NationStates Jolt Archive

Real lacrosse fans hate this product. Even non-lacrosse fans do.

(Sorry, I couldn't think up a good April Fool's joke to go with this post)

Welcome to the 4th World Lacrosse Championships. Who will join Newmanistan, Taeshan, and Sarzonia as a champion? Or will one of them win their second title? The WLC is all about RP. Rank is mainly used just to seed teams for the group draw and may help the higher ranked team on matchday one, but that's about it. Just ask Sarzonia. He was a debutant in WLC 3, and won it all.

The group draw will be held in the overnight hours of Thursday, April 2nd (or if you prefer, very early in the morning on Friday, April 3rd).

Matchday one will be on Sunday, April 5th, in the EVENING.

RP bonus starts getting calculated now, so how about we get this started by adding rosters and such?


Signups:
1) Newmanistan
2) Sarzonia
3) Qazox
4) Tocrowkia
5) Secristan
6) Dancougar
7) Cassadaigua
8) Rennidan
9) Taeshan
10) Kura-Pelland
11) Greal
12) Lovisa
13) Colbourne
14) West Newmanistan

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

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!!

Rick whistled the tune as he strapped on his pads. His pocket radio was filling the locker room with May's song, and there was nobody else around to tell him to keep it down. Now that he thought about it, it had been a long time since they'd been able to see each other. She was busy with her concert series and recording schedule, so stepping out in public was begging for trouble. He'd been working on his game with Roy since their defeat at the last tournament. Losing to the eventual champs was no consolation.

He looked around. Despite their failure to return to the semifinals, the team had gotten some love from the sports ministry back in Yuki City. Beck Sedol, the team statistician and ministry envoy, had seen to that. The locker room had been greatly updated; there was now a permanent divider between the men's and women's half, there was running water for showers and restrooms, and the tile floor was fresh and shiny as opposed to grimy and disgusting.

May's song ended and an older song blared out of the radio, a man's deep voice belting out a familiar anthem:

We gather here on the field, and a thunderous 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!!

Rick sighed and clicked off the radio, grabbing his face guard and crosse. There was still time to get in some practice before the official training camp began. He marched out into the sun and immediately went to work.

From the bleachers, head coach Bruno Worldly surveyed the field at Dyson College that served as his team's home. It was a decent drive inland from Port Vigilance, the largest city in the region, but sat in the heartland of Dancougaran lacrosse.

http://www.clarku.edu/athletics/varsity/mens_soccer/field_2005/field_1.jpg

The stands sat a few hundred, with the upgraded locker rooms sitting beneath them. A little farther back, between the two, was the concession stand that usually served as his makeshift headquarters on days without games.

Samantha Millome, one of his assistants, hadn't checked in yet. Beck Sedol was just climbing the stairs to meet him. From their vantage point, they got a good look at the resodded field. A single player was out there in full gear running laps around the perimeter. "Even now, he's striving to improve," Beck mused as he joined the coach.

Worldly placed his pipe to his mouth and struck a light. He wouldn't get any complaints from Beck in the open air. "We'll need every little bit," he said, taking a draft. "Roy sounds like he's leaning towards retirement soon. Rick's going to have to be able to take control. Lisa is a strong leader, but Rick's play is better."

"Have you noticed anything strange about them?" asked Beck. "They have some teamwork issues... some days they work extremely well together, and other days they can't stand each other. Do you have any intuition as to the cause?"

Worldly coughed and fumbled his pipe, catching himself before it slipped under the bleachers. "Well, that's..." he sputtered. "No, it's nothing to worry about. Just the problems you have when two players want the ball."

"I see," said Beck, opening his laptop. "Should we review our lineup and prepare for the start of tomorrow's camp?"

"Good idea," said Worldly.

"As we've discussed, Rick Gatherer will play center forward," Beck began. "He's still got a lot of youthful energy and has developed his shot. But he's still not much of a distributor. That's the strength of Roy de Havilland; he's able to make players around him better and his accuracy is superb. When it comes to making on-the-fly adjustments, though, Lisa Hayase is the only choice to take control of the situation. She's average in strength and speed but instead takes the advantage with her tactics."

"The midfield is shaping up, too," said Worldly. "I think we want to put Ben Zakikaki in the middle this time, though. He's a hard worker but creates an awful lot of trouble due to his impulsive rashness. That's why we need to surround him with good players. If we put Sterling Jenius and his wife Molly on the left and right side, he'll have outlets. Plus, they'll be able to drive the offense from either side of the field. They each have excellent control and instincts."

"The defense is where we have some issues," Beck said with a concerned tone. "We absolutely have a weak point right now. Kamjin Kravshera and Layla Laplamiz are a bit inconsistent, but they can be intimidating. Kamjin in particular has to stay in the middle. He can clear things out and force attackers to the outside because his hits can be devastating. But that's where the issue is. Layla is physically tough and tries awfully hard to match Kamjin's production, but Sally LaClaudia just isn't capable of matching her on the other side. She has to use skill instead of brute force, and she's been victimized."

"Let's hope that Kai-Fu Linn still has his reflexes in goal," said Worldly. "His sister's success could be distracting."

"We can always use the Pinpoint Barrier," Beck replied. "It's proven to be a fairly effective static defense. All they need to do is array themselves around the goal and play a tight zone, although it can be broken down with enough movement and patience."

Rick had lined up several lacrosse balls on the ground, giving him various angles to the goal. One by one, he would run up to a ball, scoop it up in his crosse, and whip it on goal after one or two steps. He cursed himself if he didn't get enough velocity on a shot or if he threw the ball off target. He would immediately chase after the ball without breaking stride and return it to the line and try again. Sweat burned off his brow. He was in trouble if he couldn't even get this right.

"Let's hope he doesn't wear himself out," said Worldly. "Or else tomorrow's going to be a shock to his system."

"We weren't planning to push him that hard, were we?" asked Beck.

"He's getting stronger, but he still needs to improve his physical play," Worldly replied. "If he's going to be able to run the Daedalus Attack, he has to be ready to hit and be hit. So many attackers clustered together in a close formation like that... it falls apart too fast unless they can get that breakout."

Beck scrolled through the rest of the roster, a nearly endless list of men and women named Spacy Redshirt, who were average at best but at least put bodies on the field. They would go if any of the regulars needed to come out.

**********

There you have it! Starters have been colored in the preceding post, with men in blue and women in pink. Style is +1. Feel free to pick scorers if you RP before me. When it comes to injuries, do whatever you want to the Spacy Redshirts, but the main players should just be mentioned as hurt, and I'll determine severity.

The Qazox Golden Eagles WLCIV Roster:
(Style modifier: +1.23)
STARTERS
(native Qazians in italics, women in red)
GK: Jason Middleton
DEF: Ken Haveril
DEF: Jessica Morning
DEF: Signa Li'op'cha
MID: Kendra Yueng
MID: Quentin Chang
MID: Nathan S. Izaguirre VI
FOR: Sa' An'ton'x
FOR: Helen Youngman
FOR: Oliver Frazee

Subs:
GK: Paulette Jones
DEF: Greg Haveril
DEF: Vincente Javier
MID: Kelly Fowler
MID: Natalie Hyman
FOR: Mikal Rasinov
FOR: Hy To'bna

Qazox is not the best Lacrosse nation in the world, in fact, they would by ranked 200th, of 150 nations in this sport. But then again, we could be sand-bagging....

The Flaming Falcons WLC 2 Champions

Goalkeeper Greg Fornfelt 79 26
Left Defense Ryan Yelaylee 42 25
Center Defense Zaxle O'Peerson 27 22
Right Defense Chrichenham Baker 19 28
Left Midfield Ollie Richenham 7 27
Center Defense William Kelly 15 26
Right Midfeild Xevenes Hutch 13 24
Left Attack Seth Thatcher 17 23
Center Attack Peirs Fohneger 2 29
Right Attack Rowan Qwarant 14 21
Subs
Goalkeeper Fred Geigar 56 25
Defense Alexander Fwenchie 81 22
Midfeild Derese Sanchez 9 26
Attack Jack Smith 45 27
Utility Miles Beckett 66 24

They were red and Blue

After unexpected success in its debut World Lacrosse Championships, the defending champion Sarzonian national team returned with no changes to its coaching staff or its squad listing. In fact, their most noticeable change was to the team's name itself.

Gone was the name the Slash, along with the practice of giving each Sarzonian athletic side its own unique nickname. Like all other Sarzonian national teams except for the Under 21 footballers, the lacrosse side would henceforth be known as the Stars.

Coach Harold Price gathered his newly-renamed side and warned them about complacency. Just because they rallied from being a lacrosse unknown to win a championship didn't mean they could rest on their laurels.

"We now have a gigantic target on our backs," he said in the dressing room at Chip Moose Lacrosse Stadium. The 25,870-seat stadium in the Stadium Complex in Woodstock would host the home matches for the Stars in qualifying. "We're going to get every team's best shot. It's going to be up to us to ensure that we aren't too passive."

The roster for the Stars is as follows:

If my opponent RPs first, they may:
Choose my goalscorers: Y
Godmode scoring events: N
RP injuries: Y (within reason; don't kill anybody, mmmkay?)
Godmode injuries: N
Eject/Penalize players: Y
Godmode "other" events: N
Style modifier: 0
OOC: I RP using real time in most of my RPs, so the players have only aged the few months it's been IRL since the last World Lacrosse Championships.

Coach: Harold Price (54). Named the inaugural coach of the Wilmington Sharks, he guided the team to playoff appearances in each of the league's three seasons, culminating in their 11-6 win over the Portland Thorns in the ILL championship game.
Defensive Coordinator: Rob Davies (41). Davies was named the Thorns head coach after five years as Joe Gibbs University's head coach. He brought a stifling defensive system from the college game that translated to the Thorns improving from the league's worst defence to the league's best.
Goaltenders Coach: Dave Peeters (44). Serves in the same role for the Thorns. He was the only coach on the Thorns staff retained by Davies after tapes showed the defence leaked like a sieve.

Roster: (No., Name, Team, Height, Weight. Starters in BOLD.)

Goalkeepers
1 Craig Larrabie (Portland Thorns) 6-foot-1, 175 pounds. Larrabie, 30, led the league in goals against average (6.97) and wins (11) en route to a divisional round win. However, he had his one bad game in the championship against Wilmington.
18 Mark Tomscik, (Woodstock Wave), 5-foot-10, 165 pounds. Tomsick, 23, makes up for his lack of height with quick reflexes and strong athleticism. He earned the starting job toward the end of the season for the Hawks and won each of his three games with a 8.23 goals against average. He should be the starter next season.

Defence
2 Dane Tarrabba (Wilmington Sharks) 5-foot-11, 157 pounds. Tarraba was named the Slash's team captain despite just turning 25 years old for a reason. He demonstrates strong leadership qualities for the Sharks and all but willed the team to its championship victory.
5 Paul Landry (Nicksia Nighthawks) 6-foot-2, 205 pounds. Landry's 23 years old and fast, but he's also very physical. He's often matched up against the opposing team's best attackman and often dispenses beatings.
7 Tom Swensen (Saugerties Sounders) 6-foot, 180 pounds. At 33 years old, Swensen is the oldest player on the Slash's roster. He's also the most savvy defender. He may not have the athleticism to keep up with the fastest attackmen, but he makes up for it by being able to read their tendencies and make timely checks.
8 Bill Harbour (Rypien Rough Riders) 5-10, 155 pounds. Perhaps the best all-around athlete on the Slash, Harbour often gives up height to his opponents, but never gives up heart. He turned 27 before the team opened training camp.
9 Clay Cantner (Portsmouth Pirates) 6-foot-1, 172 pounds. This 32-year-old relies on positioning and his size to keep attackmen from dominating the crease. He also serves as the emergency third-string goalie.
12 Spencer Wallingford (Portland) 5-foot-8, 168 pounds. Considered a pest by many of his opponents, the 28-year-old can get under the skin of many a midfielder or attackman with his aggressive play.

Midfielders
6 Carter Whitlock (Wilmington) 6-foot-1, 170 pounds. Left-handed shot who has blazing speed and great endurance, this 26-year-old scored 27 goals, a league high for midfielders.
10 Dwayne Dyer (Lexington Leopards) 5-foot-11, 177 pounds. A master of the faceoff, the 30-year-old Dyer can organise the offence like few other players in the league. He played for Price until a midseason trade brought him to Lexington.
11 Pat Wade (Portland) 6-foot-2, 180 pounds. Better known for his endurance and his defensive play, Wade, 24, still scored 11 goals before a midseason injury. He was eligible to come back for the playoffs, but the team held him out to get fully healed.
13 Jesse Barkley (Woodstock) 6-foot, 185 pounds. Shows ability to play both ways for the Wave with great endurance and solid speed. He turned 27 just as the season ended.
14 Howie Cooper (Nicksia) 5-foot-9, 150 pounds. Elusive and quick, but does not possess blinding speed. The 23-year-old shows an ability to play on either flank, but doesn't do as well at center midfield.
15 Mike Nelson (Wilmington), 5-foot-11, 165 pounds. Nelson, 25, can play either forward or midfield and has played both because of injuries to the Sharks attackmen. He is long on speed, but relatively short on stamina.

Attackmen
16 Tim Cole (Portland), 6-foot-1, 180 pounds. Cole, 31, has a nose for the goal, scoring a league-leading 52 goals on the season. Depends on solid service and his size for positioning in front of opposing goalies.
17 Robbie Fernando (Lexington), 5-foot-11, 170 pounds. Fernando, 27, is arguably the best forward in the league at creating his own shot. Led the team in scoring with 27 goals in 10 games played. Missed the first four games due to appendicitis.
20 Nate Longley (Wilmington), 6-foot-175 pounds. Longley, 21, is a promising youngster who is more mature than his age suggests. He has the best stamina and speed combination of any player on the team, owing to his youth and a cross country background in secondary school.
22 Fred Williams (Nicksia), 6-foot-3, 162 pounds. Tall and gangly, Williams, 23, has been instructed by his coaching staff to put on muscle. He still has a knack for putting the ball in the net, scoring 20 goals in seven games.
23 Matt Cornwall (Woodstock), 5-foot-8, 142 pounds. Fast and elusive, Cornwall, 24, is a guy who can not only slip between defenders and score on unsuspecting goalies, he can also duck a vicious hit. He scored 39 goals to lead the Wave in scoring.
27 Ben Christian (Rypien), 6-foot-2, 175 pounds. Christian, 25, led the Rough Riders with 29 goals in 14 games, using a combination of size and strength to overpower smaller defenders and surprising speed to get away from those equally as large as he is.

hey im new to this but like i dont get whats going on?

Lacrosse. It's not a sport played, understood or even known by most Rennidanians. Ever since the first World Lacrosse Championship pattered by, the entire population turned a blind eye to the event.

All except one man.


Meet Mark

http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk176/rennidan/Mark.png



Markali Gonzales Lumburg Acherton, a sixty three year old of Vilteki-Rennidanian birth, has been a lifelong follower of lacrosse. Ever since he was but a wee nipper, Mark had a passion for the game. Now, in his older years, his lacrosse stick doubles as his walking stick, meaning the device is carried with him wherever he travels.

"Ah, I was always a bit of a hell raiser as a child," Mark tells us in his slow, soothing voice, "I would always be running around, trying to convince kids to play a game of lacrosse with me. Aheheh, when they said no, I'd always thwap them with mah stick over their head. Those were the days..."

One could ask though, what does this withered old lacrosse fan have to do with Rennidan's chances in the game at an international level? Is he the teams manager? The coach? Has he been advising the team during their training sessions?

Why no, my simple reader...

Mark is our team.


When asked what on Earth possesses a sixty-odd year old to decide to take center stage on an incredibly physical sport on an international level, well, Mark simply offers a sly grin.

"I've been training for this moment for nigh on fifty years, mah boy. If you ask me... I'm the best darn player in Rennidan. Why the heck shouldn't I represent my beloved nation out there on the world stage?"

Obviously, the main concern is the fact that Mark will be having to perform more than one role on the field at the same time.

"I'm a lot more agile than I look. I'm sure I'll be giving those big ol' country teams with their fancy training schemes and high paid stars a run for their money in no time."

And with that said, Mark left the interview building, using his lacrosse stick to aid his walking, and hobbled onboard the awaiting Rennihound Bus, showing his senior citizen card for a free journey.

Needless to say, this WLC should be interesting to say the least.

Good evening, or good morning depending on where you are. It is now time for the group draw for the 4th World Lacrosse Championships. We have 14 teams. So this means two groups of seven. Everybody will play everyone in their group once, and all matches will be held in Newmanistan. (Based on previous WLC’s, 12 group stage matches seemed a little excessive to have one home and one away).

The top four teams in each group will advance to knockouts. More info to follow.


In a three-way tie in a group, the tiebreaker criteria is: (As there will be no draws (OT will be played until there is a winner), H2H will settle all ties between two teams).

1) H2H amongst each other.
2) GD in games played amongst each other.
3) GF in games played amongst each other.
4) Overall GD
5) Overall GF
6) Highest cumulative RP bonus earned (my way of doing a “coin flip”)


So you want the groups? Of course you do. Here they are:

Group A:
Newmanistan
Secristan
Kura-Pelland
Cassadaigua
Greal
Colbourne
West Newmanistan

Group B:
Sarzonia
Taeshan
Dancougar
Lovisa
Tocrowkia
Rennidan
Qazox

Group A Schedule:
MD1 (Apr 5): 1 v 3, 2 v 4, 5 v 7, Bye: 6 (Site: Pocono City Stadium)
MD2 (Apr 6): 1 v 5, 2 v 3, 6 v 7, Bye: 4 (Site: Dover Field)
MD3 (Apr 7): 1 v 6, 2 v 5, 4 v 7, Bye: 3 (Site: Southport Stadium)
MD4 (Apr 8): 1 v 2, 3 v 4, 5 v 6, Bye: 7 (Site: Tundra Falls Proving Grounds)
MD5 (Apr 9): 1 v 7, 4 v 5, 3 v 6, Bye: 2 (Site: Putnam Lake Stadium)
MD6 (Apr 10): 2 v 7, 3 v 5, 4 v 6, Bye: 1 (Site: Centralia Stadium)
MD7 (Apr 11): 1 v 4, 2 v 6, 3 v 7, Bye: 5 (Site: Loudon Stadium)

Group B Schedule:
MD1 (Apr 5): 1 v 7, 4 v 5, 3 v 6, Bye: 2 (Site: Putnam Lake Stadium)
MD2 (Apr 6): 1 v 4, 2 v 6, 3 v 7, Bye: 5 (Site: Loudon Stadium)
MD3 (Apr 7): 1 v 2, 3 v 4, 5 v 6, Bye: 7 (Site: Tundra Falls Proving Grounds)
MD4 (Apr 8): 1 v 5, 2 v 3, 6 v 7, Bye: 4 (Site: Dover Field)
MD5 (Apr 9): 1 v 6, 2 v 5, 4 v 7, Bye: 3 (Site: Southport Stadium)
MD6 (Apr 10): 1 v 3, 2 v 4, 5 v 7, Bye: 6 (Site: Pocono City Stadium)
MD7 (Apr 11): 2 v 7, 3 v 5, 4 v 6, Bye: 1 (Site: Centralia Stadium)


KNOCKOUT SCHEDULE:
Apr 12th- Off Day. (The Empire strongly observes the well known holiday that falls on this date)

Apr 13th- Quarterfinals
Game A- 1st Group A vs 4th Group B (Tundra Falls)
Game B- 2nd Group B vs 3rd Group A (Pocono City)
Game C- 3rd Group B vs 2nd Group A (Southport)
Game D- 4th Group A vs 1st Group B (Loudon)

Apr 14th- Semifinals
Game E- Winner Game A vs Winner Game B (Loudon)
Game F- Winner Game C vs Winner Game D (Tundra Falls)

Apr 15th- 3rd Place Game
Game G- Loser Game E vs Loser Game F (Pocono City)

Apr 16th- CHAMPIONSHIP
Game H- Winner Game E vs Winner Game F (Tundra Falls)


CUTOFF TIMES WILL BE APPROX. 9 AM, EASTERN US TIME DAILY UNLESS WARNED IN ADVANCE OTHERWISE.
CUTOFF TIME FOR MATCHDAY 1 HOWEVER, IS 5PM EASTERN US TIME!!

GoldenEaglesLacrosse.com

The only Lacrosse team in Qazox has entered the 4th World Lacrosse Championships and the schedule has been released for the opening round:

MD1 (Apr 5): Sarzonia @ Putnam Lake Stadium
MD2 (Apr 6): Dancougar @ Loudon Stadium
MD3 (Apr 7): OFF DAY
MD4 (Apr 8): Rennidan @ Dover Field
MD5 (Apr 9): Lovisa @ Southport Stadium
MD6 (Apr 10): Tocrowkia @ Pocono City Stadium
MD7 (Apr 11): Taeshan @ Centralia Stadium

The schedule is difficult, as the Golden Eagles will face the defending champions, the Sarzonia Stars in the first match, and finish with the Taeshan Falcons, winners of the 2nd WLC. Not to mention Dancougar, who has been a world power in everything lately. It will be a difficult schedule, but if the Golden Eagles can survive and make the playoffs, it will be a good first step.

"Well, that's the group draw," Harold Price said as he shut the projector.

"We have six straight matches and don't have a bye until Matchday Seven."

Price looked around the room. He thought his team's attention was flagging slightly, so he decided to get their attention. He slammed his fist on the desk in the room of the training facility.

"Men!" he yelled, since there were no women on the Sarzonian national lacrosse side. "Regain your focus! If we don't play the way we're supposed to, we could be going home after Matchday Six!"

"Coach, we realise that," said midfielder Carter Whitlock, recently named team captain as a result of his exploits in the previous WLC. "We're going over scouting reports of the teams in our heads."

Qazox are new to the competition, but the Stars could look around the room to realise that didn't necessarily mean much. After all, the Stars made their debut in the third World Lacrosse Championships and ended up hoisting the trophy after winning 10 of their 11 matches. The only team to defeat Sarzonia was host nation Secristan, but that match took place at Chip Moose Lacrosse Stadium in Woodstock.

After a few minutes of briefly discussing each opponent, paying close attention to Qazox since they were the opening opponent and one of the three opponents the Stars had never faced. They played Tocrowkia twice, winning both matches easily. They beat Dancougar in a battle for the ages in the quarterfinals of the third World Lacrosse Championships. They routed then-unbeaten Taeshan in the semifinals before defeating Newmanistan in the finals.

"We've got teams that will have revenge on their minds," Whitlock said, addressing the team. "I expect to see everyone hustling out there." Price actually broke into a grin when he heard the team's captain address the team with that comment. Beat me to it, he thought.

"Looks like the organisers of this tournament aren't doing us any favours logistically," Price said. "We'll be traveling all across the country for our matches." Price thought back to the previous WLC in Secristan. Even though hotels there were expensive, the team stayed in the same hotel and didn't have to leave Amherst. No such luck this time.

Price didn't have to say it. He knew it. His team knew it. Their work was going to be much tougher, especially since they were the defending champions. They'd have to prove to the lacrosse world that their title was no fluke.

In Newmanistan, Lacrosse isn’t a “smaller” or a “niche” sport. It is in fact, one of the most popular sports in the country, and stadiums fill to capacity with just as many people as their would be at baseball or football games. Due to this, the Empire expects nothing less then to win a championship. So far, they have been very successful appearing in the championship of all three WLC’s thus far, although they have only won the first.

Style Modifier: + 1.7

RP Permissions:
Choose my goalscorers: Y
Godmode scoring events: Y
RP injuries: Y, only in saying they are hurt. I’ll take it from there.
Godmode injuries: N
Eject/Penalize players: Y
Godmode "other" events: N

Manager: Prince Michael
Age: 47
Team: Pocono City Capitals
Bio: Prince Michael is the brother of Empress Jessica and has made lacrosse his life. He had guided the team in the first three World Lacrosse Championships and commands the instant respect of his team. This isn’t just because he is royalty, although that probably helps somewhat. The Prince was a highly successful lacrosse player himself, and played in the NLL (Newmanistan Lacrosse League) as an attacker for six years, leading the league in scoring twice before he was made to give it up as opposing coaches claimed he was getting preferential treatment from the officials. Still, the man knows and understands the game like no other and even though he has already proven himself to the world, he takes complete pride in guiding the national team.

Player: Kevin Moreno
Position: G
Age: 22
Team: North Charlotte Wildcats
Bio: Is he a prodigy? Moreno, who’s agility is simply stunning, as bypassed all other competition to win over the starting job for this tournament, even over the previous starter, Jason Copeland who had been part of the previous three teams. He relies on his reflexes which often leads to highlight reel saves that were actually fairly routine for him. The only knock, if there is one, on him, is that he can get rattled easily by a “bad goal”, that it throws him off for a while and he needs to be settled back down. Then again, we might just be nit-picking to find a weakness to him.

Player: Pete Buckley
Position: LD
Age: 30
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: 31
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 six years. He’s not the type to be extremely physical, but he’s not a pansy either.

Player: Michael Leahey
Position: RD
Age: 29
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. The entire defense unit has played together in the last three WLC’s.

Player: Michael Kinser
Position: LM
Age: 22
Number: 13
Team: North Charlotte Wildcats
Bio: Debuted in WLC 3 after having a stellar first two seasons in the NLL. After winning Rookie of the Year four years ago, and on an up-and-coming team in North Charlotte, Kinser has only gotten better. He is the type of player who will make those better around him. The Prince looks for him to show a lot of improvement this year, and his familiarity with Moreno should only help.

Player: Chris Roberts
Position: CM
Age: 23
Number: 16
Team: Stroudsbourg Panthers
Bio: The gritty middie makes his debut for WLC 4, and is eager to make a strong impression. Kyle Foster, the previous starter in this spot, has struggled the last two years reamining healthy, so Roberts gets the chance. He’s not at all the same kind of player. While Foster was a flashy, finesse type, Roberts is more of physical presence who excels more on the defensive end. Not limited to that, he has a knack for being able to set up the attack, and should be a very strong addition to this team.

Player: Matt Knight
Position: RM
Age: 33
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: 27
Number: 28
Team: Olympia Gladiators
Bio: Green, for the longest time, has been in the shadows of the great Keith Taylor and Curt Farrell, and he has thrived in his opportunities thus far to be able to be on the same attack with them on the national team. Now that this trio will be in their fourth WLC together, the chemistry between them should be remarkably high.

Player: Keith Taylor
Position: CA
Age: 29
Number: 14
Team: Pocono City Capitals
Bio: A complete playmaker. Taylor is one of the greatest players in the world, as he is, already, a six 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: 29
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, as they enjoy doing this. Farrell, himself, has two NLL MVP’s award to his credit, including the most recent one.

Bench:
– Jason Copeland- G (32, Centralia Cougars)- Starting Goalie in WLC 1, 2 & 3.
– James Lyons- D (29, Southport Tigers)
– Aaron Applegate- D (28, Tundra Falls Mariners)
– Steve Harrington- M (21, South Tier Seagulls)
– Daniel Cooper- M (19, Centralia Cougars)
– Matthew Ellerby- A (22, Loudon Leopards)
– Kyle Williams- A (21, Dover City Mountaineers)
– Edward Davis- Utility (18, Loudon Leopards)

Group Draw Announced

Schedule
Match 1 VS BYE
Match 2 VS Rennidan @ Loudon Stadium
Match 3 VS Sarzonia @ Tundra Falls Proving Fields
Match 4 VS Dancougar @ Dover Field
Match 5 VS Tocrowkia @ Southport Stadium
Match 6 VS Lovisa @ Pocono City Stadium
Match 7 VS Qazox @ Centrailia Stadium

The Flaming Falcons look to have a very tough schedule ahead of them this year. Dancougar, Sarzonia, Tocrowkia, Rennidan, Lovisa and Qazox all look to have very good Lacrosse teams. The Falcons are a little more expirienced then most of them and there overall historic record of 19-1-4 should look to help them continue there sucess.

Here is our roster for World Lacrosse Championships 4.

Starters in Green
Bench players in Red

Coach: Melanie Kaplan, Age: 40

Goalies:
Jennifer Tipton, Age: 29
Cindy Heywood, Age: 35

Defense:
Heather Emerton, Age: 27
Debbie Miles, Age: 31
Amanda Primrose, Age: 30
Melanie Babnik, Age: 29
Alexandra Shuler, Age: 33
Meghan Shatford, Age: 21
Erin Pacek, Age: 20

Midfielders:
Lauren Mineri, Age: 24
Tara Lindfield, Age: 27
Ashley Norville, Age: 24 (Team Captain)
Pamela Alexander, Age: 18
Danielle Royce, Age: 23
Trista Bayliss, Age: 26

Attack:
Carrie Boardman, Age: 28
Courtney Bernard, Age: 29
Hannah Levenson, Age: 22
Julie Freier, Age: 27
Sarah McCreedy, Age: 28
Kathleen Lawrence, Age: 18

Style Modifier: +1.4

If my opponent RPs first, they may:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmode scoring events: Yes
RP injuries: No
Godmode injuries: No
Eject/Penalize players: Yes
Godmode "other" events: Yes, feel free to have fun just don’t kill anyone.

The Goal Crease

So, Ashley Norville didn’t feel like doing the blogging for this one, but don’t fear, because I have stepped up. I am your friendly neighborhood goalie, Jennifer Tipton, and I am excited about our chances this year. It won’t be easy as we are in a pretty tough group, with both Newmanistan and Secristan to contend with, as well as Kura-Pelland, and our rivals from the last World Lacrosse Championships, Greal. Then who knows, even Colbourne and West Newmanistan could be spoilers. West Newmanistan’s entry is interesting because of the situation that is going on between them and regular Newmanistan. No, I am not calling them West Newmanistan to make some sort of democratic statement about that situation, I call them that because that is what they call themselves on the sheet of paper I have before me! All the games are in Newmanistan, which is fine, but we will be traveling all over the country. Here is a look at our schedule, and I’ll get back to all of you later.

Game 1- vs Secristan
Game 2- Bye Day
Game 3- vs West Newmanistan
Game 4- vs Kura-Pelland
Game 5- vs Greal
Game 6- vs Colbourne
Game 7- vs Newmanistan

Mike doesn't support silly adverts which cut into roleplay posts, distracting people from reading it how it was supposed to be read, and neither do I.

Day 18 of Training.
Location: Peak of Mount Rennida
Time: 04:32


As I sit, quiet and tranquil atop Rennidan's most striking feature, the glimmer of an early sunrise creeping over the horizon fresh on my face, I realize that this competition could very well be my last chance to be remembered in a world which grows more forgetful as the days pass by. I am but one old man, looking to take on the giants of the lacrosse world. I may be playing a team of ten on that pitch, but behind them they have the spirit, the energy and the burden of an entire nation. I, however, am doing this merely for myself. I am perhaps the only citizen of Rennidan who understands the very heart and essence of the game.

Lacrosse itself is a tribal game. It is perhaps one of the oldest team sports to grace this world, and yet here I am preparing to face it on my own. Perhaps though, that is why I am here, atop Mount Rennida, watching the nation awaken at my feet. Up here, for the briefest of moments, I am a god.

Legend says that the oldest monks would climb to the top of Mount Rennida to die when their time came. They came up here to die alone. Perhaps that's why I felt the urge eighteen nights prior to climb up here. Perhaps I wanted to feel that spot where thousands before me had came to perish. Perhaps I have come here to bathe in the aura of triumph they left behind, their final hurrah being to climb atop the world and become a god for the briefest of moments.

Rest assured, I did not come up here to die.

I came up here to be reborn.

I begin the descent of Mount Rennida that morning, still looking like the same sixty-odd year old Mike Acherton whom the world perceived as some crazy old codger looking for one last hurrah, but as I board the flight for Newmanistan twelve days later, I feel like a new man on the inside, with grace and determination in bounds. I feel as though all those men who had died atop the mountain all those years ago have joined with my soul, lending me their otherworldy powers.







Or perhaps I'm just going senile.

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 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.

Modifier: +1.3

If my opponent RPs first, they may:
Choose my goalscorers: Y
Godmode scoring events: Y
RP injuries: Y in only saying they are hurt
Godmode injuries: N
Eject/Penalize players: Y
Godmode "other" events: N

Coach: Steve Cameron, 49, 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: Patrick Kearney, 24, Bridgefield Warlords
– Kearney makes his first appearance in World Lacrosse Championships 4 as his predecessor, Eric Hutchinson, has hung them up. Patrick relies on his positioning more then anything else and works very well with his defense. He is expected to be a fixture here for a while.

LD: Mark Keating, 32, Key South Islanders
– After being a reserve in the first three competitions, Keating finally gets an opportunity to start, replacing a former teammate of his at the club level in Chris Anderson. He protects his field well, and plays those guys who try to finesse their way past him quite well. It’s those power forwards that give him the most trouble.

CD: Steve Traulsen, 33, 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. Starts for the fourth time.

RD: Jack Benjamin, 32, 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, also starts for the fourth time.

LM: Shane Ellis, 29, 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: Scott Pierce, 19, Amherst Tycoons
– After one scintillating season, the kid is going directly to the starting lineup. He is tall and aggressive, but also very creative in making plays. Scott has great vision to know where his teammates are and gets them the ball. Pierce isn’t going to score a ton of goals, but he will get many assists.

RM: Tim Pozniak, 28, 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, 31, 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, 28, Manchester Panthers (Team Captain)
– 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, 29, 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, 33, Stockton Firebirds
D- Adam Watanabe, 22, Amherst Tycoons
D- Robert Petrie, 21, Amherst Tycoons
M - Aaron Proctor, 24, East Penthoria Marlins
M - Mike Vincelli, 28, Cloverfield Hurricanes
A- Eric Hopkins, 27, Lakeland Sea Wolves
A- Michael Stark, 25, Ocala Sun Devils

PUT UP TIME

It’s time for the Millionaires to put up out there on the field as the 4th World Lacrosse Championships are set to begin across the Penthoria. Secristan will be playing six games during the group stage, and advancing to the knockouts is an expectation. Of course it is, that’s never been the problem. We have seen the Millionaires consistently put together great group stage play only to fall flat on their face during the knockouts. So far, Secristan has failed to record even an appearance in the finals, something in which does not sit well to our fans. We are supposed to be strong in this sport, and we are supposed to contend for titles. We have not done this. We’ve seen Newmanistan make it to all three finals. We have seen Sarzonia and Taeshan win it all, but so far we have done nothing more then fall prematurely. The roster we bring to this competition is pretty similar to the old ones, but there is one big change, and that will be in goal. Bridgefield’s Patrick Kearney gets to start now, and he is ready to carry the team on his shoulders. “It has been painful for me to watch my team underachieve out there from at home,” he said, “I often found myself watching the games on TV and believing that I could be doing the job just as well if not better then Hutch (former starter Eric Hutchinson). We have tried to show the world that we are great at the game of lacrosse, and last time we showed that in hosting the competition. What we have not done is experience those results on the field as we have choked early in knockouts three times now. It is my duty to bring glory to Secristan and I will not let the people down!” Hopefully, Kearney’s enthusiasm will rub off on the rest of the team and it can translate to a championship. Winning in the group stage hasn’t been the problem.

Speaking of the group stage, we have a total of fourteen nations that have signed up for this competition, meaning that the participants have been split into two groups of seven. Secristan will be participating in the One Big Island group. All four of the regional nations that are participating in this have ended up in Group A, making for some excitement. The showdown between Newmanistan and Mordavia will certainly interest the locals and have us all interested in how that pans out. We will be playing both of them as well, and also meeting up with fellow regionmate, Cassadaigua. Also in the group is Kura-Pelland, who will be eager to rebound after a disappointing performance in the last World Lacrosse Championship. They will be a tough opponent, and Greal is no pushover either. Colbourne is also participating, and they have been at this enough now too to know what it takes, and if they show improvement, maybe even they can be dangerous. It’s a pretty tough group overall. The Secristan Department of Sports is happy with the group draw because it does consist of three nations within the region, and Kura-Pelland, which will also generate fan interest to purchase the pay-per-view telecast.

Our schedule looks like this:
MD1- vs Cassadaigua @ Pocono City
MD2- vs Kura-Pelland @ Dover City
MD3- vs Greal @ Southport
MD4- vs Newmanistan @ Tundra Falls
MD5- BYE
MD6- vs Mordavia @ Centralia
MD7- vs Colbourne @ Loudon

MD1 Cutoff

Group A (Pocono City)
Newmanistan 12-13 Kura-Pelland
Secristan 16-11 Cassadaigua
Greal 14-9 West Newmanistan

Group B (Putnam Lake)
Sarzonia 15-8 Qazox
Lovisa 10-11 (OT) Tocrowkia
Dancougar 14-7 Rennidan

Well... that wasn't in the script.

Kura-Pelland's lacrosse team entered Newmanistan with no media attention and modest expectations. But in what will go down as one of the country's greatest sporting moments, this inexperienced team produced a sensational 13-12 defeat of the hosts and favourites to prove they are a genuine force in international lacrosse.

It didn't start that way. Within minutes, the hosts were 3-0 up and cruising, to the delight of the home fans in Pocono City. Keith Taylor and Curt Farrell were connecting with each other as telepathically as ever and the Kura-Pellandi defence were helpless. But a mistake from Kevin Moreno shortly afterwards opened the floodgates, and in no time at all the teams were level, Moreno clearly rattled by his opening mistake to allow Kevin Anderson to complete a quick-fire treble.

The scores remained that way for some time thanks to excellent defence on both sides, particularly from Glenn Federman in central defence on the Kura-Pellandi side. Keith Canoville gave Kura-Pelland a shock lead midway through the second quarter, but that just inspired the Rockets to fire up again, and they led 7-5 at the half. Scare over? Not a bit of it.

Canoville, playing in left attack, proved lethal through quarter three thanks to his athleticism, using his speed to get into position and his strength for unleashing shots regularly past 95mph. While a couple of these shots were wayward, he scored three in total in the third quarter, after which the game was well and truly on at 10-9.

The Rockets extended their lead to two early in the fourth, but when Pete Buckley was ejected soon afterwards Kura-Pelland had their chance. Abdul Braconie, playing in the right attack position, suddenly had plenty of space to create chances, and Anderson was on hand to take them. 11-11 and the momentum was with the visitors. Taylor scored a stunning breakaway goal after a brilliant save from Moreno to make the score 12-11, but Braconie levelled the score with 42 seconds left, and with just eight seconds left on the clock a desperate long pass from middie Bjørn Eberleim found Canoville, whose ferocious strike flew into the net for a famous victory.

Kura-Pelland starting lineup vs Newmanistan:
GK: Mark O'Leary
D: Jack Meadowcroft, Glenn Federman, Dan Foster
M: Bjørn Eberlein, Gavin Powell, Daniel Avary
F: Keith Canoville, Kevin Anderson, Abdul Braconie

Even though their team took a 7-5 lead at halftime, the Sarzonian national lacrosse team was hardly pleased.

Harold Price erupted at halftime after watching his Stars concede three of four goals in a span of 1:28 of the second quarter, turning what had been a comfortable 6-2 margin into a close match.

"Play like champions," Price exhorted.

The Stars were determined to do so, but they faced a Golden Eagles side that was just as determined to prove they weren't going to go away. Qazox scored two of the first three goals in the third quarter before Price called timeout with the score 8-7 Sarzonia.

Now it was midfielder Carter Whitlock's turn.

"Lads," he said. "We can't turn it off and turn it back on. We've got to take this!" Whitlock ran out to his position in midfield and verbally challenged the other players.

"Out of the way," he said to the midfielder who had lined up to take the faceoff.

"What?"

"You heard me. I'm taking this draw," Whitlock said. That stunned the team since Whitlock rarely took draws. But Whitlock won the draw and began Sarzonia's patient offence once more. Finally, he deked a long-stick defender and cut toward the net. A Stars defender fired a shot that caromed off the goalkeeper. Whitlock was in the right place at the right time and scored, making the score 9-7.

When the fourth quarter hit, the match was all Sarzonia. The Stars outscored the Golden Eagles 6-1 in the period and finished with a final score of 15-8.

"I don't know," Price told a reporter after the game. "Qazox are a tougher side than we expected, but like I told the lads before this tournament started, we're going to get every team's best shot from here on out."

As for calling for the draw, Whitlock said he "just had a feeling" he'd win it.

"I don't know. It was just determination, I guess."

GoldenEaglesLacrosse.com

After halftime and the 3rd period,the Golden Eagles were only down by two goals, but a 6-1 spurt in the 4th period gave the day to Sarzonia.


1 2 3 4 F
Qazox 2 3 2 1 8
Sarzonia 3 4 2 6 15





MD1 (Apr 5): Sarzonia LOST 8-15
MD2 (Apr 6): Dancougar @ Loudon Stadium
MD3 (Apr 7): OFF DAY
MD4 (Apr 8): Rennidan @ Dover Field
MD5 (Apr 9): Lovisa @ Southport Stadium
MD6 (Apr 10): Tocrowkia @ Pocono City Stadium
MD7 (Apr 11): Taeshan @ Centralia Stadium

THE ROCKET REPORT

STUNNING DEFEAT

Pocono City- Perhaps they thought they could walk through the group stage. Or that the only team in the group that would concern them would be Secristan. That was proven tonight to not be the case as the Rockets were dealt a shocking 13-12 defeat at the hands of Kura-Pelland. Kura-Pelland should not have been taken lightly given that they are a battle-tested group in the Lacrosse Championships, but whether or not they were taken for granted in actuality is another story.

A fast start, while looking good when it may have happened may have led to more of the complacency. Quickly, the Rockets scored three goals, courtesy of the magic that exists between Keith Taylor and Curtis Farrell. The Capital Connection was clicking on their home turf at the club level as well, and it seemed as though the rout was on. But a poor pass by goalie Kevin Moreno, led to a turnover and a goal for the visitors and the young netminder seemed to be thrown off his game because of it. Kevin Anderson led the comeback as suddenly Kura-Pelland had tied the match. After the game settled down briefly, the visitors pulled ahead 5-4 midway through the second quarter, making the fans a bit restless, but two quick goals by Jason Green and Keith Taylor’s third of the game seemed to restore normalcy with the team back up by two.

The start of the second half was supposed to see the Rockets pull away. Surely, they would make the necessary adjustments at halftime, and take care of business. That would not be the case, and instead Keith Canoville showed off his tremendous skill to everyone watching, and scored three goals as he tried to carry the team on his back, and the Rockets seemed to have a hard time containing him. Matt Knight appeared to have the most difficult in stopping him, often leaving defensemen Michael Leahey helpless. It seemed too, that Canoville may also have gotten in the head of Moreno. At least the Rockets were scoring as well. Keith Taylor and Curtis Farrell were scoring as well, and Newmanistan still remained in the lead, being up by two, 11-9, early in the fourth quarter. The momentum died completely when Pete Buckley was sent off for a rough slash, and the Prince was sure to give Buckley an earful for the undisciplined play immediately. This opened up the floodgates, and Kura-Pelland capitalized, quickly tying up the game. Despite a Taylor score to put the team up 12-11, there was still a lot of nervousness in the stands, and the proved to be justified as the visitors inexplicably scored two goals in the final minute, the last coming off quite an impressive pass to set up Canoville, who truly made a great impression tonight. With eight ticks of the clock left, it was Kura-Pelland up by one, and not enough time for the Rockets to do anything about it.

This wasn’t supposed to happen, and the team will need to rebound from it before their next game against Greal. It’s another game that they should win, but we see how well that worked for them tonight. For Kura-Pelland, it’s a huge win, and perhaps a message to the world that they have moved past their disappointing showing in the last Lacrosse Championships and will again be a serious contender for a title.

MILLIONAIRES ROUT CASSADAIGUA

On a day where fans in Pocono City would be stunned due to the host team’s upset loss to Kura-Pelland, the Millionaires made sure that they would not also come out short. There would be some that would say a Cassadaigua win over Secristan would not really be an upset, as the Dagan ladies did make a semifinal appearance in Secristan during the last World Lacrosse Championships, and so far our history has been full of nothing but underachievement. For us, it would be an upset. That would not be the case as the Millionaires cruised to a 16-11 victory, taking a 10-4 lead at halftime and holding on. It’s not something that will give their goalie, Jennifer Tipton, much to write about. Scott Cushman had a huge game, scoring nine goals in total, seven of them coming in the first half. He also assisted on three others. “I was in the zone,” he said, “I felt as though I was going to score every time I had the ball on my stick. It’s a feeling I hope can carry over because we are all feeling the pressure of needing to have a long and extended run during this competition.” Cushman, who is also the captain of the team expects his teammates to follow in his footsteps, “My words mean nothing if I am not playing my best. We have a great team here and I saw us do a lot of good things in this game.” Next up for the Millionaires will be Kura-Pelland, the team that just pulled off the upset over Newmanistan. Coach Scott Cameron insists his team will be ready for that showdown, “We will be hoping that Kura-Pelland will have a hangover after pulling over their big victory. They look good against Newmanistan, doing a lot of things right. We’ll be able to study what they did, specifically, and look to contain their offense, especially Keith Canoville. I’m confident that we can get that done.”

The Secristan Department of Sports reports high ratings for the showdown against Cassadaigua, but that comes as no surprise to anyone. That country has become a rival of us in several sports now, plus the makeup of their roster will naturally draw a lot of interest. Katie Simpson was very happy with the Kura-Pelland win too, saying that will only help sales of our game with them, “The Kura-Pelland game was a little iffy on our scale of the kind of revenue we could make. With them getting the win over the Rockets, our people will notice and want to see if we could do something that Newmanistan couldn’t do. We noticed a considerable spike in purchases following that result, and it’s rising to the point now where it will probably end up as our #2 earner of the group stage, whereas before we had it as #3 or #4.” The game is in Dover City, so expect many Secristanis to be in attendance. Dover City is the closest Newmanistanian city to the Secristani capital of Amherst.

"Mark Acherton... eh..." The Black Wings had arrived in Newmanistan expecting to challenge for a semifinal berth, and their first test was against the oddest of opponents - a single man whose age matched their entire front line combined. Surely this was some kind of joke?

"It's not a joke," replied Beck Sedol, almost anticipating the question. "There is ample historical precedence for a one-man team, and they've not all been pushovers. One recalls Bugsy Borker in an Oxen Cup some years back defeat an entire team of Dancougar college all-stars by himself."

"You'd be that one, then," mumbled Rick. He turned to Roy. "What are we going to do, senpai? Even if he's some kind of superman, it doesn't seem fair for us to all take him at once."

"No, I guess it doesn't," Roy replied. He took a step forward ahead of the rest of his team. "In that case, I'll be our champion!" The referee, unsure whether he should allow the implied gentleman's agreement to overrule the official code of the game, decided to let them go at it as the crowd chanted, Let them play! Let them play!

The two lined up for the faceoff, the ball entered play, and.... whoosh! Rick blinked and looked again. The two had disappeared from sight. He looked frantically to either side of the field but could find no sign of either player. "What... just...?!" he gasped.

Lisa and the others, though, were stone-faced. Their eyes made the subtlest movements from left to right, as if they were following something with immense concentration. He turned back to the field, but there didn't seem to be anyone there. Then, in a flash, he saw Rennidan's Mark materialize near his goal. Roy appeared about five yards away and ripped a shot past Mark to make it 1-0. A whoop went up from the bench, but Rick was silent.

What just happened?

As soon as the faceoff restarted play, they were gone again.

Rick turned to Lisa with a confused look. "Just what exactly is going on, anyway?"

"We're watching the game," she replied. "They're right there..." She pointed to what appeared to Rick as a blank space , where he could make out a brief flash of something coming together. A gust of wind rippled outward from the point.

"Are you sure?" Rick asked. "I only saw them when they were in front of the goal for the shot. Everything else wasn't even a blur."

"Ah, you're trying to watch with your eyes, aren't you?" Lisa giggled. She leaned in close and put her hands on his shoulders. "You're too tense," she said. "Try to relax. You need to visualize the energy of their movement, not the movement itself."

Suddenly, Rick realized that they were ripping off that show...

Time to cutoff MD2!

Group A:

Newmanistan 14-10 Greal
Secristan 14-13 (OT) Kura-Pelland
Colbourne 12-8 West Newmanistan


Pos Group A P W L GF GA GD
1 Secristan 2 2 0 30 24 6
2 Colbourne 1 1 0 12 8 4
3 Newmanistan 2 1 1 26 23 3
4 Greal 2 1 1 24 23 1
5 Kura-Pelland 2 1 1 26 26 0
6 Cassadaigua 1 0 1 11 16 -5
7 West Newmanistan 2 0 2 17 26 -9


Group B:

Sarzonia 17-10 Lovisa
Taeshan 13-8 Rennidan
Dancougar 15-13 Qazox


Pos Group B P W L GF GA GD
1 Sarzonia 2 2 0 32 18 14
2 Dancougar 2 2 0 29 20 9
3 Taeshan 1 1 0 13 8 5
4 Tocrowkia 1 1 0 11 10 1
5 Lovisa 2 0 2 20 28 -8
6 Qazox 2 0 2 21 30 -9
7 Rennidan 2 0 2 15 27 -12


For now, tables simply sorted by Wins/GD

Unlike most of the matches the Sarzonian national lacrosse team have played in its history, the match against Lovisa featured the Stars taking a huge lead and stumbling at the end.

It didn't matter in the end. Sarzonia still won the match by an impressive 17-10 final score against an experienced Lovisa side. But for coach Harold Price, it was yet another opportunity for him to ride his team in training.

"We have to be able to play the full 60 minutes," Price told his team in the dressing room after the match. "Frankly, the fact that we played maybe 50 minutes of this match is disconcerting."

He knew going in that the Lovisa fixture was a potential trap. The Stars (2-0, first place, Group B) were set to face Taeshan on Matchday 3. Price knew Taeshan would be motivated to face the team that ended its perfect run through the third World Lacrosse Championships. They knew intemperate remarks after Sarzonia dominated Taeshan 13-7 in the semifinals calling Taeshan "a fraud" would appear on the bulletin board.

But he also knew his team. He knew the determination that seemed to define most Sarzonians. He knew the Stars didn't take a back seat to any opponent when they were on top of their game. He also knew his team tended to let its mind wander during matches against inferior foes. But he also knew the team was capable of playing some of the best lacrosse in the world against outstanding opponents.

"We'll meet at the practice facility at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning to go over tactics for the Taeshan match," Price said. "See you all then."

After he walked back to the manager's office adjacent to the locker room, midfielder Carter Whitlock walked into his office.

"Isn't 8 a.m. a bit early?" Whitlock asked.

"It's the latest I could get," Price said. "The other slots I had were 5 a.m. and 2:30 a.m."

"Sheesh!"

"That's what happens when you play every group stage match in the host nation," Price said, wearily. "And we've gotta be outta of there by 9:30. So we're really only going to have a chance to do a walk-through."

"Don't they have other facilities we could use?"

"They're booked solid," Price said. "Believe me, if I could fly us back home and train there, I would. But then we'd have jet lag."

Price looked out the window. The trip to Tundra Falls would be an interesting one. He'd heard much about this particular Newmanistani facility. He wanted to return home in the worst way, but he also knew that winning here in Newmanistan would make a statement.

"See you at 7," Whitlock said. Price grunted. That meant he'd have to be at the facility at 6:30. Whitlock was not the team captain, but he certainly showed the characteristics of one. Not only that, but unlike the coach, Whitlock was an early riser by habit. While many of his teammates might be out carousing on the town, Whitlock was in his room, asleep. When many of his teammates battled the snooze bar, Whitlock was studying game DVDs.

As for Price, he envisioned staring at that alarm clock, hoping it would give him five more minutes. But he also envisioned the match against Taeshan being one of the most highly anticipated Group B fixtures. The other match observers would likely pay to see would be the Sarzonia-Dancougar match.

But now was the time to focus on Taeshan. And by golly, Price would get his team to do just that.

Flaming Falcons Take Opener

After a year of anticipated waiting, and another week of waiting the Flaming Falcons opened up their fourth of four World Lacrosse Championships with a 13-8 thrashing of the young team from Rennidan. The Flaming Falcons showed there supremessy with an all out horrific attack. Scoring half of those goals in the first quater. Then putting on even more pressure throughout the game.

The game was a relentlous game of attack on the Falcons side throughout. Star Attacker Rowan Qwarant scored the games opening point in the 2nd minute on a Piers Fohneger Assist. Then the Falcons had a flawed few minutes of the game were the Rennidanians somehow were able to break out and score 4 goals, before the Falcons put a whoping 7 goals in the net in th elast two minutes. Qwarant scored 4 , Fohnegher had 2 and William Kelly had the last one. In the second an third Qwarant would find the net once whilst the Rennidan team would take a 8-8 hopeful tie into the last quater. Then the Falcons put on the afterburners as Kelly, Qwarant, Fohneger, Seth Thatcher, and Ollie Richenham gave the Falcons a win with 1 goaal each in the final quater. Next up the Falcons face WLC 3 Champs Sarzonia in a Championship fight of sorts.

MILLIONAIRES SURVIVE

Engaged in a tough battle with Kura-Pelland, the Millionaires were able to dig down deep and find a way to win. For the longest time, it appeared as though Kura-Pelland was on their way to a 2-0 start, as they opened up a quick 5-2 lead in the first quarter, before the match settled in and ended up being 8-5 in favor of Kura-Pelland at halftime. Their attackers had been playing very well together, and perhaps the Millionaires spent too much time worrying about Keith Canoville to the point where Kevin Anderson and Abdul Braconie were allowed to flourish. After the third quarter, Secristan had only marginally begun to cut into the lead, still trailing 11-9, and then 12-9 two minutes into the fourth. At that point, it would be Scott Cushman’s time to rally the team. Scott had scored nine times against Cassadaigua, but had only scored twice in this game until becoming a man possessed. He scored three goals in a row in a span of three minutes, to tie the match up. Not to long after he then assisted on a go-ahead score from Tim Pozniak. It would not be the game winner though, as Anderson tied the game with just 15 seconds left in regulation. In overtime, the Millionaires simply never allowed Kura-Pelland to touch the ball. They won the draw and scored in 20 seconds. Cushman again was the man responsible for this, picking up the assist on the goal by Tom Sutterby that sends the Millionaires to 2-0 in Group A. Up next will be Greal.

The Secristan Department of Sports received nearly triple the amount of forecasted revenue for this particular match then they had been expecting when the group draw was released. Don’t expect the same kind of magic to happen for the Greal match, though. It’s not expected to be much of an earner, and perhaps some of the people that may have bought the contest that elected to watch the Kura-Pelland game instead, will decide not to buy the Greal game. Katie Simpson, our SDOS rep confirms this, “This is probably the second least exciting game on the group schedule for our fans, with only the game with Colbourne being less interesting. But since that one is at the end of the group stage, it could mean playoff positioning, so that will attract viewers. We expect this game to receive the lowest ratings of the World Lacrosse Championships for us. Also with it being the game prior to the Newmanistan showdown is something that works against us.” Despite this, no discount packages have been offered as it appears the SDOS will simply be happy with whatever they can get. For the team, the only way they will be happy is to defeat the team from Greal. Even though Secristan recently ousted Greal from Cup of Harmony 37, there is simply no real history between the countries to fire up our people.

GoldenEaglesLacrosse.com

The Golden Eagles held a lead at the half for the first time, 8-7, but Dancougar's Rick Gatherer scored 5 goals in the 2nd half to lead them to the 15-13 win.


1 2 3 4 F
Qazox 4 4 3 2 13
Dancougar 2 5 4 4 15


MD1 (Apr 5): Sarzonia LOST 8-15
MD2 (Apr 6): Dancougar LOST 13-15
MD3 (Apr 7): OFF DAY
MD4 (Apr 8): Rennidan @ Dover Field
MD5 (Apr 9): Lovisa @ Southport Stadium
MD6 (Apr 10): Tocrowkia @ Pocono City Stadium
MD7 (Apr 11): Taeshan @ Centralia Stadium

There was heavy breathing around the hotel room. The gap between themselves and Sarzonia was growing more and more apparent by the way they'd played Qazox. The Stars had cruised down the stretch for a victory; maybe the Wings would need a similar run. But they were down one at the half and exhausted.

Kamjin punched a locker and cursed. "That damn woman, making a mockery of me!" he spat. Helen Youngman had burned him on three separate occasions to score a first-half hat trick. Kamjin had not held anything back because she was a woman, and she seemed to relish the challenge. Youngman had twisted Kamjin's ankles on her last run, leaving him fumbling for balance when he would normally have destroyed the attacker in the open field.

Roy was leaning against his locker with a wet towel draped over his head. Sally brought him a water bottle and he simply dumped it on himself. The fatigue from the Rennidan game was showing.

"You shouldn't force yourself," Sally said. "After playing that whole game on your own, your body's just..."

"I'm not finished..." Roy muttered, forcing himself to stand. "I can still... ugh..." His legs gave out. Sally and Rick managed to catch him mid-fall. He'd been listless throughout the first half and only had three shots and no goals, so the team was happy to just be in the game. Sterling and Molly had managed to pick up the slack.

"I don't care what you say, you're coming out," Sally said. "Coach!"

The team knew that Roy's leadership was needed out there. Even if he wasn't producing points, just having him out there was reassuring. Surely, he could pull of a miracle at any moment, right? Right?

Rick put his hand on Roy's shoulders and gave him a nod. "Senpai, I won't let your training go to waste." He stood up and walked to the center of the room, drawing glances from everyone. "Everyone... believe in me. We'll pull it off. Just give me the ball."

**********

"Miz Linn? Two minutes to curtain!"

May smiled and the dressing room door closed behind her. She looked in the mirror. Makeup had been liberally applied to... well... everything. Her wardrobe accentuated her body's subtle curves. It had been awhile since she'd had anytime for herself. She hadn't seen her brother, or her friends, or...

She thought back to the benefit concert at Dyson College for the lacrosse team. That had been fun. It wasn't that much different from what she was doing now at the Sweetwater Arena. She had been trying to make everyone in the audience happy with her music. But something about that day was different... what was it about that environment? That audience?

She knew why she was still doing all this. She knew that if they couldn't be together, she could at least keep his attention until that day. Watch me, Rick. I'm going to sing for you!

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

**********

The game was tied after three quarters, but Rick was still mad at himself. It wasn't good enough. He wasn't doing enough! Two goals helped, and the attention that won him from the Qazox defense was opening lanes for his teammates, but he wasn't providing the kind of strength that Roy did just by being out there. He was over on the bench cheering the team on with all his might. He couldn't let his mentor down.

"We've got the momentum back!" Lisa said. She grasped Rick's hand. "I'm going to bank on you. Get open and I'll feed you. Got it?"

Rick blinked and stared back at her. Lisa's eyes were burning. Her grip was strong. He could sense her determination... it seemed to be as strong as her belief. She said he could do it. He could do it.

And with that, Rick singlehandedly put his team in the lead with three unanswered goals to open the quarter. He cut through the defense with twisting runs, and his stroke was smooth, giving Middleton no chance. Qazox would answer, but the damage was done. Rick was now the danger man, and every time he touched the ball, he was instantly surrounded. Lisa was left wide open to extend the lead.

Watch me, May, Rick thought. This is the most I can do for you right now. I'll move the world with my game while you move it with your song! But for a moment, he felt guilty that May was in his mind when it was Lisa who'd given him that confidence...

The Goal Crease

Our first game did not go very well. I don’t think any of us are happy with the way that we played against Secristan. We fell behind 10-4 at halftime, and I will take a lot of the blame for that, and it is all fair. I cannot explain why I struggled, because if I knew, I would have a shutout in my next match. We didn’t play well defensively, and I am partially responsible for that too. The defense depends on their goalie to be a field general, and I was not making the right reads, especially on Cushman, who lit us up. We played them evenly in the second half, but we are not going to take any consolation from that as we knew that then the Millionaires had begun to go into cruise control mode. The best remedy for that was to have our bye day. It might seem early to have a bye already, but after that we need it. We need to recollect our thoughts and regroup. We went over a lot of film to determine where we went wrong against the Millionaires, so that we do not make the same mistakes again. The next game we play will be against West Newmanistan, or Mordavia, if you prefer. I’m not going to get into all that political nonsense. A lot of us were wondering how their team would be treated in Newmanistan, but we haven’t heard anything about it. In fact, I don’t really think we have heard anything from West Newmanistan at all. What we do know about them is that they are 0-2, with losses to Greal and Colbourne. They are a good team for us to play to get back up on our feet, which I am confident that we will do. The game will be in Southport, and I’m sure that we will have most of the people rooting for us as most of the people in Newmanistan, I don’t think are rooting for their breakoff nation, or whatever they call it. I am looking for a big game. My goal is to allow only 8 goals or less!

It's time for a RP cutoff.

Group A: (Southport)
Newmanistan 15-7 Colbourne
Secristan 18-11 Greal
Cassadaigua 11-8 West Newmanistan


Pos Group A P W L GF GA GD
1 Secristan 3 3 0 48 35 13
2 Newmanistan 3 2 1 41 30 11
3 Kura-Pelland 2 1 1 26 26 0
4 Cassadaigua 2 1 1 22 24 -2
5 Colbourne 2 1 1 19 23 -4
6 Greal 3 1 2 35 41 -6
7 West Newmanistan 3 0 3 25 37 -12


Group B: (Tundra Falls)
Sarzonia 13-9 Taeshan
Dancougar 12-6 Lovisa
Tocrowkia 10-15 Rennidan


Pos Group B P W L GF GA GD
1 Sarzonia 3 3 0 45 27 18
2 Dancougar 3 3 0 41 26 15
3 Taeshan 2 1 1 22 21 1
4 Tocrowkia 2 1 1 21 25 -4
5 Rennidan 3 1 2 30 37 -7
6 Qazox 2 0 2 21 30 -9
7 Lovisa 3 0 3 26 40 -14


For now, tables simply sorted by Wins/GD.
If Jolt's downtime they have warned us about tomorrow ends up being longer then expected and affecting the intended 9am cutoff time and not up by 10-11am, then the cutoff time will be delayed until the evening.

Portland Press-Herald

Stars win battle of champions

By Carey Tolliver
Special to The Press-Herald

TUNDRA FALLS, Newmanistan -- The highly-anticipated battle between the last two World Lacrosse Championship winners had all the build up. A Taeshani side that won the second title and finished the group stage of the third tournament undefeated faced off against a lacrosse newcomer that dominated the defending champions en route to its own title.

In a rematch of the semifinal between the two nations, Sarzonia again got the better of the Fightin' Falcons, earning a 13-9 victory in a match that wasn't as close as the score suggested.

Carter Whitlock scored three goals and added two assists as Sarzonia went on a six-goal run between the 3:25 mark of the third quarter and 7:26 of the fourth quarter. That turned a 8-6 Taeshani lead into a 12-8 Stars lead.

"Taeshan came out of the gates ready to play," Stars manager Harold Price said. "We were able to hang in there while they had the intensity advantage. When they slackened up, we were able to take control."

Even though Taeshan attackman Jack Smith quelled the Stars run and the Fightin' Falcons won the ensuing faceoff, defender Dane Tarrabba forced Smith into a turnover before he could bring the ball forward into the Sarzonian end. He fed Whitlock, who played keepaway with the ball for several minutes with the rest of the midfield before attackman Tim Cole's goal with 2:42 remaining.

The victory allowed Sarzonia (3-0) to keep pace with fellow Group B unbeaten Dancougar and Group A unbeaten Secristan. The Stars currently have the best goal differential in the tournament at plus-18 and face Tocrowkia and Rennidan in winnable matches before their clash with Dancougar.

"We're not going to allow ourselves to let up," Whitlock said. "That's the bottom line. We can't afford to lose our intensity or we're going to be in trouble when we play the Dancougars or the Taeshans of this tournament."

Price said the team would hit the practice fields at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow to prepare for the Nordics, who fell to Rennidan 15-10 despite the Brutes fielding one player.

"Obviously, he can play," Tarrabba said of Mike. [OOC: Renni, is he Mark or Mike? You've called him both...] "I'd like to know how he maintains his energy for 60 minutes with all the running he has to do."

"Right now, our job is to prepare for the Nordics," said goalkeeper Craig Larrabie. "We'll deal with Rennidan when the time comes."

For a huge chunk of the game, it looked as though Kura-Pelland were to pull off an incredible double. Keith Canoville was marked out of the game against Secristan, but mostly through being marked by two players, and that freed up others to make big plays instead, in particular Abdul Braconie on the other side. Kura-Pelland led 5-2 after just one quarter, traded goals equally in the second to lead 8-5 at the half, and two minutes into the fourth quarter that three-goal cushion remained. Kura-Pelland had spent the entire game ahead since a second-minute opening goal from Braconie, but inside of three minutes the three-goal lead was erased by a stunning hat-trick from Scott Cushman, who scored nine against Cassadaigua on the opening matchday. When Secristan then took the lead through Tim Pozniak, it looked all over, and although Kevin Anderson scored a late equaliser to take it to extra-time, the momentum was still all with the Millionaires, who promptly scored the winner inside 20 seconds.

Despite that, plenty of confidence has been derived from the game. "We've proven we're up with the best now," said middie Daniel Avery. "We are contenders to win this competition because we can beat anyone." Goalie Mark O'Leary agreed, and added "this could massively raise the profile of lacrosse in our country". Kura-Pelland hosted the first World Championships, but this was a relatively small affair, played exclusively in the city of Mambaro and with limited effect besides placing a couple of top Kura-Pellandi players in the shop window for wealthy Newmanistan clubs.

Yeah We Lost- Take that all you Dumb Kopf's that picked us to win. 20-1 baby raking in the money at the casinos

It was one of those days where things were just going right. A Lovisa forward managed to get off a pass before a tough hit by Kamjin, and Sally was a little late cutting off the run. The attacker whipped a hard shot that bounced a few feet in front of Kai-Fu. The 'keeper had swung his crosse downward to try and catch the ball, which was hard enough to begin with, but the bounce caught him off guard. But in a stroke of luck, the ball struck the stick and ricocheted clear for yet another save. Lovisa were still scoreless in the second quarter and were down 6-2.

The ball was quickly worked upfield. Roy was back in form and patrolled the middle of the field, but Lisa had spotted Rick gain a step on his defender. She fired a pass across the field which Rick caught in stride, and before Roy even knew where the ball was, it was nestled in the back of the net for another Dancougar goal. The game already looked out of reach.

Coach Worldly nodded with approval from the sideline. Roy's absence from the second half of the Qazox game had actually been good for them. Rick was playing with more fire than he had in previous tournaments. "He and Lisa have been really in sync lately," he ventured. "Seems like they learned how to cooperate when they really had to."

"They are moving the ball more fluidly," said Beck. "It would seem that the young Gatherer's confidence got a boost when she let him take control of the offense in the last game. He owes about as much to Miss Hayase as he does to his own abilities."

"I wonder what possessed her to do that, though," mused Wordly. "She seems more like the kind of person who takes control."

"Absolutely; that's one of her most attractive features, if you recall from my scouting report," replied Beck. "Perhaps she recognizes the high potential value of Rick Gatherer."

A smile crept across Worldly's face. The halftime whistle had blown and she was the first person to find Rick and give him a high five for his first-half hat trick. She stuck close to him as they jogged into the expansive Tundra Falls locker rooms. "Or maybe... it's not even that..."

**********

Lovisa played closer in the second half, but substitutes had started to litter the field for the Wings. The 12-6 victory was the second game in which they'd doubled up on opponent. Needless to say, the mood in the locker room was a giddy one.

Coach Worldly tried to cool them down. "All right, so you're halfway home, but the next two matches are going to be the toughest ones," he said. "These are going to determine, I think, whether we challenge for the title or become a roadblock in the playoffs."

Rick prepared to zip up his duffel bag and looked at the Dancougar shirt sitting on the top of his equipment. Coach had a point. The team should have won these first three, no problem. Now came the hard part.

"We have to go up against the previous two champions, now," Worldly continued. "Defense! Taeshan would never win a shooting contest against us, but don't use that as an excuse to fall asleep. They've got experience; they'll take advantage of anything you give them. Offense! Their defense is their identity. If you cannot break them, they'll win this game"

"And Sarzonia will be even more difficult," Beck added. "They haven't lost a beat since the title, and they just beat Taeshan, too. We've got the tape from that match; you'll be expected to learn everything you can about each of them."

**********

Having been released, the team headed back to the hotel. In the morning, they'd be off to Dover as the grand tour through Newmanistan continued. Rick tossed his bag at the foot of the sofa and collapsed on his bed. He took out his cell phone. It was getting late. It was Wednesday, and normally May would have called by now. Perhaps she was just too busy, today. Wouldn't be the first time.

He placed the phone on the counter when he heard a knock at the door. He heaved himself to his feet and opened it. Lisa was standing there in a T-shirt and jeans with her hair pulled up behind a bandanna. A pair of sunglasses rested on her forehead and a small purse was dangling by her shoulder. "Hey, we've got a few hours until curfew, you want to see what's around town?"

The atmosphere of Tundra Falls was indeed amazing, but Rick was somewhat apprehensive. "I don't know, I'm kind of tired from the game," he said. "Besides, I'm hardly the most entertaining company."

"That's where we come in!" Roy and Sally, arm in arm, emerged from the room across the hallway. His mentor threw an arm around his shoulder. "Come on, Rick, consider this a team-building exercise! Besides..." Sally and Lisa, despite being six or seven years old than Rick, could have almost passed for teenagers given their fitness. Roy jabbed Rick playfully in the ribs. "It'll be good for you to get out for once."

"I... I guess," said Rick. He tried to avoid blushing when he noticed, for the first time, how close Lisa's T-shirt clung to her body. "Just let me grab my..."

"Not a chance!" declared Roy, as both he and Lisa pulled him out of the room. "Our treat, superstar!"

The four of them made their way down the hallway and entered the stairwell, the door clattering noisily behind them. Meanwhile, back in Rick's room, his cell phone suddenly lit up and began to ring.

GoldenEaglesLacrosse.com

Luckily for the Golden Eagles, they had an off day, as they prepare for Rennidan on the next match day. Rennidan currently sits at 1-2 within the group.

MD1 (Apr 5): Sarzonia LOST 8-15
MD2 (Apr 6): Dancougar LOST 13-15
MD3 (Apr 7): OFF DAY
MD4 (Apr 8): Rennidan @ Dover Field
MD5 (Apr 9): Lovisa @ Southport Stadium
MD6 (Apr 10): Tocrowkia @ Pocono City Stadium
MD7 (Apr 11): Taeshan @ Centralia Stadium

THE ROCKET REPORT

ROCKETS CRUISE TO WIN

Southport- After the disappointing loss to open the World Lacrosse Championships, the Rockets have found a way to regroup and win their next two games, albeit it against weaker opposition. Tonight, they cruised to a 15-7 win over Colbourne to put them at 2-1. They trail, presently, only Secristan in the group, who are undefeated, and it will be the neighbors who come to play us in Tundra Falls for the next game. Following Secristan will come the interesting showdown against Mordavia, a match that might seem predictable on the field, but completely unpredictable as the Empire meets that territory for the first time in any sport in head to head action.

The match against Colboune, who were 1-0 coming in, could have been seen as a letdown down game if the Rockets were looking past them and towards the more appealing names on their schedule. The Prince, however, has tightened his grip on the team following the loss to Kura-Pelland, letting them know there is no room for error now. He knows the Rockets should be fine as far as qualifying, but another bad loss could mean qualifying from a 3rd or even 4th place spot, which would mean a potentially brutal first round match against one of the top Group B teams. Responding very well was goalie Kevin Moreno, who did not allow a single goal until midway through the second quarter. Leading up to that, the Rockets put six in the Colbourne net, with five different players scoring. Chris Roberts, Matt Knight, and the three attackers all scored, with Jason Green having two. After allowing two to Colbourne, Newmanistan closed out the first half with two more goals, getting Michael Kinser on the scoreboard, and the second from Curtis Farrell. With the 8-2 lead, the rout was on.

Newmanistan continued to play well in the second half, with Moreno again deserving much praise. The onslaught continued with the team scoring the first four goals of the third quarter to take an overwhelming 12-2 lead. Roberts assisted on all four of these goals, two more from Green, and one from each Farrell and Keith Taylor. At that time, the Prince determined that the starters had seen enough, and the bench players took the field (with the exception of Moreno who remained in) for the remainder of the game. They did give up three goals as they began to get comfortable, to have it be 12-5 after three. Eventually the second string settled in and Matthew Ellerby, the star of the Loudon Leopards scoring the first two goals of his World Lacrosse Championships career, with utility swingman Edward Davis, who is only 18 years of age, getting on the scoresheet himself. The defense stiffened up, and Moreno only allowed two more goals to secure a 15-7 win for the Rockets.

The Millionaires are next, and it will be an important game for Newmanistan. Should they lose, then the Rockets chances of winning Group A will be wiped off. Additionally, it could make matters of finishing second all the more difficult too, because Kura-Pelland, who has the tiebreaker over us has their toughest two group stage games already in the bag. Cassadaigua is the only looming opponent that may help us out with them, but we too will have to deal with the Dagans. A win over Secristan would really change all of that up. Hopefully, the spirits overseeing the Proving Grounds will help lead the Rockets to a win over Secristan.

OFFENSE SHINES IN WIN

The Millionaires improved to 3-0 in group play with a rather easy victory over Greal by the score of 18-11. We enjoyed the offensive fireworks, but other then that there is not too much to say about this game. Secristan took a 9-5 lead at halftime, and then went on to outscore the Grealis 9-6 in the second half. The best thing about this result was that eight different players were involved in the goal scoring. Scott Cushman had another hat trick as many reserves saw significant playing time. The next match is against Newmanistan, and coach Cameron was cognizant to the fact that there was no reason for his team to play out the garbage time in a game that the team had dominated. The Secristan Department of Sports did not have much to say about the game either. Expectations were low, and the amount of purchases did not even reach that low window in which they set. Still, they did not seem bothered by it. SDOS Katie Simpson tells us, “There was simply no spark for our fans to watch this game. They expected it to be a walkthrough, and that’s just what it ended up being. They are more concerned with the next game against Newmanistan. Our window for revenue generation was set so low, that not meeting it is rather insignificant. We may be in this situation against Colbourne, too. We are also finding out that a lot of our fans are simply not getting to excited until knockouts begin. This is because we have been down this road before, a great group stage, and then disappointment when it mattered.”

The Goal Crease

A better performance, thankfully. The 11-8 victory over West Newmanistan is good enough to even up our record as we get set now to play Kura-Pelland. I noticed that we had a lot of people in the stands rooting for us because they wanted to see the West Newmanistan team lose pretty badly. Though I also noticed that their players were no different then anyone else we have ever faced. Regardless of the situation that goes on in that country, and if you choose to refer to them as West Newmanistan or Mordavia, the actual athletes out there don’t seem to want any part of it. They are out there just as we are, to play lacrosse. The only difference is that right now, they are struggling and they are the ultimate road team in any of this. This game provoked a lot of reader e-mail wanting me to stop using the Mordavia name, that I should not be acknowledging what the imperial countries want to call this disputed territory. Cassadaigua is a democratic nation, and I am grateful for that. This doesn’t mean that I am duty bound to be on the side of the rebels and claim to dislike the Empress of Newmanistan. I don’t live there, I have no reason to dislike the government of Newmanistan. We have gone through several cities within the Empire, and there seems to be a high quality of life. People do not seem to oppressed. It might not be a democracy, but what it is, is working. This is why I refuse to take a stance on the West Newmanistan or Mordavia issue. We aren’t here for that.

I am very happy with my play in the last game. You will recall that I set a limit for myself of allowing eight or less goals, and I just got inside that. That’s not only thanks to me, however, everyone on the field played well including my defense in front of me. In order for me to have success, I have to get a look at the shooter, the way he or she swings their stick, and their release point in order to be properly positioned. In order for that to happen, my defense not only has to do what they can to keep the shooter from getting a shot off, but they have to make sure they are not blocking my sightlines. All goalies, in any sport that has a goalie, can often times be screened by their own teammates inadvertently. This is not something that happened last night, and it can’t happen against Kura-Pelland. They are playing rather well right now, and it’s not a must win necessarily, but it’s a game that we do kinda have to win. Ten will be the magic number. I allow ten goals or less, then we will get this victory! Playing at the Tundra Falls Proving Grounds should be fun too. I’ve heard about this place, and it really is quite a fantastic facility.

There goes another day. MD4 Cutoff!

Group A: (Tundra Falls)
Newmanistan 16-15 (OT) Secristan
Kura-Pelland 14-11 Cassadaigua
Colbourne 12-13 Greal


Pos Group A P W L GF GA GD
1 Newmanistan 4 3 1 57 45 12
2 Secristan 4 3 1 63 51 12
3 Kura-Pelland 3 2 1 40 37 3
4 Greal 4 2 2 48 53 -5
5 Cassadaigua 3 1 2 33 38 -5
6 Colbourne 3 1 2 31 36 -5
7 West Newmanistan 3 0 3 25 37 -12


Group B: (Dover City)
Sarzonia 14-9 Tocrowkia
Taeshan 8-10 Dancougar
Rennidan 9-13 Qazox


Pos Group B P W L GF GA GD
1 Sarzonia 4 4 0 59 36 23
2 Dancougar 4 4 0 51 34 17
3 Taeshan 3 1 2 30 31 -1
4 Qazox 3 1 2 34 39 -5
5 Tocrowkia 3 1 2 30 39 -9
6 Rennidan 4 1 3 39 50 -11
7 Lovisa 3 0 3 26 40 -14


– Newmanistan over Secristan on H2H result
– Cassadaigua-Colbourne settled on GF. (They’ll play on MD6)
– Sarzonia-Dancougar settled on GD (They also play on MD6)
– Taeshan, Qazox, Tocrowkia tie settled on 3-way GD (None of these have met any of the others yet)

That celebration was short-lived.

Almost as soon as the final whistle sounded on Sarzonia's 14-9 victory over Tocrowkia, coach Harold Price slammed his clipboard to the turf.

Sure, the Stars essentially clinched a spot in the knockout rounds with a resounding five-goal victory. Sure, the Stars kept pace ahead of Group B rivals Dancougar by extending their goal difference to plus-23. And yes, only Secristan have scored more goals and only Dancougar and Taeshan have conceded fewer goals than the Stars have.

But to hear Price's postmatch speech, you'd think the Stars lost by five goals.

"I'm not happy with the focus and concentration out there," he bellowed in between slamming the table in the dressing room with his fists. "You play like that against Dancougar and you can kiss victory goodbye."

Observers of this Stars team will tell you that Price may have reached a little bit. OK, a lot. After all, the Stars haven't been defeated since the fifth match of group play in the third World Lacrosse Championship. And they haven't lost before or since to this point. They sport a record of 14-1 overall, including their second consecutive unbeaten mark in group play at 4-0.

When Price finally had a chance to settle down, he finally walked into the press room, fully one half hour after he should have arrived.

"Sorry I'm late," he rasped. "I didn't like the lack of focus I saw out there from our team. I apologise to any Stars supporters and anyone who paid to watch that. I expect better efforts from our team than what you saw out there. I'll take questions."

"Coach," Carey Tolliver of The Portland Press-Herald began. "Your team dominated the Nordics and didn't allow them to score more than five goals until the last five minutes of the fourth quarter. How can you say your team wasn't focused out there?"

"We didn't play a full 60 minutes," Price said. "Even if we send in our substitute players, I expect us to play with the same energy our starters play with no matter what the score looks like and no matter what the opponent is. The fact is, we had them by a 13-5 score with five minutes left and I expect us to do a better job of closing it out."

"Coach," said a reporter from a television station in Tundra Falls. "Any plans for facing Rennidan since they have one player?"

"One player who can play the game," Price said. "The coaching staff is going to start looking at tape when we arrive at the hotel. Unless Carter Whitlock is more resilient physically than any human I've ever encountered, the players will start their studying tomorrow. Actually, I wouldn't put it past Whitlock to start studying on the team bus back to the hotel."

"Coach," a Dancougar newspaper reporter began. "Any thoughts on the upcoming matchup against the Wings?"

"We'll address that match when the time comes," Price said. "This match against Rennidan has the potential to be a trap match. I've told our lads to spend the time on Dancougar when the Rennidan match is done."

"Coach," a Woodstock Daily Mail reporter said. "Isn't it true that you've mathematically clinched a spot in the knockout stages?"

"I don't know if it's true mathematically or not," Price said. "We have the head-to-head advantage over all three 1-2 teams in our group. Lovisa are 0-3. I think we're close. I'd feel better about things if we defeat Rennidan.

"That's about all the time I have. Thank you."

By the time Price walked onto the team bus, he saw several Stars nodding off in their seats. A few had their iPods on while others were playing cards. True to form, Whitlock, who'd scored two goals in the match, had his laptop on. When he glanced, Price chuckled to himself.

Whitlock was watching a DVD of Rennidan's most recent match.

In her blog before the game, Cassadaigua goalie Jennifer Tipton said that if she conceded ten goals or less, her team would win.

She got that right, as her team scored eleven, but a fearsome display of power shooting from Keith Canoville proved the difference as Kura-Pelland came through their last tough group game 14-11 to go 2-1 with the three weakest teams in the group still to play, effectively booking a knockout berth.

The first quarter proved pivotal, Canoville scoring three in three minutes, one shot clocked at 98mph. His speed as well as power proved hard to live with, and Amanda Primrose was regularly left well out of position. The score was 5-2 at the end of that quarter, but unlike Secristan, Cassadaigua were unable to reverse that with a late rally. A third-quarter recovery - to 10-9 with 2:59 left in the quarter, after going into half-time at 9-5 - proved a false dawn as Kura-Pelland scored two in a row in the last minute of the quarter, and in the fourth it was only a string of great saves from Tipton that kept the score down.

Still, Cassadaigua's attacking play was sound, with excellent passing especially from captain Ashley Norville - who finished the game with six assists - and on this display, they should secure the fourth knockout berth from this group.

The Woodstock Daily Mail and its staff do not endorse the product contained herein.

World Lacrosse Championship Power Rankings
Compiled by The Woodstock Daily Mail

Abstract
The fourth World Lacrosse Championships have seen many of the usual suspects play to their expected form, while the tournament has also seen a young Kura-Pelland side recall its previous form after a disasterous 3-5 record in the previous tournament. The staff of The Daily Mail compiled its list of the best teams through to the worst teams in the current tournament based on its observations.

1. Sarzonia (4-0) The Stars may have a new name, but they've played to the same form they've had since closing the third World Lacrosse Championships with a six-match winning streak. They have the best goal differential of any team in the tournament.
2. Dancougar (4-0). The Black Wings have been a power the last two tournaments and have run roughshod over the weaker teams in Group B. They won a hard-fought match against defence-minded Taeshan. Their Matchday 6 fixture against group leaders Sarzonia may be the most anticipated group stage match in the WLC's brief history.
3. Newmanistan (3-1). Give the Rockets some home field advantage, but they're also an outstanding side. They toughed out a hard fought 16-15 overtime win over Secristan and will threaten for the title.
4. Secristan (3-1). Despite their overtime loss to host nation Newmanistan, the Millionaires have looked impressive and will contend once the field gets cut to eight teams.
5. Kura-Pelland (2-1). A young team that came in with few expectations, the Arrows have harkened back to the early days of the tournament when they contended for the title in a smaller field. Can they continue to play with this form?
6. Taeshan (1-2). This may be controversial considering their record, but their two losses have come to the two remaining undefeated sides in this World Lacrosse Championships. They'll likely rebound with the three weaker teams left on their schedule.
7. Cassadaigua (1-2). Another team with a record that's not indicative of their strengths, Jennifer Tipton will have to control the cage as well as she handles her blog entries.
8. Greal (2-2). Their record may be better than two of the sides ahead of them in the power ratings, but they haven't shown great form despite their record. They'll probably advance to the knockouts, but won't go much beyond the first round.
9. Qazox (1-2). This is another team whose record is deceptively bad. They fought Dancougar to a close result and gave Sarzonia fits in their WLC debut. They'll likely advance to the knockouts in Group B.
10. Colbourne (1-2). One of the quieter teams in this tournament and one that is facing tough competition in Group A. They will be hard pressed to advance.
11. Rennidan (1-2). So much for the maxim that one man can't carry a team. Rennidan may or may not advance based on the exploits of Mike.
12. Tocrowkia (1-2). The Nordics may be the unluckiest side in this tournament. Then again, they've been quiet, so there's no sense either way. Their placement in Group B does them no favours.
13. West Newmanistan (0-3). This newspaper has not taken a stance on the West Newmanistan-Mordavia issue even though our government has. All we know is they're 0-3 and will have to rally if they are to advance to the knockouts.
14. Lovisa (0-3). They're done. The only question is if they will even win a match.

GoldenEaglesLacrosse.com

The Golden Eagles win their first game at the WLC behind a 6 goal 3rd period, which broke open a 6-6 tie with Rennidan. Sa' An'ton'x was the hero, scoring 3 times in the 3rd on the way to a 5 goal day, in the 13-9 win.


1 2 3 4 F
Rennidan 3 3 1 2 9
Qazox 4 2 6 1 13


MD1 (Apr 5): Sarzonia LOST 8-15
MD2 (Apr 6): Dancougar LOST 13-15
MD3 (Apr 7): OFF DAY
MD4 (Apr 8): Rennidan WIN 13-9
MD5 (Apr 9): Lovisa @ Southport Stadium
MD6 (Apr 10): Tocrowkia @ Pocono City Stadium
MD7 (Apr 11): Taeshan @ Centralia Stadium

Bruno Worldly just sighed. He saw a reporter shuffling his way from the direction of the stadium tunnel. He recognized said reporter because of his Dancougar News!! hat. There weren't very many of those following his team. "They assign one guy to cover us, and he runs off to a Sarzonia press conference while our game's happening," Worldly muttered. "Unbelievable."

"It's unfortunate, yes, but perhaps it's a good sign," suggested Beck. "It shows that they've at least assigned someone who knows something about the international game. There's just not enough manpower to cover all the story angles, though."

"That's kind of a stretch..." Worldly replied, turning back to the field. "Still, Taeshan's playing us pretty tough. We expected nothing less, I suppose."

Rick was given no room to operate, as the Taeshan defense was stifling. They were down two goals with just a minute or two left until halftime. He wanted to dump a short pass to Roy as he came barreling through, but his lane was blocked. Instead, he passed back to Ben, who got a rare touch. "Just leave it to me!" yelled the bulky midfielder. He started a charge but didn't even notice the man coming up beside him.

"Ben, watch your...!" Rick began, but it was too late. Ben got blind-sided and lost the ball. The half would end on a sour note, with Dancougar down 5-3. Rick could only hang his head. He had a single goal to his credit. It wasn't that Taeshan was providing much of a threat on offense, but their back line was mind-numbing. Everywhere he went, he was shadowed. But now that he'd had a few huge games, he was a marked man. He hadn't been ready.

Maybe he hadn't recovered from their little party the other night? No, that wasn't it. It had already been a few days, plus if there was a problem, he'd have noticed it in practice. Still, something was off.

"Hey, Rick, you're not as sharp out there," said Lisa. "You all right?"

"I'm fine," he said, taking a swig from his water bottle. "As soon as I take a step, there's someone there. I just can't find any holes in that defense!"

"You gotta make 'em, kid," replied Roy. "Sheesh, you've been playing how long and you don't even know that? Did you really think your opponents were going to stand aside just because you worked up a little more confidence in your abilities?"

Rick was silent. Roy was absolutely right. Perhaps he'd been taking it easy. After all, he'd seen the game tape, so he knew what these guys could do. He'd pinpointed the things he could exploit, but so far hadn't been able to act on any of it. Why was that? What was missing from his game?

As they jogged out onto the field to begin the second half, Lisa put her hand on his shoulder. "You've got the skill," she whispered. "But where's your heart right now?" And with that, she jogged away. Rick tightened the grip on his crosse. Could that be it?

Two minutes into the half and he'd drawn them level. Whenever Lisa started a fast break, he found a little more energy in his legs to propel him forward. Once it was even at five, they turned up the heat even more. They clamped down even harder, but now he knew he had support. He assisted twice, to Roy and Sterling, and suddenly the two-goal advantage had done a full one-eighty. Taeshan got one back, but Layla blasted the attacker the next time he went up, starting a fast break that led to Dancougar's eighth goal.

As the whistle blew and they jogged over to the bench for a quick rest, Roy chest bumped him. "That's more like it!" he shouted. "That's what we needed!"

"We did our part, so be grateful," Kamjin said with a snarl. He'd turned up his intensity, too, and that was a big reason why Taeshan only had a single goal to show for all their work in the third.

Layla threw Rick a smile. "He got as much of a boost from you as the rest of us," she said. "It's his version of 'way to go.'"

"We're not out of this yet!" said Worldly. "We've still got a quarter to play, and it's still only a two goal lead. But now we've got some momentum. They'll have to push forward looking for goals, and you've got the dee on the ropes as it is. Just keep it up and you've got them!"

It was 9-8 with two minutes left, and the goal was under siege. Rick had been turned aside twice and was limping a bit from a hard hit he'd taken earlier in the period. Nevertheless, he kept on. Taeshan was looking for the equalizer, but the Pinpoint Barrier held. Sally, of all people, came up with a hit that sparked the counterattack. Roy received a pass and called for his men to rally.

"Rick, Sterling, pick a side!" he yelled. "We're going in!!"

The three of them got into a light V formation and charged upfield. Lisa made a beeline for the area behind the goal in case the shot went wide. The defense closed in. Roy had to decide to give it off or take it himself. When it appeared like he was going to get squished, he made a sharp cut left and whipped the ball on goal. Save. It bounced wide and Rick made a dash for it. He scooped it up and looked for options. He could only see Lisa. Without thinking, he passed the ball her way. She received the pass and found Sterling at the top of the box to restore the two-goal lead.

The team celebrated the goal, but Rick wondered what had come over him. Sterling had been open, so why did he make that extra, unnecessary pass? Well, no need to worry about it now. Just close out the last minute and take away the victory.

Later, as the bus parked itself in front of the hotel, Worldly took the time to address his team. "Don't think you've got the bye day completely off!" he said. "We're going to watch Sarzonia play, so prepare for it! I'll expect you to break down the game when we're done."

THE ROCKET REPORT

FANS TREATED TO CLASSIC

Tundra Falls- Newmanistan and Secristan once again played some incredible lacrosse against each other, showing how intense a lacrosse rivalry can be when two nations who take a lot of pride in producing lacrosse talent battle it out. Secristan had been undefeated, winning their first three games, while the Rockets had dropped one of their three. Now it was time to meet head to head, and it would be a highly important game for the Rockets. A loss here could probably mean third in the group and mean either Sarzonia or Dancougar in the first round. We’d rather wait a round to have to play one of them.

Keith Taylor put the Rockets on the board with the first goal of the match, and Secristan’s Mark Keating immediately showed Taylor what he thought about the score with a light slash on the shin. It prompted a gathering of all the players behind the net, but nothing more came of it, and nothing more needed too. It was a message delivered by the Millionaires and understood by the Rockets. This was not going to be like the other games. This was going to be a true battle. Secristan scored the next two goals, only to see the Rockets tie it at 2. This was scenario for most the game as neither team was ever able to pull away from the other, and only once did a team have at least a two-goal lead, that came in the second quarter when the Rockets pulled ahead 7-5, only to see the Millionaires tie it up before halftime. Newmanistan had the advantage after the first quarter, 4-3. In the third it was more of the same as the offenses of both teams seemed to have their way with the defense. Some may say the defenses of both teams played very poorly tonight, but the fact is the offenses were simply that good. The Capital Connection with Jason Green alongside were doing their thing, while Steve Cushman was making plays happen out of no where as he continues to have an amazing tournament. It may not have been their intention going in, but the teams put on a show, with razzle-dazzle type passing and skillful goals, making it a tough night for Kevin Moreno and Patrick Kearney. Each of these two goalies were making their first appearance facing the other side.

Secristan pulled ahead after three by the score of 11-10, only to see the Rockets outscore them 5-4 in fourth quarter to tie up the game at 15. The game tying goal came with 26 seconds left as Curt Farrell scored his fourth of the game on a set up by Taylor. Following that, the Rockets had a strong defensive stand but a lot more luck. A nifty set up from Scott Cushman to Tom Sutterby had Moreno slightly out of position. Sutterby took the shot but it hit the crossbar and bounced straight down, landing millimeters from the line. It may have crossed, but a diving lunge by Moreno, noticing it just in time saved the goal. Prince Michael could only look up to the sky, and point to it; as if to thank the spirits that oversee the Proving Grounds. This led to a pretty intense overtime period. There were no quick goals as both teams focused on the defense and laying out the hard hits. But eventually, after four minutes, there would be a game winner and it would be by Keith Taylor, his fourth of the game. The goal gives the Rockets a 16-15 victory over the Millionaires and has the teams in a tie atop Group A. Kura-Pelland is a half-game back, and has seemingly gotten through the difficult portion of their schedule very well.

Should there be a three way tie between the Rockets, Millionaires, and Arrows, the tiebreaker will be goals for in games played against each other. The nations are all 1-1 in H2H games, and all have an equal zero goal differential in games played against the other. That breakdown is: Secristan 29, Newmanistan 28, Kura-Pelland 26. Kura-Pelland’s likely most difficult game left is against Greal on MD5. Secristan only has Colbourne and Mordavia to worry about. We have Mordavia and pesky Cassadaigua remaining.

The next match for the Rockets is against Mordavia. Security will be at a high in Putnam Lake, and we advise fans who will attend the other Putnam Lake matches that you will also be subject to strong security during your matches earlier in the day. Nothing is really expected to happen, though. After all, nothing has happened yet, has it?

Time for the MD5 Cutoff!

Group A: (Putnam Lake)
Newmanistan 16-8 West Newmanistan
Cassadaigua 13-11 Greal
Kura-Pelland 14-7 Colbourne


Pos Group A P W L GF GA GD
1 Newmanistan 5 4 1 73 53 20 Q
2 Secristan 4 3 1 63 51 12 Q
3 Kura-Pelland 4 3 1 54 44 10
4 Cassadaigua 4 2 2 46 49 -3
5 Greal 5 2 3 59 66 -7
6 Colbourne 4 1 3 38 50 -12
7 West Newmanistan 4 0 4 33 53 -20 E


Group B: (Southport)
Sarzonia 14-10 Rennidan
Taeshan 11-12 Tocrowkia
Lovisa 9-13 Qazox


Pos Group B P W L GF GA GD
1 Sarzonia 5 5 0 73 46 27 Q
2 Dancougar 4 4 0 51 34 17 Q
3 Qazox 4 2 2 47 48 -1
4 Tocrowkia 4 2 2 42 49 -7
5 Taeshan 4 1 3 40 43 -3
6 Rennidan 5 1 4 49 64 -15
7 Lovisa 4 0 4 35 53 -18


Notes:
-- Sarzonia, in actuality, had clinched after MD4.
-- Secristan has clinched because they'd have the tiebreaker on Greal. Kura-Pelland has yet to play Greal.
-- Secristan over Kura-Pelland on H2H result.
-- Qazox over Tocrowkia on GD (they play on MD6)

Harold Price grimaced as he walked off the field.

It wasn't the result. Actually, it was.

The Stars defeated Rennidan 14-10 in the final match before the team's expected epic showdown against Dancougar. The problem was, Rennidan only fielded one player. He'd told his defenders to converge on Mike.

"Get physical if you have to. I don't want him scoring off you."

Problem was, he did. In fact, Mike took a 7-6 lead on the Stars into halftime. Then, he scored two goals in a quick flurry to open the third quarter.

"Timeout!" Price yelled, motioning to the West Newmanistani official.

"Wait! That's our last timeout!" defensive coordinator Rob Davies shouted at Price.

"I don't care!" Price shouted back. "Timeout!" "Timeout Sarzonia. Their last charged timeout."

As the nine field players gathered around Price, he shouted at them.

"What the fuck are you doing? You're playing like shit! Play like champions, dammit! Whitlock! Take the draw!"

"Let's go!" Whitlock yelled back, looking at his teammates. He then ran out to the centre circle to take the draw. And he won it. Then he started running, weaving through without a man marking him. After all, Mike could only be in so many places at once.

The goals started coming in a flurry. At the end of the third quarter, it was 10-9 Sarzonia. Mike scored to open the fourth quarter, but that would be it for him, and the Stars scored the final four goals before playing keepaway with the ball to wrap up the wholly unsatisfying 14-10 victory.

"That was the worst I've seen this team play," Price said in the locker room, glaring at his charges. "You play like that against Dancougar and we have no chance in hell. You play like that in the knockout stages and we're going home early. Do any of you want that?"

"No!" came the response from all the players.

"We're meeting at the practice field tomorrow at 5 a.m."

"Coach," Whitlock asked. "Isn't our practice session at 7?"

"Yes," Price said. "We're going to work on some fundamentals."

"But coach! We don't have the practice facility until 7."

"We'll train in the parking lot if we have to. We need to be ready for Dancougar. Right now, we couldn't beat a high school team."

The Stars cringed as they boarded the bus to head back to the hotel. While Whitlock was the only Stars player with his laptop open and studying Rennidan after the victory over Tocrowkia, each Stars player was studying for their showdown with Dancougar.

"This is one of those matches that could decide the championship," an analyst said as he began previewing the Sarzonia-Dancougar matchup.

"It may well be for the championship, or it could be a championship preview," said another one.

"Bad sign for the Stars if that's the case," said the first analyst. "They seemed to be sleepwalking against Rennidan. They can't afford that from here on out."

"And on top of that," the second analyst chimed in, "Dancougar will come in off a bye, so they'll be rested. Sarzonia have played five straight matches prior to this one v. Dancougar."

"The only good thing for the Stars is, they'll have their bye after facing Dancougar. They'll definitely benefit from the rest."

"The fact Dancougar has the bye before facing the Stars favours them."

"I don't know. Should be a great match regardless."

"That we can agree on."

GoldenEaglesLacrosse.com

The Golden Eagles have won back-to-back 13-9 contests, and with a big game against Tocrowkia tommorrow, Qazox has a chance at qualifying for the playoffs in their first attempt.


1 2 3 4 F
Lovisa 3 2 2 2 9
Qazox 4 3 3 3 13


MD1 (Apr 5): Sarzonia LOST 8-15
MD2 (Apr 6): Dancougar LOST 13-15
MD3 (Apr 7): OFF DAY
MD4 (Apr 8): Rennidan WIN 13-9
MD5 (Apr 9): Lovisa WIN 13-9
MD6 (Apr 10): Tocrowkia @ Pocono City Stadium
MD7 (Apr 11): Taeshan @ Centralia Stadium

MILLIONAIRES REST FOR FINALE

After a seesaw battle with Newmanistan that was worth every bit of the 199R asking price for the match by the Secristan Department of Sports, the Millionaires returned home. Such is a luxury of having the tournament taking place across the Penthoria River. No one was worried about scouting either of our final two opponents, or potential knockout opponents. By now, the Millionaires have enough game time on Mordavia and Colbourne to not really have to worry about them. There’s a confidence that they will coast to victories in those matches, making the only thing that coach Cameron has to worry about be over-confidence. It shouldn’t really matter, neither of these final two opponents have done anything significant. The loss to the Rockets was disappointing, but none of the players were going to let it ruin their morale. They had played excellent lacrosse, and if not for an act of the Spirits of the Proving Grounds, they would have won in overtime. Which is exactly what Scott Cushman said about it, “That ball does everything but officially cross the goal line. We hear about the legend behind this place, and the only way I can describe us losing this match is that the Spirits had something to do with it. That’s ok, though, we’re still in pretty good shape. If there’s a three-way tie for the group title, we won’t finish any lower then second. The only way we drop to third is if we choke in one of our final two games, and I do not think that will happen.”

The Secristan Department of Sports is well aware that there is very little excitement for the final two matches, so they are offering a “buy one get one free” package, and no, they did not double the price of the first game. The Mordavia match remains the same 49R it was before. The package is good for the final two games and must be purchased by the start of the Mordavia match. According to Katie Simpson, our SDOS rep, they just aren’t going to fight the battle, “There’s no excitement out of these games. Buy one get one may excite some fans as they always like to think that they are getting a value.”

The Goal Crease

The win we got last night over Greal was important. We had to have it, no doubt about it. In the last lacrosse championships, we finished tied with Greal for the final transfer spot into knockouts, and won out by goal differential since we had split the first two meetings. This was looking like it would be just as important as we had our only match against Greal. With our 13-11 victory, we improved to 2-2 and dropped the Grealis to 2-3. This really could not have gone the other way because we still have to face the mighty Rockets, who after losing their first game, have recovered well. We will also play Colbourne, and that has to be the match we look towards first. Overall, we did a good job last night, recovered from our 4-1 deficit after the first quarter. Their goalie completely outplayed me in the first quarter, but I will certainly be happy with outplaying for three out of four. The saves he made early he could not make late, and we went into halftime all tied at 5, led 8-7 after 3, and then a wide open fourth quarter saw us hold on 13-11. They never took the lead after halftime, and that was pretty comforting. So as I said, the next game is against Colbourne, and that is the only thing that we can be worrying about, not the Rockets.


A reader e-mailed me and asked me if there is some kind of code that goalies have in rooting against the other one. My whole career, I have never had a difficult time rooting for my counterpart at the other end to play horribly. I know that there are some goalies out there who might be a little suspicious, or they understand what their counterpart is going through, and you’d rather beat them while they still played well. While I do respect what all my goaltending counterparts go through, I never hesitate to root for them to have a bad game, especially at this international level..

Another reader asked me what sport I would be playing if I wasn’t playing lacrosse. She really was hinting at wanting to know if I would be a hockey goalie. Well, since I cannot ice skate, I can assure you that I would never have been a hockey goalie. I might watch hockey, but playing it is not something I have ever done. I actually always liked baseball. If not lacrosse, I think that would have been the sport I would pursue. I did play baseball in high school as well and really enjoyed it. I played third base mostly. I know, not the answer you were expecting! Well, I must be going! Wish us luck against Colboune!

It's cutoff time!

Group A: (Centralia)
Secristan 12-7 West Newmanistan
Kura-Pelland 16-10 Greal
Cassadaigua 15-6 Colbourne


Pos Group A P W L GF GA GD
1 Secristan 5 4 1 75 58 17 Q
2 Newmanistan 5 4 1 73 53 20 Q
3 Kura-Pelland 5 4 1 70 54 16 Q
4 Cassadaigua 5 3 2 61 55 6 Q
5 Greal 6 2 4 69 82 -13 E
6 Colbourne 5 1 4 44 65 -21 E
7 West Newmanistan 5 0 5 40 65 -25 E


Group B: (Pocono City)
Sarzonia 14-16 Dancougar
Taeshan 11-10 Lovisa
Tocrowkia 11-14 Qazox


Pos Group B P W L GF GA GD
1 Dancougar 5 5 0 67 48 19 Q
2 Sarzonia 6 5 1 87 62 25 Q
3 Qazox 5 3 2 61 59 2
4 Tocrowkia 5 2 3 53 63 -10
5 Taeshan 5 2 3 51 53 -2
6 Rennidan 5 1 4 49 64 -15 E
7 Lovisa 5 0 5 45 64 -19 E


Notes:
-- The three-way tie between Newmanistan, Secristan, and Kura-Pelland is decided on the third-tiebreaker, which is GF amongst games played against each other. In H2H, it's a 1-1 tie, and GD amongst each other is even across the board at zero. This GF reads: Secristan 29, Newmanistan 28, Kura-Pelland 26 in the games played against the others.

-- Qazox has not officially clinched due to the possibility of a three-way tie if they were to lose to Taeshan and Tocrowkia defeated Dancougar. This would make the 3-way H2H be 1-1 between them, setting up GD amongst each other, which would be determined on the final score of the Qazox-Taeshan game.

-- Tocrowkia is presently ahead of Taeshan due to their H2H win.

With only the 0-5 team from the contested region of West Newmanistan (Mordavia) to face, Kura-Pelland hold an impressive 4-1 record in group play and have boosted their goal difference in two laughably easy games against Greal and Colbourne.

The Greal victory secured third spot in the group, allowing the Arrows to avoid unbeaten Dancougar who won the top-of-Group-B clash with defending champs Sarzonia. However, it is the champions who lie in wait at the quarter-final stage for Kura-Pelland, assuming nobody slips up in Group A.

"It'll be the tie of the round, no doubt about it," suggested Keith Canoville, whose exceptional athleticism has been critical to the team's success. "There are five standout teams in this competition and two of them have to meet at the quarter-final stage. Unfortunately, it looks like we're gonna be one of them, but just as we don't really wanna play Sarzonia, I doubt they'll much wanna play us."

Two qualifiers from Group B remain unknown, though Qazox are effectively through as Tocrowkia have to play Dancougar, almost certainly meaning their fate relies on Qazox defeating Taeshan. If that does occur, Qazox will finish third and face Newmanistan (always assuming the expected Group A results), while Tocrowkia will face Secristan; should Taeshan win (assuming Dancougar do also), they will come third and face the hosts, leaving Qaxox to take on the Millionaires.

Portland Press-Herald

Stars lose battle against Black Wings
Sarzonia to finish second in Group B

By Carey Tolliver
Special to The Press-Herald

CENTRALIA, Newmanistan -- Harold Price has made a habit of getting on his team for disappointing performances against the lesser lights of Group B.

When his Stars lost a group stage match 16-14 to lacrosse powers Dancougar, he showed surprising calm.

"They just played better than we did down the stretch," Price said. "I've been talking to our lads about the kind of focus they need. Perhaps losing this match will be better for us in the long run. They'll know it doesn't come easy from now on."

The Stars (5-1) will finish second in Group B because the Black Wings have the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage. Since the Stars played their entire complement of six matches on the first six matchdays, they'll have the final matchday as a bye. Fellow Matchday 7 bye holders Greal will be on the next flight home from the tournament. However, the Stars will stay in Newmanistan.

"We could use the rest, I'll tell you that," said goalkeeper Craig Larrabie. "Especially after playing a team like Dancougar, we could use the bye to get rested."

The Stars will also use the off day between the end of the group stage and the start of knockouts to rest. Midfielder Carter Whitlock said the team would not be at a disadvantage against likely quarterfinals opponent Kura-Pelland despite having the added time off.

"We've been faltering a bit in form," Whitlock said. "This will allow us to work on a few things we need to work on."

Defender Dane Tarrabba pointed out that Taeshan finished the group stage unbeaten in the last World Lacrosse Championships, but fell to the then-underdog Stars in the semifinals.

"Perhaps losing now is better for us," Tarrabba said. "I don't know if we handle prosperity all that well. We're now going in feeling like we're going to have to prove ourselves all over again."

As for the fixture against the Arrows, Price said his team would be ready for the third meeting against Kura-Pelland in the tournament.

"They've long been a standard-bearer for international lacrosse," Price said. "We faced them twice in the previous World Lacrosse Championships. The only other team we've faced as often is Tocrowkia. It will be interesting since they're rather familiar with us and we're familiar with them."

Whitlock said he didn't care which team the Stars faced in the quarterfinals.

"Our priority is to win the match no matter whom we play," Whitlock said. "I'm ready to get going."

The Goal Crease

"There are five standout teams in this competition and two of them have to meet at the quarter-final stage. Unfortunately, it looks like we're gonna be one of them, but just as we don't really wanna play Sarzonia, I doubt they'll much wanna play us." – Keith Canoville, Kura-Pelland

“However, it is the champions who lie in wait at the quarter-final stage for Kura-Pelland, assuming nobody slips up in Group A.” – Kura-Pelland press

“(We) would not be at a disadvantage against likely quarterfinals opponent Kura-Pelland despite having the added time off.” – Carter Whitlock, Sarzonia.

"They've (Kura-Pelland) long been a standard-bearer for international lacrosse. We faced them twice in the previous World Lacrosse Championships. The only other team we've faced as often is Tocrowkia. It will be interesting since they're rather familiar with us and we're familiar with them.”- Sarzonia coach Harold Price

You guys got anything more for the Cassadagan bulletin board?

It seems as though these two countries are very excited about this quarterfinal game that they, I guess, is already official that they are going to play. Sarzonia is locked into second place in Group B, we know that much. Kura-Pelland is apparently locked into third Group A, or enough for them to make very safe assumptions. After all, the three way tie for the lead right now in Group A staying that way on the final matchday is a mere formality. Right? Secristan should handle Colbourne. Kura-Pelland should handle West Newmanistan. There could be upsets in those games, of course, but they are not likely. They would have to be considerable upsets. That other game, the one between Newmanistan and Cassadaigua in their minds, seems to be just as much as a formality, and a safe assumption that we lose to the Rockets. I guess it would have to be a major upset if we beat Newmanistan. Right?

Well, if you listen to Keith Canoville, there are five elite teams. I doubt he was thinking about us. He is likely referring to his own team, Newmanistan, Secristan, Dancougar, and Sarzonia. The Kura-Pelland press has them and Sarzonia in the quarterfinal as long as no one slips up. So it’s not about us beating the Rockets, it’s about the Rockets not playing well and faltering to us. Carter Whitlock also calls Kura-Pelland their likely opponent, but then you have the clincher. You see, you can forgive players and you can forgive the media. But here’s their coach, Harold Price, making it sound as if their match with Kura-Pelland is going to happen. Discussing their familiarity, and how interesting it would be. Very nice, Mr. Price.

People forget things very easily, don’t they? Since when were we rollovers? Since when was us winning considered an upset? Let’s see, remind me of this again. Yes, Sarzonia won the World Lacrosse Championships 3 by beating Newmanistan. Who finished 3rd again? Secristan? Kura-Pelland? Taeshan? No. That would have been us, you’re friendly Cassadagans. We came on strong at the end there, and we are doing it again. We actually have a lot in common right now with the way our group stage went then and the way it went now. We’ve lost twice. Secristan beat us. They also beat Kura-Pelland. Kura-Pelland beat us. Newmanistan also lost to them. This group is tight, and we’re part of it. We’re not going to be favored against Newmanistan, but we should not be written off, either. We are hungry and ready to make a statement in this group. The Rockets don’t scare us.

All this bulletin board material. Thanks for that. We’re really pumped up now! And for you, Harold Price, you better be hoping and praying that Newmanistan does beat us, because if not, we’re coming for you and are going to make you eat your words!

GoldenEaglesLacrosse.com
Trailing 5-0 early in the 2nd period against Tocrowkia, Qazox scored 7 unanswered goals, 4 from Oliver Frazee, which sparked The Golden Eagles to a 14-11 win. That win moved them into a great playoff position. A win against Taeshan or a Tocrowkia loss and the Golden Eagles will advance to the next round.


1 2 3 4 F
Qazox 0 7 2 5 14
Tocrowkia 4 1 3 3 11


MD1 (Apr 5): Sarzonia LOST 8-15
MD2 (Apr 6): Dancougar LOST 13-15
MD3 (Apr 7): OFF DAY
MD4 (Apr 8): Rennidan WIN 13-9
MD5 (Apr 9): Lovisa WIN 13-9
MD6 (Apr 10): Tocrowkia WIN 14-11
MD7 (Apr 11): Taeshan @ Centralia Stadium

The whistle blew and that was that. The scoreboard read right. Dancougar 16. A win by two. They'd come back from two goals down in the fourth quarter with a 5-1 swing thanks to a pair of goals by Rick and two more from Roy, and Molly picked up a rare goal to complete the rally. In the last tournament, when the Wings toppled Newmanistan on their home field, they'd celebrated hard. But something felt different this time. The reaction was more subdued.

Rick felt happy. There was no doubt about that. They'd just downed the defending champions on a neutral field. They'd guaranteed themselves the number one seed in their group for the knockout stage. But when he looked across the field, no one on the Sarzonia side of the field seemed to be beaten up over the loss. Even their coach, who'd gone off on a few well-publicized tirades earlier in the stage, was just shaking hands with Bruno Worldly before jogging off into the locker room.

Was no one able to grasp how important this was? A neutral field! This had to be the team's biggest win ever. Now they were definitely legitimate. So why was everyone holding back?

Roy jogged up alongside him. "I can tell you're ready to burst, kid," he said, "but when you think about it... have we really accomplished anything yet?"

"Senpai?" Rick asked.

"You'll hear it from coach afterward," Roy replied. "Let's just shake hands and that'll be it."

Coach Worldly walked into the locker room after everyone had settled in. It was here that Rick finally realized what was going through everyone's mind. "We've learned a lot in these last few tournaments," Worldly began. "We got charged by every victory and the bigger the win, the bigger the party. But now we've got to have some more perspective. We're already through to the second round. Ultimately, these last few group games mean nothing."

"But what about placement, huh?" asked Kamjin. "We get easier opponents if we seed higher, right?"

"Easier?" Worldly responded. "Anyone who makes it to this point just has to win three games to be champion, correct?" Kamjin was quiet. Rick started to understand. "Everyone who reaches this point is strong. The only truth is that we just have to beat whoever challenges us. They can be the strongest or the weakest; doesn't matter. Once we qualified, that became the only focus. You must understand that, by beating Sarzonia, we've grabbed the spotlight and forced them under the radar. The group stage is a distraction at this point... if we go undefeated, that just heaps more pressure on us and motivates everybody else.

Now, both teams fought hard to win this game anyway. That's fine as long as we know that the real task lies ahead. They sure do. You can tell by the way they responded. It's their first loss in a long time, but they took it in stride. It's just not that important. We can run the table in the group stage, but if we don't take the title, all that anyone will remember is the one loss. We could lose three or four games and just squeak into the playoffs, but if we run the table then, all is forgotten!

This isn't an excuse to take a break against Tocrowkia, but remember what you're here to do. Get hungrier, and play harder! Until we've finished this!"

THE ROCKET REPORT

BULLETIN BOARD BONANZA

Loudon, Newmanistan- The job of a team blogger isn’t as easy as you might think. While your intentions are to give your own fans a look of what is going on with your team, and show your personality while doing it, you have to remember that your own fans aren’t the only ones reading it. Everyone knows by now that Cassadagan sports relies on the team blog as a primary means of communication. That is just fine, but anyone who is an opponent of the team surely knows the appropriate website addresses by now as well. Be careful what you say sometimes, especially if you are a goalie.

Cassadaigua’s Jennifer Tipton, following a great showing against Colbourne, allowing only six goals to one of the bottom-feeders of the group. Jennifer knows that her team’s win over Colbourne isn’t terribly exciting and falls into the “expected” category, so instead of spouting off about how her team defeated an inferior opponent, she goes on a rant. Keith Canoville, perhaps the MVP of the entire tournament to this point, is one target, as is Carter Whitlock and Harold Price of Sarzonia. What has tipped-off Tipton is the fact that the media of both of these nations are writing off Cassadaigua’s chances of beating our very Rockets and making it sound as is the Sarzonia-Kura-Pelland quarterfinal matchup is all but official. Bulletin board material for Cassadaigua, sure, we can understand that. It is true that the Dagans may have been somewhat overlooked during this competition having been the third place finisher from last time (by the way, that was Newmanistan who eliminated you in the semifinal, Jennifer), but they really haven’t been anyone yet. Nor did they really give Secristan or Kura-Pelland much of a true test. True, Cassadaigua came on strong towards the end of the last one, but the same can be said for Newmanistan now. Since losing to Kura-Pelland on opening night, the Rockets have rebounded for four victories, and are looking to finish things off.

Some things are better left unsaid, or unblogged. The Rockets need a win. A loss means, in all likelihood, a match against Dancougar in the first round. While that would be quite a quarterfinal showdown, we would prefer not play the Black Wings until the semifinals, at least, and we are sure that they will be hoping we win as well. We’re glad that we don’t scare Miss Tipton. Cassadaigua shouldn’t be scared, but we remind her of one little thing. You’re gonna be in the Jungle (Loudon Stadium) tomorrow, Jennifer. There is no stadium more brutal on visiting teams in the entire Empire then Loudon Stadium. The fans are right on top of the action more so then any other facility in Newmanistan, and they get loud. Very loud. And they are particularly hard on opposing goalies. In fact, John Eckner of the Loudon Times said that his paper will carry a “Are You Scared Now?” sign in all of their morning editions, and the fans are encouraged to bring them to the stadium. Of course, the fans may have more vulgar things to say during the game.

Final cutoff of the group stage!

Group A: (Loudon)
Newmanistan 12-14 Cassadaigua
Secristan 17-8 Colbourne
Kura-Pelland 15-8 West Newmanistan


Pos Group A P W L GF GA GD
1 Secristan 6 5 1 92 66 26 Q
2 Kura-Pelland 6 5 1 85 62 23 Q
3 Cassadaigua 6 4 2 75 67 8 Q
4 Newmanistan 6 4 2 85 67 18 Q
5 Greal 6 2 4 69 82 -13 E
6 Colbourne 6 1 5 52 82 -30 E
7 West Newmanistan 6 0 6 48 80 -32 E


Group B: (Centralia)
Taeshan 10-12 Qazox
Dancougar 14-11 Tocrowkia
Lovisa 13-9 Rennidan


Pos Group B P W L GF GA GD
1 Dancougar 6 6 0 81 59 22 Q
2 Sarzonia 6 5 1 87 62 25 Q
3 Qazox 6 4 2 73 69 4 Q
4 Tocrowkia 6 2 4 64 77 -13 Q
5 Taeshan 6 2 4 61 65 -4 E
6 Lovisa 6 1 5 58 73 -15 E
7 Rennidan 6 1 5 58 77 -19 E


Tiebreakers:
– All 2 way ties (SEC-KPL; NEW-CAS; TAE-TOC; and LOV-REN determined on H2H results)


There will be no scorination Sunday, but we will return on Monday for these following quarterfinal matchups!

Apr 13th- Quarterfinals
Game A- Secristan vs Tocrowkia (Tundra Falls)
Game B- Sarzonia vs Cassadaigua (Pocono City)
Game C- Qazox vs Kura-Pelland (Southport)
Game D- Newmanistan vs Dancougar (Loudon)

Apr 14th- Semifinals
Game E- Winner Game A vs Winner Game B (Loudon)
Game F- Winner Game C vs Winner Game D (Tundra Falls)

Apr 15th- 3rd Place Game
Game G- Loser Game E vs Loser Game F (Pocono City)

Apr 16th- CHAMPIONSHIP
Game H- Winner Game E vs Winner Game F (Tundra Falls)

Woodstock Daily Mail

Playoff Preview

Stars face last tournament's would-be Cinderella finalists

-- Compiled by Daily Mail Staff

The final matches have determined the elite eight teams that will battle it out for the fourth World Lacrosse Championships. Few surprises mark the field of eight, but one that some prognosticators have pointed to is the quarterfinal matchup between the Sarzonian national lacrosse team and Cassadaigua.

Make no mistake: The Stars earned their number two seed after falling to Dancougar in their final match of the qualifying stage. Sarzonia's defence, which showed a few holes in victories was exposed consistently in the fourth quarter against a Black Wings side that some observers now consider a favourite to advance.

As for Cassadaigua, their appearance in the knockout stages is no surprise. After all, they advanced out of Group B in Secristan and knocked that host nation out in the quarterfinals. However, many experts had all but booked Sarzonia and Kura-Pelland as the quarterfinal matchup.

"We're eager to face Cassadaigua," said Stars coach Harold Price. "They're a quality side and we know we're going to get a great match from them."

Price denied disappointment that the Stars wouldn't face Kura-Pelland in the quarterfinals, saying the Dagans deserved their spot in the final eight.

"Either way, we knew we'd get a tough match," Price said.

Midfielder Carter Whitlock said he wasn't worried about Dagan goalkeeper Jennifer Tipton's blogging that her team considered his and Price's comments bulletin board material.

"If they feel they need our comments to motivate them, so much the better," he said. "We're just going to lace 'em up and get out there."

"We're not worried about needing motivation to face Cassadaigua," Price said. "I'm sure they're seeking any edge they can find. They're dangerous, especially in the knockout stages. That said, we need to be motivated in our own right, or they'll knock us aside without trouble."

Defender Dane Tarrabba said the team put up reminders of Taeshan's loss to Sarzonia and Secristan's loss to Cassdaigua in the previous World Lacrosse Championships in its locker room to motivate themselves.

"We know they can knock us out if we don't play well," he said. "We have to play our brand of lacrosse and see where that gets us."

Our prediction: Sarzonia 14, Cassadaigua 12.

Other predictions:

Secristan (5-1) v. Tocrowkia (2-4): Secristan have shown flashes of the form that earned them a group title during WLC 3 qualifying in this tournament. Facing the only losing team still alive in the knockout stages, they should have little trouble advancing. Our prediction: Secristan 15, Tocrowkia 8.

Kura-Pelland (5-1) v. Qazox (4-2): One team is making its WLC debut. Another team has been here before, even though the players are relative novices. We expect the Arrows' experience to be the difference here. Our prediction: Kura-Pelland 14, Qazox 11.

Dancougar (6-0) v. Newmanistan (4-2): The hosts slipped in their final fixture against a strong Cassadaigua side and will have to face the hottest team in the tournament. The Black Wings seem to be hitting their stride at the right time, but will have to face a hostile crowd of Rockets supporters. Our prediction: Dancougar 10, Newmanistan 9 (OT).

GoldenEaglesLacrosse.com
Twice the Golden Eagles came back from 3-goal deficits to knock out regional rivals Taeshan and advance to the quarterfinals of the WLC. At 4-2, Qazox finished 3rd in Group B, losing only to Dancougar and Sarzonia, 2 of the better teams in Lacrosse. But Kura-Pelland, at 5-1, is no slouch, as evidenced by their wins over Cassadaigua and Newmanistan, and an OT loss to Secristan.


1 2 3 4 F
Taeshan 4 4 0 2 10
Qazox 1 5 2 4 12


MD1 (Apr 5): Sarzonia LOST 8-15
MD2 (Apr 6): Dancougar LOST 13-15
MD3 (Apr 7): OFF DAY
MD4 (Apr 8): Rennidan WIN 13-9
MD5 (Apr 9): Lovisa WIN 13-9
MD6 (Apr 10): Tocrowkia WIN 14-11
MD7 (Apr 11): Taeshan WIN 12-10
Qtrs (Apr 13): Kura-Pelland

THE ROCKET REPORT

ROCKETS STUMBLE BADLY

Loudon, Newmanistan- A less then inspired performance by the Rockets result in a rather surprising 14-12 loss to Cassadaigua, and sent Newmanistan into fourth place in Group A, a completely shocking finish for the team. The stumbling Rockets are now faced with a quarterfinal showdown with Dancougar, and the way that they are playing right now, it would be hard to think that the Rockets would have anything for the Black Wings. In the fourth World Lacrosse Championship now, this performance makes us wonder if the Rockets have simply gotten very predictable for their opponents given that there has been little turnover in their roster or if this is simply a case of the rest of the world having caught up to us, and perhaps even passed us by in the world of Lacrosse. Given that the Rockets did beat what should have been their toughest opponent in Secristan, the fact that they lost to two other teams in this group is concerning. The team just isn’t right, but we all know that they have time to regroup. And it could be worse. They could be Taeshan. The champions of the 2nd World Lacrosse Championships have been eliminated, and this gives more fodder to the belief that the rest of the world is getting closer now to the teams that thought they were the best.

Cassadaigua must be given some credit. They played a great game tonight as they seemed to be pretty inspired from outsiders who wrote them off as having a chance in this game. Jennifer Tipton was backing up her words early and making great saves, allowing only one goal by the Rockets in the 1st quarter. The Dagans jumped out to the 3-1 lead after one, then exploded for six goals in the second quarter to go up by the score of 9-4. The sellout crowd at Loudon Stadium had no time to get on Tipton’s case, and at one point in the second quarter with some fans apparently trying to mock her, she confidently pointed up to the scoreboard. Don’t usually see this kind of swagger from a goalie, but it was happening here, and Cassadaigua was feeding off of it. The Dagans extended their lead to 11-5 midway through the third quarter, when the Rockets began to get some momentum. Curtis Farrell and Keith Taylor connected for four goals in a span on 2:15 and the Rockets were within two. In the fourth, Newmanistan came all the way back to tie the game, and even went up by a goal, completing an impressive run of seven unanswered goals. Now, Tipton was being heckled and the crowd was loud. But the goalie rose up and made some big stops. Then, the turning point. With 2:03, a very soft goal allowed Kevin Moreno to Courtney Bernard tied up the game. Moreno, as has been is problem sometimes, could not regain his composure. 44 seconds later, he was beaten again, and rather easily by Ashley Norville and the Dagans were back in front. With 30 seconds remaining in the game, Bernard gave Cassadaigua insurance, and secured their 14-12 win.

Cassadaigua gets third place by virtue of this tiebreaker and will meet Sarzonia in Pocono City. The Rockets remain in Loudon, but have to be very disappointed to get 4th place in the group, and now get the reward of the undefeated Black Wings. Secristan will face Tocrowkia in Tundra Falls, and debutant Qazox will meet Kura-Pelland in Southport.

HO-HUM WE WON THE GROUP

There are no celebrations for winning Group A. Sure, the group was very competitive, with Cassadaigua reminding us on the final matchday that this was more then just a three-team beattle for the group title. Normally, to come out on top of a strong group like this is something in which would excite the coach, the players, and even our fans. This is not the case, simply because this has happened before. The group stage has never been a problem for the Millionaires in any of the World Lacrosse Championships. Despite all of that, and the people knowing that we play great lacrosse here, the most we have to show for all of that is one mere semifinal appearance. The only thing that will satisfy our people is a championship, and nothing less then a final appearance will be considered acceptable. If we feel to reach that stage, you can expect to see some major turnover for the 5th World Lacrosse Championships, whenever that may occur. This group title means nothing, although there is some benefit to it, as it does give us the absolute weakest team in the quarterfinals, Tocrowkia. Unless you are playing baseball, Tocrowkia is not really a very intimidating opponent. We met the Reich twice in the last World Lacrosse Championship’s group stage and did away with them easily and routinely. They finished 2-4, but one of those victories was a stunner over Taeshan, a result that sent a former champion home very early. This would demand more credit, but Taeshan’s team never really seemed to get it going all year, and we are sure that they are very disappointed with that result. The expected win over Tocrowkia would give us our second semifinal appearance in history, and that would set up a meeting against the winner of Sarzonia and Cassadaigua. Sarzonia will be favored there, and we would love another chance at the team that eliminated us last time, but Cassadaigua will not be a walkover. Not like Tocrowkia should be. Scott Cushman, the leading goal scorer of the team, says the team will not look past Tocrowkia, “We can’t be doing that. We have such a poor history in the playoffs. We have a monkey. No, we have a damn gorilla we have to get off our backs, and we won’t hear the end of it if we lose to them. It puts pressure on us, but it’s good pressure, and I am confident we will take care of business.”

The Secristan Department of Sports was not expecting to generate much interest for the final games of the group stage, and as expected, it didn’t really happen. Many of our fans that may only choose to buy one sporting event per week seemed to opt for the Di Bradini Cup games over Lacrosse games against Greal and Colbourne, and that shouldn’t be a surprise. The week off in the lacrosse competition allows the same “one purchase a week” people to pick the Secristan-Newmanistan Di Bradini Cup game without thinking about the lacrosse. This is good, because there would be no way Secristan-Tocrowkia could compete with that. Katie Simpson, our SDOS rep, adds, “We love lacrosse, but our fans have the “we’ve been here before mentality”. I can’t blame them for that either. Assuming we get by Tocrowkia, our fans should be very interested in the semifinal. We have solid rivalries with both potential opponents.”

Last stop on the tour - for now, anyway - Centralia. The precious few Dancougar fans who had splurged to follow the team were doing their best to make some noise as the team marched out on the field. The group title had already been won, but to go undefeated would add to their list of accomplishments. But coach Worldly had been trying to pound into them that all that mattered at this point was a title. 'Undefeated' was just a pleasant pat on the back.

Rick looked up at their cheering section and did a double take. There, waving a towel with the rest of them, was Casey Berber. He was one of Dancougar's best known footballers, at least as far as defenders go, and at 35 he was nearing the end of his domestic career with the Cougars. He hadn't jumped ship during Newmanistan's football crisis, but he hadn't forgotten his roots, either.

That gave Rick a little confidence boost. If someone like him could be brought out to watch them, maybe there was hope for them to gain a larger following. If we play well, he thought to himself. The gridiron team did it. Now it's our turn.

On the sideline, Sally jogged over to Roy, who was in the middle of a few warmup stretches. She spun into his field of view. "I learned how to mix a new drink," she announced. "It uses rum and pineapples. If we win, you want to come up and give it a try?"

"Sounds good," Roy replied. "And if we don't win?"

"Prohibition," she said with a smile.

"How cruel!" Roy laughed. "I guess I'll have to pour it on, then, won't I?"

**********

It was tied at 10 late in the third quarter. Roy had four of those and was eying his fifth. He burned a defender and waited for a pass from Rick, who had a hat trick of his own. Needless to say, they were getting a lot of attention from the defenders, but the longer they let Tocrowkia hang around, the closer they were to being upset. Rick dropped a pass to Molly, who looked up and saw Roy streaking into a hole in the defense. She quickly whipped a pass between two defenders, who could only blink as Roy received it in stride and converted it into a goal.

With the lead restored, the team had to find a way to keep it. On the next sequence, Kamjin came up with a bone-rattling hit that ended a promising attack, and the Wings took the ball upfield. Roy knew they needed to do something to put this game on ice. It's been awhile since we had to do this... He held back his run in the midfield and called for others to gather to him. "Daedalus, guys!" he yelled. "Rick, Lisa!" Sterling also rallied to the group and the four of them proceeded to blast through the Tocrowkia defense.

But teams had seen this maneuver on tape plenty of times by now. There were ways to break up the vanguard... the trick was to contain whoever got the ball immediately after that. This created a two-pronged defense - a pair of players would smash into the lead ballcarrier and force a pass to either side. A second wave of defenders played a zone behind the "breakers". Beck had watched the maneuver but still hadn't come up with an effective countermeasure. He had to count on the players to adapt in real-time.

Roy saw the two defenders closing on him. He had passing options, but this time, he tried to get tricky. A few times in this tournament he'd used an extra speed boost to shoot the gap between the defenders as they closed in, rather than pass it to someone on his wing. He tried it this time. But he was too slow. There was a sickening crack as he was sandwiched between the breakers, sending the ball bouncing into Tocrowkian possession. The whistle blew moments later and the third period ended with Dancougar up 11-10.

Roy dragged himself to the bench and was breathing with gasps. He took a swig of water and shook his head. "Are you all right?" asked Rick. "You took a pretty bad hit..."

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Roy managed. "I might rest for a few minutes, though..." He sat down on the end of the bench and Worldy waved in a substitute. "I won't be long." The team jogged back onto the field to play the final quarter.

When no one was looking, Roy coughed to the side and spit and glob of blood into the grass.

**********

Rick and Lisa ensured Dancougar finished the group stage with six wins, a 14-11 result. Their production had not fallen much even though Roy sat the entire fourth quarter, but their movement definitely wasn't as fluid without him out there. Rick was starting to develop some leadership skills, but he was still too rash in his decision-making.

Worldly addressed the team after the match. "The matchups are out, guys!" he said. "We've got Newmanistan in the first round."

"The hosts, right away?" asked Molly. "So we get a hostile crowd against a team determined to meet high expectations. Not exactly a recipe for an easy match."

"That's why I told you before this one, there are no easy matches from here on in," Worldly replied. "Hell, these guys played us awfully close today, and they were just shooting to hit five hundred!"

"But even if we didn't dominate them, we still won," said Rick. "You said that's all that matters, right coach?"

The locker room was silent. Rick wondered if he'd said something wrong. But then Worldly burst out into a hearty laugh. "Absolutely!" he cried. "As long as you understand that, you'll come into practice tomorrow with the right attitude."

Rick gave Roy a pat on the back. "And now that you're rested up, we'll take it to them right away, eh senpai?"

Roy coughed and tried to ignore the pain shooting through him. "R-right, definitely!" he replied at last. "Don't you worry. You can always count on me, Rick..."

**********

"But honestly, you gave us a real scare today," Sally was saying. She was in her hotel room's kitchenette with two glasses and all the ingredients for her pineapple rum. She began mixing while Roy sat on the sleeper sofa. "I didn't expect that hit to put you down."

"I got the wind knocked out of me, I guess..." Roy said, breathing heavily. The pain in his chest had grown worse since the game. "I-I just figured, it would be good for Rick, you know, to get some exp-experience..." He coughed loudly and his field of vision went hazy.

"Hey, the way you were playing, you earned a break," said Sally. "Almost done... there!" She grabbed the glasses and walked over to the sofa. "Here you are, sir, one pineap..." She stopped as she came around the dividing wall. Roy had collapsed on the floor. There was blood in his open hand and trickling out of the corner of his mouth.

Sally dropped the glasses on the floor. The drinks spilled onto the snow white carpet and mingled with the red splotches surrounding the couch.

"Roy?! ROY!!"

**********

Drills had started for the Newmanistan game, but Roy and Sally were still nowhere to be found. Rick was a little unnerved, because Roy hadn't looked good in the locker room after the Tocrowkia game. Eventually, when there was a break in the action, he jogged over to Beck.

"Hey, I haven't seen Roy since last night," he said. "Is everything okay? He's usually the first guy in here, but..."

"That's... errr...." Beck began. "We haven't told anyone yet, but..." Rick broke out into a sweat. "Roy broke a few ribs in the game yesterday. His tournament is over."

GoldenEaglesLacrosse.com

Quarterfinal Predictions:
Dancougar (6-0) v. Newmanistan (4-2) 16-15 (2 OT)
Sarzonia (5-1) vs. Cassadaigua (4-2) 13-11
Secristan (5-1) vs. Tocrowkia (2-4) 16-7
Kura-Pelland (5-1) vs. Qazox (4-2) 15-10

Semifinals:
Secristan 16- Sarzonia 14
Dancougar 18- Kura-Pelland 15

Final:
Secristan 14- Dancougar 13 (OT)


MD1 (Apr 5): Sarzonia LOST 8-15
MD2 (Apr 6): Dancougar LOST 13-15
MD3 (Apr 7): OFF DAY
MD4 (Apr 8): Rennidan WIN 13-9
MD5 (Apr 9): Lovisa WIN 13-9
MD6 (Apr 10): Tocrowkia WIN 14-11
MD7 (Apr 11): Taeshan WIN 12-10
Qtrs (Apr 13): Kura-Pelland

The Goal Crease

We did the impossible. We did what everyone just assumed we could not do, and defeated the mighty Rockets of Newmanistan in the group finale. Our locker room was pumped, with all of the little tidbits of inspiration we picked up from here and there. We knew that the fans in Loudon were going to be tough, but we were not intimidated. Fans got on my case asking me if I was scared, and nope, I was not. But thanks for your concern. Often, a goalie can tell what kind of game they are going to have based on how they play in the first quarter. The Rockets were coming hard, with their famed Taylor-Farrell duo trying to put us away. A tandem like that often likes to rely on their past successes to intimidate opponents, but I would have none of it. I was up for and excited about the challenge of facing them. I hadn’t fared all that well against two of the other great scorers in the group, and I had to redeem myself against them. I was making stops, and my teammates were scoring goals. Towards the end of the first half, we had the fans of Loudon frustrated, and they turned their attention on showing that towards their own players rather then trying to get on us. As a visiting player, this is always what you want to accomplish. Our fast start in the second half further got their fans tense. For a while both myself and the team struggled, and we allowed seven straight goals. We called a timeout to try and regroup, and realize that we still could win this game. We scored shortly after the timeout on perhaps a soft goal, but we did work hard to set that shot up for Courtney. An example of the old cliché of needing to make your breaks, they aren’t just going to fall into your lap. Moreno was thrown off, and our team knew it and capitalized. We end up getting the final three goals of the game, and winning it 14-12.

Next up comes the playoffs, and unfortunately for Harold Price, he gets to face us instead of Kura-Pelland. Hopefully Sarzonia had not been preparing for them during their bye week. Price’s words did give us motivation, but like he said recently, it’s all about wanting to give yourself an edge. We do realize that he is a great coach, and that his team is looking to win their second title in as many tries. They are strong all-around, and will be a tough team to knock off. That said, we feel that we can get the job done. After all, we are coming off a victory on the road against a team that has never not been to the title game.

Cutoff for the quarterfinals!

Apr 13th- Quarterfinals
Game A- Secristan 16-6 Tocrowkia
Game B- Sarzonia 11-10 Cassadaigua
Game C- Qazox 10-13 Kura-Pelland
Game D- Newmanistan 15-17 Dancougar

Apr 14th- Semifinals
Game E- Secristan vs Sarzonia (Loudon)
Game F- Kura-Pelland vs Dancougar (Tundra Falls)

GoldenEaglesLacrosse.com
The run of the Golden Eagles at the WLC came to an end at the sticks of Kura-Pelland. But after making the playoffs in their debut, the Golden Eagles have earned a berth in the 5th WLC. Perhaps in a year, they can improve enough to win the WLC. But for now, they will settle for being one of the 8 best in the world.


1 2 3 4 F
Qazox 0 4 2 4 10
K-P 3 2 5 3 13


MD1 (Apr 5): Sarzonia LOST 8-15
MD2 (Apr 6): Dancougar LOST 13-15
MD3 (Apr 7): OFF DAY
MD4 (Apr 8): Rennidan WIN 13-9
MD5 (Apr 9): Lovisa WIN 13-9
MD6 (Apr 10): Tocrowkia WIN 14-11
MD7 (Apr 11): Taeshan WIN 12-10
Qtrs (Apr 13): Kura-Pelland LOST 10-13

Portland Press-Herald

Stars earn dramatic win

By Carey Tolliver
Special to The Press-Herald

POCONO CITY, Newmanistan -- In the end, the fates of both the Sarzonian national lacrosse team and Cassadaigua's rested in the stick of Carter Whitlock.

The Sarzonian midfielder scooped up a loose ball and bounced a shot past Dagan goalkeeper Jennifer Tipton with 17 seconds remaining and the Stars escaped Cassadaigua 11-10.

"The ball just rolled there," Whitlock said. "I just thought 'I'd better get it' and raced to it. It seemed like no one else was around."

The Stars (6-1) advance to the semifinals and face Secristan, which defeated Tocrowkia 16-6 in Tundra Falls. It will be the third meeting between the teams. The teams split the first two meetings with Sarzonia defeating the Millionaires 11-10 in overtime in Secristan and Secristan defeating the Stars in Woodstock.

"It's going to be exciting," said coach Harold Price. "Cassadaigua are an outstanding team. Secristan are an outstanding team." From here on out, all the matchups are going to be great. We've faced all the other remaining sides twice each."

They almost made an early trip home. Cassadaigua (4-3) took a 6-5 lead at the half as the Dagans put most of their emphasis on shutting down Whitlock. He was held to one assist through three quarters, but came alive in the fourth quarter.

"It was tough. They were making sure I didn't get free," Whitlock said. "They wanted to make me pay for my comments and make us all pay for coach's comments."

The Dagans led the game 8-7 entering the fourth quarter when Price took Whitlock off for five minutes of the fourth quarter. Cassadaigua built their lead to 10-7 before Price sent Whitlock back onto the pitch.

"He was getting beat up out there," Price said. "We needed him to be fresh for the late stages of the game." When he returned to the pitch, he eluded an attempted check by Dagan defender Heather Emerton and fed attackman Nate Longley for a goal with 9:11 remaining that made the score 10-8.

"The rest must have done me some good," Whitlock said.

Whitlock provided assists on goals by reserve midfielder Mike Nelson and attack Tim Cole before his late heroics.

"I guess you can't keep a good man down," said goalkeeper Craig Larrabie (five saves). Whitlock was all over the place when he came back in."

The Stars have guaranteed they'll play two more matches, and Whitlock said the team was looking forward to facing Secristan.

"It's a rivalry," he said. "It doesn't matter what sport. It's a rivalry."

Kura-Pelland came through second-quarter nerves to win their quarter-final encounter with Qazox 13-10 and book a semi-final clash with unbeaten Dancougar at the Tundra Falls Proving Grounds.

The game started slowly, with Qazox focusing on defence, particularly containing the powerful Keith Canoville at left attack. But the Golden Eagles were rocked by a goalkeeping error from Jason Middleton, allowing a goal for central middie Gavin Powell from a rather speculative shot, opened the floodgates, Kevin Anderson adding two in a minute soon afterwards.

3-0 at the end of the first quarter, and the Arrows were cruising. But the Golden Eagles regrouped effectively, with the native Qazians Sa' An'ton'x and Hy To'bna proving difficulties for defenders and commentators alike. A goal apiece from each made it 3-2 and although Anderson's third shortly afterwards eased the tension, the pressure remained. After An'ton'x and Abdul Braconie exchanged goals, Helen Youngman's perfectly placed shot just before halftime left the game tantalisingly poised at 5-4.

The Arrows struck back with a vengeance after the interval, Braconie in particular making excellent plays, scoring once before setting up Anderson for further goals either side of a thunderous 97mph An'ton'x shot that cannoned in off the post. 8-5 felt much more comfortable, and gaps were suddenly everywhere in the defence. 10-6 was the score at the end of the quarter, two 96mph shots from Canoville made it 12-6 early in the fourth, and from then on the Arrows eased off dramatically, allowing the Golden Eagles to reach double figures. Dancougar, who defeated the hosts Newmanistan 17-15, will be a much stiffer test, but Kura-Pellandi teams are often believed to have good fortune with the 'Spirits' of the Proving Grounds, one of the world's best-known multi-sport complexes.

The halftime whistle blew, and the partisan crowd was rocking. The Rockets led comfortably 11-8 and seemed to be a step ahead of the Wings at every critical juncture. Part of that had to do with Roy's absence up front. The team was hanging in there, but the Rockets had dominated the second quarter with a 6-2 run. Recognizing Rick as the chief offensive threat, they'd begun to key on him and were making life difficult. There were always two bodies covering him, sometimes three. Sterling and Molly did their best to help from the midfield, but they couldn't outpace the Rocket offense.

"At this rate, we're going home," Worldly announced as the team shuffled into the locker room. "What happened to that drive you had against Sarzonia? That tough spirit you showed against Taeshan? And where the hell is the defense?!" He had a valid point. In four of their six games, the team had ceded only 11 goals. The Rockets only needed a half to reach that target.

"If only I was a stronger leader..." muttered Rick to no one in particular. "We played that first quarter on just adrenaline. And they knew it. They were saving themselves for that run." He clenched his fist. "Is this the difference between potential and experience?"

"You're doing fine, kid." Everyone in the room turned to the door. Leaning against the frame in a hospital gown and wrapped in bandages was a very pale-looking Roy de Havilland.

"R-roy!" gasped Sally. "They let you out?"

"Hell no!" he replied. "I left. You think I'd just walk out on you guys like that?"

"You need to rest!" Sally said. "What if you aggravate the injury out here?"

"I'm fine," Roy replied. He turned to Rick. "I was watching you guys in that first half. You completely gave into their rhythm in that second quarter. Why'd you let them dictate the pace like that?"

"Because we..." Rick began.

"Because you what?" Roy challenged.

Rick swallowed. "Because I didn't establish one for the team," Rick said. "You said it's the captain's job set the tone for a match. I didn't do that."

"And why didn't you?" asked Roy. "Because there's nine other players out there with you? Were you waiting for one of them to take control?" He took a breath. His chest was feeling sore from all this talking. "Look, Rick, they made you the captain because you have the ability. And you've shown some real confidence in a few games so far. But you can't let that be a spur of the moment thing. You can't wait for the last minute to unleash. You have to bring it out with your will and sustain it. Fill this place with your energy. Force everyone to follow your flow!"

Rick was starting to understand. He was too used to following Roy's lead and taking point only when there was no one else. Any bravado he displayed on the field was usually not of his own making. But if he was going to be captain, now it was his turn to bring that out of his teammates. He had to make them better.

Roy smiled. "It looks like you've got it. Good." He swaggered down the hallway. "The hospitals here are nice. I'd like to stay a bit longer, so make sure you win."

Roy made his way back up to one of the luxury boxes, where he'd managed to secure a seat after having Beck pull some strings at the sports ministry. He wondered how much longer it would be until the hospital staff tracked him down. He returned to his seat and settled in. He was treated to a much better second half. Atta boy, Rick! he thought as he watched. Four goals and two assists almost single-handedly turned the result around, but the defense did its part, too. The Rockets only scored four times in the second half to Dancougar's nine, and the crowd was stunned by the rally.

He applauded at the final whistle and rose to return to the hospital when he was a young woman enter the box just in time to see the last moments of the match. She was wearing sunglasses and a loose-fitting jacket and couldn't have been in her twenties. Her long blue hair spilled out a bit from under her hood. "I missed it..." she murmured.

Despite her disguise, Roy had a strong suspicion. "Hey... you're..." he began. "May?"

This post will not include a cutoff time mention.

But this one will, and also tell you who's going to the championship!

Game E- Secristan 15-12 Sarzonia
Game F- Kura-Pelland 11-13 Dancougar

Tomorrow- 3rd Place Game- Sarzonia vs Kura-Pelland (Pocono City)

THURSDAY: CHAMPIONSHIP

Secristan vs Dancougar @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds

MILLIONAIRES TO PLAY FOR TITLE

For the first time in history, the Millionaires may have lived up to expectations in a lacrosse competition. Playing in Loudon with many Secristanis making the trip across the Penthoria River, the Millionaires sent the defending champion Sarzonia Stars to the 3rd place game by virtue of a 15-12 victory. Secristan got off to fantastic start with six goals in the first quarter, and at led 10-4 at halftime. Despite a frantic Sarzonia rally in the third and early stages of the fourth quarter that saw them come all the way back to tie the game at 11, the Millionaires came through when it mattered most, outscoring the Stars 4-1 in the closing minutes of the match. Perhaps, Sarzonia had spent a lot of energy in making the comeback that once they got there, they were not able to put in an extra gear to pull ahead. Scott Cushman led the team in scoring once again with five goals, but in the fourth quarter, the hero may just have been John Dineen, who scored two consecutive goals within a span of 48 seconds after the Stars had tied the match up at 11. The win means that Secristan will play the Dancougar Black Wings for the coveted title. The Millionaires and Black Wings have met on the gridiron several times, but this will be the most significant head to head matchup between the two in any sport. The Black Wings have played very well, going undefeated in the group stage which included a victory over Sarzonia. In the knockouts, they send the hosts from Newmanistan home early, and then knocked off a strong Kura-Pelland side. In fact, Dancougar has defeated every nation that has won a World Lacrosse Championships crown in the past while in Newmanistan for this one. It should be quite a contest, as the Millionaires have only lost once themselves, an overtime defeat at the hands of the Rockets during the group stage.

The Secristan Department of Sports was pleased with the purchases of the semifinal contest with Sarzonia, but they weren’t going crazy over the numbers. The revenue figures only reached the bottom end of the acceptable range that they were targetting. Katie Simpson, our SDOS rep is a little unsure why this was the case, seeing how this was only the second time that the Millionaires had made it to the semifinal. “If we weren’t playing Sarzonia, I don’t think we even would have hit our target. It’s weird, and we’re trying to figure out why this occurred. The match was not priced unreasonably. Perhaps many people made the trip to Loudon to watch the game live, but even so, that shouldn’t make that big of a difference. Maybe, there is still a wait and see attitude surrounding this team given their history of underachievement. Maybe they just didn’t think that we would win, even though the team had played very well to this point. A final against Dancougar should be the kind of thing that greatly interests our people, and I hope that they tune in.” Border security may be a problem. It may be easy for Secristanis to cross the Penthoria this time to view the game on free Newmanistanian television simply if they go under the guise that they are heading to Tundra Falls to watch the game live. Simpson admits that this will probably be a losing battle. “We will still patrol the border to catch wannabe freeloaders. If people are heading to the Proving Grounds, then we advise them to have their tickets with them or documentation showing they have purchased tickets,” said Simpson.

Third place.... who will it be. Find out in a minute or two.


Sarzonia 16-12 Kura-Pelland

Third is better then fourth, after all. Tomorrow is the title game.

Fourth place it is, and that in itself is above expectations to the point where the sense of anti-climax is relatively constrained. Dancougar came through a tense semi-final 13-11 - Kura-Pelland led in the first quarter, were outplayed in the second and third to trail 11-7 but pulled back to 11-10 and 12-11 before a last-minute clinching goal - and Sarzonia took the third-place playoff with a 5-1 third quarter that blew open a game tied at 7 at halftime. Still, Keith Canoville in particular can probably look forward to big money on the big island, and lacrosse is well and truly on the map in this country again.

"Is that all you guys got?!" yelled Roy. He was on the sidelines now, up and moving around despite the advice of the doctors, and he was hobbling up and down the line as much as he could as play shifted back and forth. "Rick, did you forget what I told you already?!"

The team had entered the fourth quarter with a four-goal lead, which they should have been able to protect. But Kura-Pelland refused to go down. In fact, it seemed to be in the high-pressure condition of near-defeat that was bringing out their best play. Shots weren't falling for the Wings - goalie Mark O'Leary was playing out of his mind, having already turned aside two shots from Rick. How he'd gotten a stick to either one was beyond him, but he'd kept them out.

And their offense was purring, too. They were starting to figure out how to manipulate Kamjin's mobility. He wasn't particularly fast or shifty, but he was excellent at planning his route to deliver hits with maximal momentum. But Kura-Pelland were able to negate his most effective play with quick passing, meaning he had no time to track someone down. Kamjin, like the others, was relegated to a man-to-man defensive role in which he was less effective. That led to a breakdown around him, and the Wings had ceded three goals to cut the advantage to 11-10.

Rick tried to stay calm as they went back for the face-off. He had to win the draw and get some offense going. It was like Roy had told him before - dictate the pace of the game. Force everyone else to conform to his flow. But it felt like the weight of the game got heavier with every missed shot, every botched pass. Every time they failed to extend the lead his confidence eroded just a bit, and it was compounding as the game went on. At this rate, Kura-Pelland were going to complete a great comeback and go into the title game as favorites.

He couldn't let that happen.

"Just get a goal!" Roy was yelling. "Doesn't matter how you do it! You end this comeback now, you'll sink them. Make sure all their work was for nothing!"

Rick kept his eye on his senpai and soaked in the advice. He had to turn this emotional swing against them. Before the referee restarted play, Rick thought he saw someone else on the sideline who looked familiar. He blinked and looked again. A young blue-haired girl, flanked by large security men, was rallying the cheering section. She turned and gave him a bright smile, as if to say, You can do it.

Rick scored the last two goals for Dancougar in the 13-11 victory.

A TITLE AWAITS

The Millionaires have not been successful in the World Lacrosse Championships until now. In the first one, they made a semifinal appearance and that at the time was alright. It was the next two, where they lost in the first round, that have been difficult to muster. Steve Cameron was allowed to coach again, but if the team was unsuccessful, odds would be that he would not return, and neither would many of the other players. Lacrosse is the one sport where Secristan does things different, and is more conventional. These are the best lacrosse players in the country, there is no bidding for spots. Maybe, if the team underachieved again, the Secristan Department of Sports would decide to have bidding in lacrosse as well. The technique has proven to be successful and profitable. With the disappointments, just making the final is enough for some. For most, it is not, they want to win this championship. Maybe being in the final can show the world that Secristan is good enough to win a title and will not fold under pressure. The players and the SDOS want more. They will be opposed by Dancougar, who after not appearing in the original WLC that was held in Mambaro, Kura-Pelland, have gone on to have promising results in the next three. They have not lost since coming to Newmanistan, and there are impressive wins in the mix, including over the host Rockets, Kura-Pelland, and Sarzonia.

Scott Cushman, who’s been the star of the team, is very confident that the team will win this title. In fact, he guaranteed it. “We will be celebrating at the end. Mark my words. We are better then Dancougar and we will show it. It’s our year!” Cushman has always been a confident one, and we’ll see if he is right. If not, Cushman said, “If we lose I will retire from lacrosse forever.” Big words from someone who is only 28 and in the prime of his career.

We would like to thank everyone for participating in the 4th World Lacrosse Championships! It is now time to determine our champion. The teams are positioned and ready to play.

(Gameplay)

Well that will do it. Once again, your final score is:

Dancougar 10-12 Secristan

Congratulations to the Millionaires on your championship and to the Black Wings on their great run!

wtg to Secristan!

Congrats Secristan!

Quick, all you guys who watched the game over here for free, run back home and buy some championship merchandise before they arrest you!!

Teams that lose the championship are supposed to DONATE the championship merchandise to poor, underpriviledged children.

I can see the children in Lamoni sporting Black Wings championship T-shirts now....

Teams that lose the championship are supposed to DONATE the championship merchandise to poor, underpriviledged children.

Oh, I was talking to the Secristani fans ^_^

CUSHMAN BACKS UP HIS WORDS

The Millionaires are champions! All the suffering of the past World Lacrosse Championships can be forgotten as finally, a team fulfilled its potential and won the title. Tournament MVP (If I may) Scott Cushman led the team all throughout the group stage and the knockouts and put his career on the line when it he made his guarantee that the team would win, or else he would retire. Scott showed just how much he did not want to hang up the spikes as he scored the first three Millionaires goals of the match. However, Dancougar did not go quietly. Roy de Havilland and Rick Gatherer also played well. De Havilland did not find the back of the net until the second half, but he did assist on five of the Black Wings six goals. At halftime, the game was tied at six, and no one knew which way it would turn. The third quarter may have been what won the game for the Millionaires as goaltender Patrick Kearney picked up his game. It’s not very often that a goalie can carry a team in lacrosse to this magnitude, but in shutting Dancougar out in the third quarter, a period where they still were able to generate opportunities, the Millionaires gradually pulled away. Four goals in the third by four different goal scorers made it 10-6, and the coin jars were rattling. Dancougar began to figure Kearney out again in the fourth quarter, but they never got any closer to two goals back, and the eventual 12-10 final score. The championship is the third won by Secristan in international competition. It was in Dancougar where they won the International Basketball Championships’ first tournament, and they also won the Di Bradini Cup in Candelaria And Marquez. Now, a lacrosse title.

The Secristan Department of Sports reports that purchases of the pay-per-view were fantastic for the championship. However, many Secristanis made the trip to Tundra Falls, feeling that it wouldn’t be that much more expensive to watch the game live then it would be to purchase the pay-per-view, so maybe the ratings could have been a little better. This made border patrol very difficult, but authorities report that they did arrest some freeloaders in the northern portion of the country, the part in which it wouldn’t make any sense to cross the border if you were actually going to Tundra Falls. We received wonderful hospitality in Newmanistan, and will look to defend our title well in the next lacrosse tournament. Title defenses have not been our strong suit!