again in the twelve to make it 4-2.
But in the fourteenth Aadli goes on a superb solo run and makes it 5-2.
Land de Wood end the first quarter 5-2 up and looking the better team.
The second quarter starts at a blistering pace as in just 5 minutes, land de Wood are 7-2 up as Aadli and Edwards score one a piece: 7-2.
Taeshan pull one back in the seventh, 7-3 before Land de Wood extend their lead in the tenth making it 8-3 as Hovespien gets of the mark.
Taeshan pull it back to 8-4 in the twelve minute and the second quarter ends 8-4.
Land de Wood look to have this game wrapped up.
But Taeshan start to make a come back in the first four minutes of the third quarter they score twice to make it 8-6.
Land de Wood need something special here and Fisher is coming on for Blair. An immediate impact by Fisher as he scores one and sets Edwards up for another, 10-6. Taeshan though make it 10-7 in the eleventh minute as Land de Wood start to look a little tired.
Third quarter ends 10-7.
Land de Wood are out of the blocks first in the fourth quarter, scoring two goals in the first 4 minutes to make it 12-7, but their defense certainly looks tired.
In the next 7 minutes Taeshan score 3 goals to bring it to 12-10, just 4 minutes left on the clock can they level the score and take the group?
90 seconds left as Taeshan make it 12-11.
5 seconds left Taeshan come forward, the ball is played in just as the referee blows for full time, their attacker strikes it into the back of the net but it won't count.
Land de Wood shade it 12-11 and so will face Greal who just qualified thanks to a 15-11 win against Kenavt

Flaming Falcons lose, an will play Lovisa in Quaters

It was the game for the group championship. The Woodpeckers of Land de Wood would come out and take an early control of the game, and eventually would win by one 12-11. The Falcons were once again led by star attacker Rowan Qwarant with all 11 goals. Wow he is a real star. The Falcons will have to play Lovisa in the opening game in the playoffs. The finished third in group A, so it should be close.

Rick hunched over and heaved. A hard-fought game saw Dancougar and Kura-Pelland knotted 12-12 with ten minutes to play. Game tape of the Wings had starting making the rounds, and there was no more open space for him to operate in... he'd been taking a beating. Roy had five goals, though, which was keeping it close. "Chin up, son!" Roy shouted. "You're not done already, are you?"

"I just need a sec, senpai," Rick replied, tilting his head side to side to crack his neck. He had two goals to his name, which was decent but off his pace. Kura-Pelland had just scored twice to even things up and the 'keeper had made a massive save on what Rick was sure was a goal. The momentum was turning.

Lisa walked over and tapped Rick on the shoulder. "I have an idea to break this open," she said. "Why don't we try..."

Kura-Pelland won the face off and immediately ran at the defense. Sally leaned into the attacker and tried to force him outside. He tried to pass across his body, but Molly tracked back to snag it. She continued in stride behind Kai-Fu's goal and gathered bodies. Kamjin and Layla flanked her and the three of them came forward. The Kura-Pellandis found any attempts to attack the ball were met by stern resistance. Sterling and Ben joined.

Coach Worldly got up off his bench and trailed the play on the sideline. He'd never seen this maneuever before... Lisa was directing it? Sedol watched intently as the Kamjin and Layla handed Molly off to the forward line. The timing had to be precise to avoid offside... bingo! "Incredible!" Sedol said, scratching notes on his clipboard. "Four to five escorts for the player with the ball... if the ballhandler gets too close, they'll slow down and break up the play's momentum. If they stray from their escorts, they yield a fast break."

"This is..." Worldly began.

"DAEDALUS ATTACK!!" shouted Lisa. This was the fruit of Worldly's training - everybody does everything. In addition to shooting and passing, Rick was now able to lay a decent hit on someone. He'd done it before, and now, he did it again. The last Kura-Pelland resistance was cleared and the front of the formation parted to allow Molly to burst through. She had all the time she needed to pick her spot. Goal!

Energized, Dancougar got the next three goals to open up a gap that Kura-Pelland couldn't close. A 17-13 win saw them finish third with room to spare.

*************************

"I'll have to admit, you're crazy, but I have to hand it to you... that was pretty sneaky," said Rick.

Lisa smiled and threw her bag over her shoulder. "And you hit all right for a forward," she replied. "But that's just what we needed. Something to get us really moving as a team."

"We have to go back to Loudon?" sighed Samantha. "Noooooo... and to play Secristan? It's basically a home game for them, just cross the river."

"And I'll miss May's debut..." Rick added.

Lisa gave him a smack on the back of the head. "Focus!" she said, a little more harshly. This was more than the advice of an experienced player; there was a twinge of personal feeling in it, too. "We don't anything to worry about if we play our best, right? We have the Daedalus Attack, and if we can fix up the Pinpoint Barrier..."

"But can we really hang with them, though?" asked Sally.

"Not with that attitude, we won't," Kamjin spat. "You have to understand those people. They don't play by merit, those are just the random guys who paid the most for their spot. And yet they're that good." He held out a fist, his blood boiling. "They paid for the right to run with the best, hit the best, and beat the best. But to pay what they do to secure a place on the team... they have to know they're the best at what they do. That's the confidence of Secristan." He punched his open palm and smiled. "I want to play them. I want to see if they're what I think they are."

Kenavt 11-15 Greal

Greal successfully qualified for the World Lacrosse Championships 2 for the first time ever. The game versus Kenavt seemed quick and both sides were dying to get a score. Gelder, Trainer, Reah all each took a goal while Windor broke his record by scoring four times in the game. In the end, the extra five goals were scored by Greal, and Kenavt failed. The team celebrated hugging each other and screaming. Their fans were waving Greal flags around the stadium, cheering them on. Millions celebrated the first qualifying by Greal, it even took attention off Greal's abysmal performance in football. Greal Television confirmed that about hundred million had watched the qualifying match. Tomorrow, Greal will play Land de Wood at Pocono City Stadium during the quarter finals. Land De Wood was one of the top ranked Lacrosse teams, but Greal may surprise and win tomorrow's match. The quarter finals will be interesting and many sports experts say Greal may win.

It's a cutoff time!

Quarterfinals: (Oct. 9)
Game A- Newmanistan 16-10 Kura-Pelland @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds
Game B- Secristan 13-14 Dancougar @ Loudon Stadium
Game C- Lovisa 9-15 Taeshan @ Southport Stadium
Game D- Greal 11-13 Land de Wood @ Pocono City Stadium

Semifinals (Oct. 10)
Game E- Newmanistan vs Dancougar @ Pocono City Stadium
Game F- Taeshan vs Land de Wood @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds

3rd Place (Oct. 11)
Game G- Loser Game E vs Loser Game F @ Loudon Stadium

CHAMPIONSHIP (Oct. 12)
Game H- Winner Game E vs Winner Game F @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds.

Flaming Falcons Crush Lovisa

Why do the worlds greatest underacievers even try. The last time we played to a tie, but this time the Tae team crushed the Lovisans 15-9 in Newmanistan. It was never close. The Falcon leading scorer was of course Rowan Qwarant with 7. They will next yet again face the Woodpeckers of Land de Wood, the only team to defeat them thus far. In a semifinal game. The winner will take on the winner of the Dancougr-Newmanistan game. Im saying it will be the same final as last time.

Greal 11-13 Land de Wood

Land de Wood will be delighted to have beaten newcomers 13-11. Greal have played some fantastic lacrosse and there always the possibility that these underdogs, would beat the most successful underdog in Lacrosse history, Land de Wood, but Land de Wood did not fall to over-confidence and won this game convincingly.

First quarter 3-3 with goals from Acosta (2) and Aadli.
Second quarter 2-4 with goals from Aadli (2), Basile and Hovespien to make it 5-7
Third quarter 2-4 with goals from Acosta (2), Edwards and Basile to make it 7-11
So it looked like Land de Wood were coasting to victory and they took their foot of the gas, and Greal started their come back scoring three in five minutes to make it 10-11.
But Land de Wood woke up in time as first Acosta and then Aadli scored goals to make it 10-13 after 12 minutes of the fourth quarter, Greal grabbed one more consolation game but still ended up losing, 11-13.

Man of the match: Acosta marked his return from injury with five goals.

News has reached as that Dancougar have pulled of the shock of the tournament and beaten Secristan. With everyone expecting a repeat of last tournament's final four, Dacougar grabbed a surprise victory.

So Dancougar play Newmanistan in a semi final can they repeat Land de Wood's heroics in the last tournament and be the newcomers that reach the final? Or will Newmanistan show their class?
Meanwhile our boys face Taeshan. In the final group decider Land de Wood won a tense see-saw of a game 12-11 to win the group, but can they repeat their heroics? Well even Taeshan's press are predicting a repeat of the Land de Wood - Newmanistan final we saw in the first ever World Lacrosse Tournament, but who knows maybe Dancougar and Taeshan can cause an upset? I doubt it, and that means Land de Wood get an opportunity to avenge their defeat to Newmanistan last time out.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Miss May Linn, who has given a nod to the growing sporting culture of Dancougar with her number, "My Boyfriend's an Athlete." Please give her a hand!

Zoom zoom, zoom zoom!
The boy I hold in my heart loves to play a game!

Kamjin frowned as the Secristan players were introduced. "You mean these guys actually were picked?" he said, spitting on the ground. "Damn it! I've overestimated them. What have they got to play for, then?"

"Probably the same thing you do," replied Sterling. "We were all selected, too, weren't we?"

"I play for me," Kamjin shot back. "I don't care if we win or lose. I want the thrill of the game and the rush I get from competing out there. These guys? They're a bunch of pros who only care about the paycheck at the end. We're the ones really playing for the game. We're all amateurs here, right?"

"That's true, but it still doesn't mean..." Sally began, but Roy put his hand on her shoulder and motioned for her not to worry about it. Whether or not Kamjin was making sense didn't matter. Secristan were a one-loss team with a capable lineup. They had a lower average age than the Millionaires, but that was really the only area they could claim an advantage.

Bursting forward as he hears the whistle
Wins the ball and then is seeking teammates
No matter, court or field, he's fighting to get the win!!

Secristan held a two-goal lead, 6-4, after Cushman set up first the go-ahead goal and then the cushioning. Both times, Kamjin stopped his run with a heavy hit, but Cushman was too crafty with the ball in his possession. Each hit was just moments too late to stop a crisp pass to Sutterby, who was proving to be too quick for Sally to keep in check. That was Sutterby's third goal of the first half.

Kamjin kicked at the turf. "Damn, I need to get to him sooner!" he muttered.

Rick knew it was hit job the keep the game close. The Millionaires had overwhelmed them in bursts, but each time they would claw back. Now was a good time to do that. Molly tagged back to help Sally defend and cut out a pass, which she immediately whipped upfield to Rick. Rick drifted towards goal and counted his options. Roy was making a parellel run and Lisa was waiting behind Hutchinson's goal. Before Sterling got into the picture, he fired a pass to Lisa.

Lisa collected it and Anderson moved in to close her down. Roy slipped past his defender and threatened to get open, which pulled the defense his way. Perfect. Lisa nimbly sidestepped Anderson and was unchallenged as she came around Hutchinson's goal and jammed it in to make it 6-5. Rick threw her a high five. "Nice move!"

A puck or ball, he'll try them all!
With no need to fear...
Defense or not, with all he's got...
So the crowd will cheer!

Dancougar had fought to a 12-9 advantage and had silenced the pro-Secristan crowd. But the team had tired itself out and withdrew into its Pinpoint Barrier formation, which constantly threatened to break down. Layla poked the ball free from Cushman, but Pozniak picked it up and whipped it on goal. The long effort was turned aside by Kai-Fu, but they were unable to get possession back.

The attack continued. It was 12-10, then 12-11. Kai-Fu was frantically shouting instructions to his defense, but now the speed of Secristan was starting to show itself. Dineen got close before Kamjin laid him out, and he passed upfield to start the counter. But the defender Traulsen got to Sterling as soon as the ball did, forcing an immediate turnover. Ellis scooped up the ball and ran upfield. He hit topspeed and weaved between Ben and Molly.

The barrier was completely exposed. There was no way they could get up to his speed fast enough. Layla tried to bump him wide as he came around the left side, but it wasn't enough to prevent the shot. It was low and Kai-Fu watched it sneak in to make it 12-12. Now the Secristan fans were back on their feet. The upstarts had to be finished now after yielding three straight goals.

"This isn't working!" yelled Kai-Fu. "You guys need to move around more! Break time's over!"

I love you, you love me!
But when I'm there in the stands, he won't see me...
With all his focus on his man, and not on his girl.

With time running out, the score was knotted at 13-13. It would likely come down to the last possession. The score from the other game was final, and the neutral Newmanistanis in the crowd were happy to hear that their team had dispatched Kura-Pelland and was now awaiting the winner of this game. It remained to be seen if the semifinal would be another chapter in the Penthoria River War or the conflict over ambiguous birds on skates.

"Guys, in formation!" yelled Lisa. "We're going to do 'that!'" Rick tracked back his line and waited for the midfield to bring the ball up. He knew what she was talking about.

So did the Secristan defense, which pulled men back to break them up as they rushed forward. Rick took the pass and was surrounded by Lisa, Roy, Molly, and Sterling. They moved up as a unit, but Secristan had seen the game tape. They'd use their speed to break up the front and then get to Rick.

Rick saw Anderson and Traulsen prepared to expose him. He looked back and Lisa, and tapped her stick with the tail of his own. They connected in that moment. Rick brought the head of his stick around and handed the ball off to Lisa. He nodded, as if to say 'Good Luck.'

"Here we go!" shouted Lisa. "DAEDALUS..."

At that point, the Secristan defense crashed into the formation and jabbed at Rick. Lisa and Molly, who had his back, swung clear as the defense followed through, expecting to get the counter immediately. But Lisa was now clear of the main obstacle and brought her stick back for a shot. Hutchinson's eyes grew wide... the scrawny guy didn't have the ball!!

Zoom zoom, zoom zoom!
The boy I hold in my heart loves to play a game!

"... ATTACK!!!!!"

The eyes of Newmanistan focus on Pocono City and Tundra Falls for the semifinals of the World Lacrosse Championships II. Who will it be? We will soon find out, but for additional RP for this game, you are now cut off.

I would also like to take this to time to thank everyone for their participation to this point. It's been a good competition for what's still kind of a niche sport.


Semifinals (Oct. 10)
Game E- Newmanistan 15-13 Dancougar @ Pocono City Stadium
Game F- Taeshan 13-10 Land de Wood @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds

3rd Place (Oct. 11)
Game G- Dancougar vs Land de Wood @ Loudon Stadium

CHAMPIONSHIP (Oct. 12)
Game H- Newmanistan vs Taeshan @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds.

Flaming Falcons Goin' to the Ship

Revenge is good. Land de Wood only one of two teams inthe history of international lacrosse to beat the Falcons were taken down by the noble Taeshaneese. The Woodpeckers had no chance as the Falcons led by coach Prince Richfield von Jellylogenheichen, and star player Rowan Qwarant led the team to a 13-10 victorious game. And who shall the play in the 'ship, why none other then the Newmanistan Rockets. Crap. The other team to have beaten us, who has a notorious record against Tae teams, but no matter we goin to the ship.

Rick collapsed on the field while the Rockets celebrated around him. A slight loss was still a loss, and while the Wings had done themselves proud by going down 15-13 to the defending champs, there was a nagging voice in the back of his head that didn't want to accept it. If only he'd made a few more passes, if he'd helped in the midfield and delivered a few more hits... maybe that would have made a difference.

"Get up and shake," said Lisa, nudging him with her stick. "Even Kamjin's lined up." Rick heaved himself to his feet and congratulated the Newmanistan players. The crowd roared with approval as their team went forth to reclaim the title. For Rick and the others, it was back to Loudon, which seemed to be their unofficial home away from home.

"We were so close," he said at last, after they had left the field. "So close, we tripped at the finish line..."

"Hey, lighten up," said Kamjin, "we scared the hell out of those guys. We came to play, and you know what, we're getting to play. Sure, it ain't as good as the final, but we got all nine games. That's not enough for ya?"

For as fierce as Kamjin was on the field - blasting people from both sides with his thunderous checks - he sure was a happy loser. Layla just rustled Rick's hair. "Just focus on the Woodpeckers for now," she said. "It's like he says - we're still here to play. In the end, we're still in the top four. That's a pretty good debut."

"I guess..." Rick sighed. "Oh, Kai-Fu! Did you hear anything about May's performance?"

Kai-Fu was rustling through his bag looking for a water bottle. "Apparently they liked it," he replied, his face buried in his equipment. "So she's moving to the next round."

"Wow, that's something, huh?" Rick said, lighting up. Lisa scowled seeing his spirits picked up so easily by a girl who hadn't even seen his two most important games of the tournament.

"I told her about the Land de Wood game and she's flying out for it," Kai-Fu replied.

"There you go, that should give you a reason to play, eh?" laughed Roy.

Lisa blushed and gave Rick a jab in the ribs. "There you have it, so no more moping!"

Before we can name a champion, we must first have a third place team. Why? Because I said so. Cut off time for 3rd place game.


3rd Place (Oct. 11)
Game G- Dancougar 16-11 Land de Wood @ Loudon Stadium

CHAMPIONSHIP (Oct. 12)
Game H- Newmanistan vs Taeshan @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds.


Congratulations to Dancougar on their 3rd place performance, proving that you newcomers all had a chance! ;)

Congratulations to Dancougar on their 3rd place performance, proving that you newcomers all had a chance! ;)

<PSA> You, too, can succeed with anime fanfiction that isn't an unnecessarily tiring and overly complicated Death Note/Code Geass crossover! </PSA>

Land de Wood finish 4th

We apologise for the delay in reporting the news from our last two games.
It appears that our reporter was so shocked at us losing the semi-final that even our opposition didn't believe we could win, that he never got round to telling us.
So we then had to send another reporter out there, who got there just in time for the 3rd/4th play off and thought before reporting in, he had better watch that game. He was equally shocked at us losing that game that he has only just got round to reporting back to us.
So we do apologise for this delay and hope that the shock of us losing two games that we thought we would have won, will not cause any more problems.

__________________________________________________
ooc:
Congratulations to Taeshan and Dancougar for your wins against us, and Taeshan I wish you well against Newmanistan

A champion will be crowned today. Will Newmanistan successfully defend their title on their home turf, or will Taeshan, who recently picked up the first win against the Rockets in something, see a victory at the Proving Grounds? Time to RP is up. It's Newmanistan. It's Taeshan. It's the championship game of the 2nd World Lacrosse Championships, and it's cutoff time.

The Final:

Newmanistan 11-14 Taeshan

And it is Taeshan, capturing their 1st Lacrosse championship. Congratulations to them. This concludes the 2nd World Lacrosse Championships. It's not the biggest tournament on NS, but it could never, realistically, expect to be. That said, I'm happy with the way things went, and I can see this becoming a small fixture on the NS Sporting scene.

Thanks hosts, although now you have to rewrite the stock Newmanistan vs Taeshan RP ^_^

Dancougar shall return for the continuing adventures of the Super Dimension Athletes Lacrosse!

Thanks hosts, although now you have to rewrite the stock Newmanistan vs Taeshan RP ^_^

Dancougar shall return for the continuing adventures of the Super Dimension Athletes Lacrosse!

This is just a fluke, things are already back to normal in the Oxen Cup. ;)

so anbody interested in another

It's time for another one, yes, and I am interested as a participant. I don't have time for hosting.
Why don't you? I mean that seriously.... give it a shot.

Well i don't first off have a scorinator, and second i would need a ne comp. this ones really bad and it probally wouldnt do it.