Celebration of Field Hockey - Everything Thread

[Rejistania]

It was halftime and the mood in the Orange-White room was tense. The Noksen Federation wsa leading 1:0 over a rejistanian team that had spoiled many chances. There had been no unity, no coherence, a madhouse. Coach In'he was fuming: "People! Dudes! Blokes! What happened? Was there a huge orgy where everyone fucked each other's girlfriends and I was not invited! What happened to you?"

Tae answered: "How about you ask our Seleken hero, who did his best to lose the game!"

K~hitisiau stood up, if this was a comic, steam would have been rising from his ears: "You are not saying this and expect me to take it! I am trying my very best and if you don't believe me, you can kiss my xatsa!" With a swift movement he turned around, pulled down his pants and presented his backside to Tae. "And don't bring my ethnicity into this!"

"Stop this!" In'he shouted. "Do all of you think this is a fucking daycare! Get your act together! And that means everyone! Tae, K~hitisiau, I have no problem in one hundred to put both of you onto a plane back home! There has been some really shitty agitation going on, some distrust that stinks up to the moon, but if you don't get your shit together, remember that there are others more than willing to take your place! This is not a school team where you have to play, this is a chance that millions of Rejistanis would have killed for. I know that losing matches intentionally is like fucking water buffalo, but we need to trust each other and not think that fucking up once or twice in a match means that someone intentionally tries to lose it. If we went by that standard, you all would need to go back onto the plane! And sure as fuck that is something I don't want to do! Stand up, each and every one of you who is behind this! Everyone who is able to expect the best of their fellow players!"

The team stood up. Some immediately, others, like Tae and Sae took a moment to do so. Eventually they all were standing. In'he spoke again: "Does anyone know a song? Those who sing together win together!"

"Helelovy?" Xon suggested.

"Well, I for one don't know the language the lyrics are in." Kuiaem remarked.

"Yep, that's the advantage, it's a minority language vaguely related to Hito. No one's supposed to know it so no one can get out by saying they don't know them!" Xon said with a smirk.

The team started to sing: "Helelovy hela heila heja, Helelovy hela heila hej!" first somewhat embarrassed, "hanliji uvanda heila heja, haliji uvanda heila hej!" In'he started to sing the second voice of the song and after two rounds made a stop motion.

Strangely enough, In'he's attempts of unifying the team worked. The second period, the Orange-Whites went out there to go there and win this. In the end, the Noksen Federation fell 1:3 to the Orange-Whites thanks to goals of Sae I Rieai, Tae I Rieai and substitute Kerykery Koienil.

[Barunia]

This is your MD4 Champion's Cup and MD2 Celebration Cup CUT-OFF

Champion's Cup Results for MD4

Group A
Barunia 1–1 Liventia
Britanno 2 4–1 United States of Devonta

  Group A                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Britanno 2                 3   3  0  0    9   2  +7    9
2 United States of Devonta   4   1  2  1    8  10  −2    5
3 Wray                       3   1  0  2    3   6  −3    3
4 Liventia                   3   0  2  1    4   5  −1    2
5 Barunia                    3   0  2  1    3   4  −1    2

Group B
The Serbian Empire 3–2 Gregoryisgodistan
Mattijana 4–0 Silvacometopia

  Group B                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Gregoryisgodistan          3   2  0  1    6   5  +1    6
2 The Serbian Empire         3   1  2  0    5   4  +1    5
3 Mattijana                  3   1  1  1    6   3  +3    4
4 Silvacometopia             4   1  1  2    6  10  −4    4
5 Eastfield Lodge            3   1  0  2    4   5  −1    3

Group C
Ferret Civilization 2–2 Ethane
New Gelderland 9–1 HUElavia

  Group C                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Frenline Delpha            3   2  0  1    5   4  +1    6
2 New Gelderland             3   2  0  1   15   3 +12    6
3 Ferret Civilization        3   1  1  1   16   9  +7    4
4 Ethane                     3   1  1  1    5   4  +1    4
5 HUElavia                   4   1  0  3    7  28 −21    3

Group D
Rejistania 6–3 Kaboomlandia
The Sword Bloke 2–2 The Noksen Federation

  Group D                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Rejistania                 3   3  0  0   11   4  +7    9
2 Kaboomlandia               2   1  0  1    9   6  +3    3
3 The Sword Bloke            2   0  1  1    2   4  −2    1
4 The Noksen Federation      3   0  1  2    3  11  −8    1

Celebration Cup Results for MD2

Group E
Eastfield Lodge 2–4 Gregoryisgodistan
Barunia 1–2 New Gelderland

  Group E              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 New Gelderland         2   2  0  0    7   2  +5    6
2 Barunia                2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
3 Gregoryisgodistan      2   1  0  1    5   7  −2    3
4 Eastfield Lodge        2   0  0  2    3   6  −3    0

Group F
Mattijana 3–1 Ethane
Liventia 0–0 The Sword Bloke

  Group F              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Mattijana              2   2  0  0    4   1  +3    6
2 Ethane                 2   1  0  1    2   3  −1    3
3 Liventia               2   0  1  1    0   1  −1    1
  The Sword Bloke        2   0  1  1    0   1  −1    1

It was tough times for the Barunians, who now had just one more match to register a win on home soil. The spark had been missing, with silly mistakes costing the team. Players would get one-on-one with the keeper and then miss completely, or else they'd send in the cross, only for the incoming player to miss the deflection. That had happened far to often. Even the Doyle twins' almost psychic connection seemed to be off. There was a mood of despondency around the team, no doubt enhanced by the pressure to do well at home. There was a belief held by many Barunians that Los Lunas had some of the world's best players. Now, if only they could start believing that.

[Vers-Gelderland]

Game summaries - women's group stage

New Gelderland 2-3 Quebec
New Gelderland: Harrel, Outterridge, Wolfe, Christopher, Fowler, Fremont, St John, Freecloud, Christie, Green, Prescott
Quebec: None (Apparently national federation did not care enough to submit an official roster)
Goals: Christie 15', Prescott 27', Unknown 41', Unknown 57', Unknown 69'
The New Gelderlish players thought that at least the Quebeçois would send a roster, or shirts with names, but apparently the latter association didn't bother at all. This came as a surprise as the team of unknown players managed to come back from a two goal deficit to beat the Condors, not really an upset as they were the second seeds of the group. The unknown team faced some hurdles in chemistry the first half, with Hannah Christie wanting to pass to Kelly Prescott but finding an opportunity between two defenders to give New Gelderland off the goal. Christie did carry out that pass to Kely Prescott in the twenty-sixth minute, and the latter player finally scored into the left corner of the goal. However the Quebeoçois team improved their performances in the second half and found some valuable chemistry, mounting spirited and pinpoint assaults on the Gelderlish goal, courtesy of some good passes and nice reflexive control of the ball to get the goals past Vera Harrel. Ultimately it proved to be a catalyst for the New Gelderlish team's victory in the event, going undefeated after this first loss.

New Gelderland 10-4 San Llera
New Gelderland: Harrel, Outterridge, Wolfe, Christopher, Fowler, Fremont, St John, Freecloud, Christie, Green, Prescott
San Llera: Cavali, de Mizlata, Gomis, Andari, Loquosh, Navarra, Ballestara, Borbo, Soreguer, Dassio, Garret
Goals: Prescott 5', 12', 46', 55', Freecloud 17', 23', Borbo 27', 33' Fowler 40', St John 44', Green 60', Wolfe 63', Soreguer 67', 69'

There were plenty of goals in this matchup as both teams scored goals at the rate of one every five minutes, but New Gelderland had the upper hand throughout. Kelly Prescott opened up scoring in the fifth minute with a magnificent goal on the cross, following it up seven minutes later with a goal out of a one-on-one encounter with the goalkeeper. Allison Freecloud easily transferred to the offense and notched two goals in the encounter, including one on a good pass from Hannah Christie, the team's assists leader. San Llera struck back before the first half ended but it was still 4-2 towards the hosts. Gabby Fowler took a wild shot from out back after running around close to the sidelines and ended up scoring to open up the second half, and Kiera St John followed that up with a goal four minutes later. Kelly Prescott got some good opportunities from Hannah Christie and took advantage of them, scoring a hat trick and then one. Vivian Green finally assserted herself in the game, scoring a goal on the hour mark, and defender Sara Wolfe, who had transferred to the offense, finished New Gelderland's scoring. There was no way for San Llera to make up their huge deficit, but they tried anyway, with Soreguer making two goals before time inevitably ran out.

New Gelderland 2-0 Kaboomlandia
New Gelderland: Harrel, Outterridge, Wolfe, Christopher, Fowler, Fremont, St John, Freecloud, Christie, Green, Prescott
Kaboomlandia: None (Apparently national federation did not care enough to submit an official roster)
Goals: Outterridge 50', Freecloud 62'

The first half was not exciting on the scoring front as Kaboomlandia held off practically all New Gelderlish attacks. However New Gelderland kept pressing and pressing, hoping to force Kaboomlandia to make a mistake. For the first half, it wasn't so, and Kaboomlandia refused to succumb to the pressure in the first half. In the second half, New Gelderland finally broke through with Astra Outterridge's goal, which she scored after being positioned in the midfield after a Kaboomlandia offensive mistake. Allison Freecloud followed that up with another goal twelve minutes to give New Gelderland an extra margin of victory. Kaboomlandia continued to fight hard but they could not score another goal or even up the match at all.

New Gelderland 3-0 Vekaiyu
New Gelderland: Harrel, Outterridge, Wolfe, Christopher, Fowler, Fremont, St John, Freecloud, Christie, Green, Prescott
Vekaiyu: None (Apparently national federation did not care enough to submit an official roster)
Goals: Christie 20', Green 56', Prescott 63'

Vekaiyu is a power in the water polo pool and in the gymnastics portion of the events but they haven't succeeded to much in the field hockey, nor, apparently, do they care about it. Vekaiyu mounted spirited resistance for a good part of the first half and the former half of the second half but New Gelderland broke through, Hannah Christie's twentieth minute goal opening up scoring for the Gelderlish side. Vivian Green found some of her form after injuries have plagued the 28-year-old forward by scoring after breaking through the Vekaiyun resistance, and Kelly Prescott added to her goal tally several minutes later, taking advantage of the shock created when Vivian Green added in her first goal. With this victory, New Gelderland advance out of their group in second place.

[Ethane]

Behind the Scenes: Adam Bentley

Adam Bentley, currently in charge of the Ethane International Men's Hockey Team, was a late comer into the world of hockey. At a young age, he never really expressed any interest in the sport of hockey, which, until recently, hasn't really had a support base in Ethane, as more traditional sports such as Football and Cricket have retained much of the support that other sports have managed to garner in other nations. Bentley originally delved into the footballing world at young age, expressing an interest in participating in the national and international leagues that attract fervour around the world, and universe. However, with the increasing number of people taking part in less traditional sports such as hockey, Adam's interests swung, and he started to develop a passion for hockey. This led to a change of heart in his career when he was finished with his footballing career, when he was too old to be playing for a team, which led to him taking up a managerial role in hockey. Originally managing a hockey team in a foreign league, due to the current lack of a professional league in Ethane, he has been a loud advocate for a hockey league in Ethane, especially with the spike in interest of younger people, which are the people that commercial ventures such as a sporting league attract, but this noise from many top hockey professionals around the world has not resulted in a professional hockey league in Ethane as of yet, due to the lack of sponsors willing to commit to such a large, risky venture in a time of universal economic uncertainty, where another economic crash could be just around the corner. However, when he was offered potentially the only major hockey role in Ethane, the role as manager of the international male hockey team, Adam Bentley was overwhelmed with joy at the opportunity he had been presented with. He saw this not only as a way to carve his name in the history books, but also a way to increase the clamour for a true professional Ethanian hockey league, hoping that success on an international scale would encourage a sponsor to come forward to begin the venture into a commercial hockey league in Ethane.

In the team's debut competitive tournament, the Olympics, Adam Bentley's team managed to get to the octofinals, where they lost out to Barunia 3-4 on penalties, a harsh way to go out after a hard- fought match, which saw neither team manage to pull away from the other. Barunia went on to lose 1-2 to Gregoryisgodistan in the bronze medal match. The Ethanian international team will be looking to avenge their octofinal loss in the previous victors home country, hoping to outperform Barunia in their own country, whether the team actually plays them, or just surpasses the position where the host- country gets knocked out out.

[Ferret Civilization]

As usual now nothing much was done in between the games, which was more odd for them than anything but relaxation was the only thing doing any of them any real good now. It was incredible that they were able to do what they were doing and all that, but being apart of it and actually doing it were two separate things. Going up against teams with experience would normally be matched by effort, though with the amount they had to put in was a little too much for them all. Especially those that had to play in the games, but they all continued to stick to the trying their best when they could method.

Ferret Civilization 2–2 Ethane

The game went mostly as usual for them all, though this one seemed to be lacking something, maybe it was the clear winner. With the game over the team could say they done it all, the watched, lost, won, and tied a game. Really did not tell them how well they were doing overall since everything was split perfectly with end results. Being their first event they also had to try and learn a lot from how the other teams played too, since the over aggressive compensation style they were using did not help them as much as they were hoping it would, though it was keeping them in there. And there was nothing to compare to if they had decided to go defensive since they did not have anything else to go on other than the other teams they were going up against. So far every game, whether favorable or not, was interesting and new for the group. While other teams had everything down and knew they were good and going to make it yet again, the Ferret team was just excited to see were they would place in the beginning rounds since now they would not make it any further. The goal for that was the same as it had been for the other teams starting out, just try to lose less badly.

[Barunia]

This is your last call for the Champion's Cup. Who will stay and who will go? CUT-OFF

Champion's Cup results for MD5

Group A
Liventia 3–2 Britanno 2
Wray 2–0 Barunia

  Group A                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Britanno 2                 4   3  0  1   11   5  +6    9 Q
2 Wray                       4   2  0  2    5   6  −1    6 Q
3 Liventia                   4   1  2  1    7   7   0    5
4 United States of Devonta   4   1  2  1    8  10  −2    5
5 Barunia                    4   0  2  2    3   6  −3    2

Group B
Gregoryisgodistan 1–2 Mattijana
Eastfield Lodge 1–1 The Serbian Empire

  Group B                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Mattijana                  4   2  1  1    8   4  +4    7 Q
2 The Serbian Empire         4   1  3  0    6   5  +1    6 Q
3 Gregoryisgodistan          4   2  0  2    7   7   0    6
4 Silvacometopia             4   1  1  2    6  10  −4    4
5 Eastfield Lodge            4   1  1  2    5   6  −1    4

Group C
Ethane 1–2 New Gelderland
Frenline Delpha 4–1 Ferret Civilization

  Group C                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Frenline Delpha            4   3  0  1    9   5  +4    9 Q
2 New Gelderland             4   3  0  1   17   4 +13    9 Q
3 Ferret Civilization        4   1  1  2   17  13  +4    4
4 Ethane                     4   1  1  2    6   6   0    4
5 HUElavia                   4   1  0  3    7  28 −21    3

Group D
Kaboomlandia 0–1 The Sword Bloke

  Group D                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Rejistania                 3   3  0  0   11   4  +7    9 Q
2 The Sword Bloke            3   1  1  1    3   4  −1    4 Q
3 Kaboomlandia               3   1  0  2    9   7  +2    3
4 The Noksen Federation      3   0  1  2    3  11  −8    1

Quarterfinal match-ups

Britanno 2 vs The Serbian Empire
Wray vs Mattijana
Frenline Delpha vs The Sword Bloke
New Gelderland vs Rejistania

[Mattijana]

Goodness Me They've Only Gone And Done It!

Mattijana had been dispondent after matchday 3. The champion's cup team had only registered one point and sat bottom of their group. The mood was not good.

The night before the match against Silvacometopia, Katarina Zafarova called the team into her appartment for the tournament. The team's morale had taken a hit after the poor start and, deep down, they all understood the importance of the match.

"Ladies, I know you know the importance of tomorrow, but I'm going to let you know anyway. We have to win this one. If we don't we're going home, simple really. We need a response tomorrow. You've looked better in training today, so lets just get out, for us and everyone who's made the effort to support us. They deserve not to be dissapointed." She paused. "Anyway, get a good night's sleep, have lots of food and lets get out there tomorrow and save the mood of the nation."

Whatever was in that food, it seemed to do the job. Sophia Illicič seemed particularly pumped up as she scored two crunching shots before teeing up Katarina Zafarova for a third. Jasmin Barič, then found herself so far up the pitch that she genuinely got a nosebleed, although this was perhaps caused be flicking the ball into her face and into the net as she dived across the face of goal to add a fourth and final goal. She slightly sheepishly wheeled away in celebration before seeking some medical attention and trotting back to her normal position.

4-0 was the final score which pleased pretty much everyone and seemed to have reignited the passion back home. Everyone was now preparing for the second match, another must win affair, but this time against a much tougher opponent. Gregoryisgodistan.

Top of the group after the first three matches, they looked well organised at the back and dangerous up top and the group was tight. Every side apart from Silvacometopia had a chance of qualifying for the knockout round.

Gregoryisgodistan were up for it, putting in some strong tackles which got the fans pumped up. But they were soon jubilant as a beautifully worked penalty corner disected the stubborn defence and was rounded off by another cool Zafarova finish.
Gregoryisgodistan soon hit back though and in the end, no-one could stop a spinnning effort that squeezed its way in via the near post.
However, with just 5 minutes remaining, Illicič finished beautifully after collecting a deflected pass and gave Mattijana the victory. Barič thrashed the ball out of play and the klaxon sounded to give Mattijana qualification and the top spot in the group.
The only reservation, thought Illicič afterwards, was that she had probably consigned the Gregoryisgodistani defence to a few years of labour camp.

[Barunia]

Apologies for the delay. RL issues. This is your final group stage CUT-OFF for the celebration cup. Who will be smiling at the end of it?

Celebration Cup Results for MD3

Group E
New Gelderland 5–3 Eastfield Lodge
Gregoryisgodistan 1–2 Barunia

  Group E              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 New Gelderland         3   3  0  0   12   5  +7    9 Q
2 Barunia                3   2  0  1    5   4  +1    6 Q
3 Gregoryisgodistan      3   1  0  2    6   9  −3    3
4 Eastfield Lodge        3   0  0  3    6  11  −5    0

Group F
The Sword Bloke 2–3 Mattijana
Ethane 1–0 Liventia

  Group F              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Mattijana              3   3  0  0    7   3  +4    9 Q
2 Ethane                 3   2  0  1    3   3   0    6 Q
3 The Sword Bloke        3   0  1  2    2   4  −2    1
4 Liventia               3   0  1  2    0   2  −2    1

Semifinal Match-ups
New Gelderland vs Ethane
Barunia vs Mattijana

[Ethane]

The disappointing result in the Champions cup which saw the men's team finish 4th out of 5 in their group, behind a team of ferrets, led many people to believe that hockey just wasn't Ethane's strong point. There were high expectations of the national men's team to perform in this competition, even though they were only a debut team, because, with the Hockey World Cup taking place, Ethane needed to show its true colours, that it was good at hockey, and could take on the strong opponents. The key moment that summed up the men's tournament was when they drew 2-2 with some ferrets. This was a must win game for the team, and they knew this, but the passion they put into the game did not reflect the attitude they had before the game, which was to go out there and beat those ferrets.

However, eyes have now turned to the girls, hoping that they can redeem our nation in the Celebration cup, after having finished 2nd in the group, 3 points behind Mattjana, which gets the women's team out of the groups and into the semi- finals. People will be hoping that the women's team will shine in their next match, as with the groups of the Celebration cup drawing to a close, it was found out by the team that they would be playing against New Gelderland, who had on the same day as the 1-0 win against Liventia, beaten Eastfield Lodge 5-3. Mattijana won't have an easier match though, as they will be facing the hosts, Barunia, in a hyped match, expected to draw large crowds. With the limelight being shone on the women's team just for a second, before the Hockey World Cup really gets going, they have begun to feel the pressure, but the manager assures us that the team is remaining cool and calm in wake of their next game, which they will be playing shortly.
''They've honestly never felt better. They're over the moon, finally being able to show their hockey talents on a global stage, in the limelight, finally getting the attention they truly deserve, after a respectable Olympics. If they can pull this off, I feel that they will think they can do anything. We want that, we need that as a team. To inspire confidence in these ladies, get them performing well, drawing attention to them from the sports federations in Ethane, and hopefully, in the future not too far away, we will begin to see the equalling out of the playing field in all sports for women, men being no better than women, everyone having equal opportunities. That's what this is really all about.''

World Cup as in ice hockey. There is currently a fight to see which will become the more dominant hockey type in Ethane

[Vers-Gelderland]

It Starts with a Sunrise

The torch streaking across the sky
Signals another new day - sunrise
Sleep sweeps away all the
Old memories of that unholy day
And ushers in a blank canvas,
Just ready for a paintbrush and a
Broad palette of colors - a blank slate,
Just ready for a stylus, pencil, pen,
Anything to mark the stories and praises
And triumphs of the new day,
Just waiting for a chronicle of noble deeds

O sunrise! Your fiery fingers touch
every corner of the world in sunrise,
gently waking up the world for a new day,
your gentle touch raises us from
our restful slumber, and our minds are
clear and ready to begin a new day -
O sunrise! Let your light touch all
and awaken the world -
Let your guiding grace
solemnly signal a new beginning, and
an end to the old day -
An end to the hard feelings of yesterday,
An end to the cold hearts of yesterday,
An end to the bitter rejections of yesterday,
and a beginning to the fresh start of today,
a beginning to the peace and softness of the morning,
a beginning to the new hopes of tomorrow,
a beginning to the new dreams of tomorrow,
a beginning to the beautiful colors of the sunrise.

O sunrise! Let this signal for a
prosperous new day not go unheard in a world
full of troubles, a world
full of misery, a world
full of shadows and darkness, but also a world
full of hope and a world
full of dreams -
O sunrise! Your gossamer touch awakens
the world from its deep slumber,
where it can dare to dream, and
lets the world put those dreams into reality
on a new day, a pristine day, a halcyon day
That still could lead to troubles and misery -
yet it is still a beginning of today,
and an end of yesterday, whatever
the day may hold -
The sunrise still gives us a chance to
Imprint our will on the world -
and we must take that chance,
we must take that opportunity,
take that opportunity and run with it,
and let today be our day.
That day starts with a sunrise...

[Barunia]

Eight teams enter, four teams leave. This is your champion's cup quarterfinal CUT-OFF

Champion's Cup Quarterfinals

Britanno 2 1–0 The Serbian Empire
Wray 2–5 Mattijana
Frenline Delpha 0–1 The Sword Bloke
New Gelderland 2–0 Rejistania

Semifinal Match-Ups
Britanno 2 vs Mattijana
The Sword Bloke vs New Gelderland

[Barunia]

Who will get their shot at glory, and whose dream ends here? Semifinals CUT-OFF

Semifinal Results for the Champion's Cup

Semifinals
Britanno 2 0–3 Mattijana
The Sword Bloke 1–6 New Gelderland

Semifinal Results for the Celebration Cup

Semifinals
Barunia (B1) 2–0 Mattijana (B2)
New Gelderland (A1) 2–0 Ethane (A2)

Final Match-ups
Champion's Cup
Final: Mattijana vs New Gelderland
3rd: Britanno 2 vs The Sword Bloke

Celebration Cup
Final: Barunia vs New Gelderland
3rd: Mattijana 2 vs Ethane

[Mattijana]

Mattijana March On

Mattijana edged past The Sword Bloke by 3 goals to 2 to qualify for the semi-finals of the celebration cup with 3 wins out if 3. Forward Andreas Weiss opened the scoring after five minutes of play with a slding deflected goal and the match appeared to be turning into a formality when Mattijana added a second goal shortly before the end if the first quarter when some pinball in the penalty area found a way into the corner if the net via an opposition player.

The Sword Bloke fought back however, with a period of strong pressure eventually resulting in a goal after some resolute defending as a low cross was only half cleared and was smashed into the net.

Mattijana held back any furthur advances and started the second half brilliantly, adding a third goal shortly after the break as Weiss teed up Kampl for a fairly straightforward deflection. Frustratingly though, their opposition steuck again late on, adding some unsurity to the match, but Mattijana held on to take the victory and a well earned place in the semis.

The team were drawn against hosts Barunia, and threatened early on in the match almost going ahead when Weiss' shot was deflected just wide with the goalkeeper stranded on the wrong foot. However, they soon went behind when Handanovič could only glove a cross into the midriff of an attacker who slotted home.
Mattijana toiled to try and find an equaliser, but were ultimately snaffled on the break as the despairing dive of a defender failed to scoop the ball off the line.


Despite only making the 3rd place match in the celebration cup, Mattijana's champions cup team played brilliantly to earn a place in the final against New Gelderland, beating Britanno 2 by three goals to nil. Jessica Burič played a part in their first goal, lifting a ball over the Britanno defence which was pounced onto by Sophia Illicič who wacked the ball home on the bounce.
Mattijana have been brilliant at set pieces so far and their second came from a long corner which was poked back across goal by Zafarova and finished by Maria Velezia. Britanno tried to find a wat back into the game, but Mattijana were well on top and finished off the game with another high quality goal which was finished by Jasmin Barič after another foray forward. Even she couldn't believe having scored in two consecutive games although the goal had another edge of fortune about it as she stuck out a stick behind her and somehow flicked the ball into the top corner, something which she only admitted was a bit jammy after the match.

Despite this confident performance, Mattijana will face a tough match in the final against a New Gelderland side who were rampant in their semi final against The Sword Bloke. But Katarina Zafarova was upbeat about their chances.

"I think our defence is looking good, we've been keeping clean sheets in tough games, so we certainly have what it takes to hold them back and our forwards have been in good form. It's always good to know also that all our squad are capable of putting the back of the net, so we have a lot of ideas ready for the game."

[Barunia]

Where will the celebration be at tonight? This is your CUT-OFF for the Celebration Cup Final (and Champion's Cup 3rd Place)

Champion's Cup Results - Third Place

Third Place Final
Britanno 2 1–1 The Sword Bloke (2–3 pen.)

Celebration Cup Results - Finals

Final
Barunia 1–0 New Gelderland

Third Place
Mattijana 2–1 Ethane

[Vers-Gelderland]

New Gelderland 0-1 Frenline Delpha
New Gelderland: Longstaff, Harris, Forrest, Chase, Broadbent, Roscoe, Spencer, Newport, Keikodi, Ryder, Horn
Frenline Delpha: None (Apparently national federation did not care enough to submit an official roster)
Goals: Unknown 69'

Frenline Delpha took revenge for their 1-0 loss at the Olympics by defeating a strong New Gelderlish side by the same scoreline 1-0. For most of the game, Frenline Delpha's unnamed defenders and goalkeeper were able to mostly keep out a strong Gelderlish attack, and while the Frenline offense didn't score any goals during the first half, at least they didn't concede any against the frequent attempts of Keikodi, Ryder, and Horn. Many a time would Keikodi knock a great pass to Ryder or Horn only to see the shot blocked or saved. Frenline Delpha finally managed to crack Kieran Longstaff's goal on their first shot on goal in the 69th minute, only seconds before the clock was due to buzz, and they managed to hit a long ball over Longstaff's head for a lucky goal and the win. The players were disappointed but knew they could come back to win.

New Gelderland 6-1 Ferret Civilization
New Gelderland: Longstaff, Harris, Forrest, Chase, Broadbent, Roscoe, Spencer, Newport, Keikodi, Ryder, Horn
Ferret Civilization: Ríoghnán, Tallak, Kåre, Helge, Niklas, Artur, Mervyn, Darach, Alaois, Kristoffer, Gus
Goals: Ryder 9', 60', Alaois 16', Keikodi 27', 33', Horn 46', 55'

It turned out that the New Gelderlish team shrugged off their loss against Frenline Delpha, their first ever in international hockey play, and kept the momentum from the Olympics going. The first twenty minutes were hard-fought against a highly optimistic team in Ferret Civilisation , with Ryder opening up the scoring, Alaois of the opponents following seven minutes later with a creative angled goal. However New Gelderland took control after that; Kai Keikodi simply knocked the ball right over the short keeper Ríoghnán and repeated the feat eight minutes later. The New Gelderlish domination continued into the second half even as Ferret Civilization fought back, but ultimately the better physicality and stamina of the New Gelderlish players won out. Ethan Horn curled a shot to the right of Ríoghnán, and then to the left nine minutes later, while Percy Ryder, who had opened up scoring, managed to create a good angle on the hour mark. Ferret Civilization tried to score at least another goal but to no avail, the catch up work was simply too much.

New Gelderland 9-1 HUElavia
New Gelderland: Longstaff, Harris, Forrest, Chase, Broadbent, Roscoe, Spencer, Newport, Keikodi, Ryder, Horn
HUElavia: None (Apparently national federation did not care enough to submit an official roster)
Goals: Ryder 12', 17', 34', Keikodi 24', 44', Newport 27', 33' Horn 51', 57', Unknown 67'

HUElavia were not laughing as New Gelderland continued their run of dominance, running roughshod over the opposing team. Percy Ryder scored a hat trick, seemingly running circles around the obviously outmatched defense. Kai Keikodi, the Gelderlish player of Cenian birth, also found some good opportunities to score from the penalty circle, outwitting the goalkeeper in a one-on-one match. Alan Newport found himself in the right place at the right time twice in the match and took advantage of gaps in the defense as well as an empty net. Ethan Horn also scored twice in the later stages of the game. Meanwhile, the HUElavian offense had not managed to get a single shot on goal, and as they won the ball, they desperately tried to attack, but Kieran Longstaff saved most of their goals, except for one consolation goal in the 67th minute, which came too late to salvage even a scrap of pride for the HUElavian team. New Gelderland, while wishing it had defeated Frenline Delpha, still nonetheless continued its forward momentum.

New Gelderland 2-1 Ethane
New Gelderland: Longstaff, Harris, Forrest, Chase, Broadbent, Roscoe, Spencer, Newport, Keikodi, Ryder, Horn
Ethane: Howe, Sackville, Sessions, Douglas, Carl, Carrah, McNeil, Frye, Merrick, Ingram, Daley
Goals: Roscoe 25', Daley 41', Newport 55'

Ethane actually bothered to post a roster and their skill showed throughout the match. It actually took some hard work for New Gelderland to win but they did nonetheless. At the beginning Ethane had control of the ball but Kieran Longstaff was able to stop most of the shots that the excellent defense team did not. Then New Gelderland took the initiative, with Ken Roscoe finding himself on a good side of a pass from Kai Keikodi, scoring a good angle past the goalkeeper to open the scoring. Ten more minutes of the first half passed with fierce battles for control of the ball. Ethane finally got a good lock on the goal and Daley shot with a very fine trigger, just barely making it in the goal. The last minutes were crucial for the balance of the game, and New Gelderland performed well under the pressure, Alan Newport finding the goal, sending the ball just above Howe's outstretched arms for the victory.

[Barunia]

Who will be cheering when the final countdown ends? This is your final CUT-OFF.

Results for the Champion's Cup Grand Final

Grand Final
Mattijana 1–6 New Gelderland

It had not been the result that many Barunians had hoped to see, but as the tournament draws to a close, the country could stop and reflect on it as a whole. Edwardton had done the nation proud, with the tournament living up to its name of a celebration of field hockey. The city had opened its doors, and invited the world to come and play field hockey. It was hoped that other cities in Barunia, and around the world, would do the same, and the sport would rise in global precedence. With that, a big thankyou from Edwardton and Barunia to all the national teams that made this tournament such a success, and congratulations to the winner of the Champion's Cup!

The National Premier League also gained from the tournament, with the league welcoming its first international players in Kerykery Koienil of Rejistania (to Odessa United HC) and Terence Daley of Ethane (to South Dropshort Iron).

For a nation disappointed with its ageing national team after failing to register a win on the back of a good olympic campaign, the Celebration Cup win was welcome relief. A squad with no Premier League players in it, they held off the reigning olympic champion women to win by a single goal. The winning goal came courtesy of Louisa Morton, who took a pass from Michael Dawson in front of goal and put in a bouncing shot that went over Harrel's glove.
While it might be seen as a lesser victory than the Champion's Cup, to the Barunians, its a sign that there is plenty of hockey talent in Barunia, and that a new generation of superstars might be just around the corner.

[Mattijana]

Ouch.

Despite a decent start to the game, Mattijana would rather forget about. They equalised after 10 minutes of the first quarter, but then suffered bad luck and an overwhelming assault on their goal as they slumped to a humiliating 6-1 defeat.

However Mattijana had well exceeded expectations backing up their fourth place in the Olympics with a second place in the champions cup and a bronze in the celebration cup having looked at risk of going out after the group stages of the main competition. The comeback was well and truly on though and the team marched to the final in impressive form. Although the scoreline was dissapointing, there was no shame in losing to the world's best.

The Matti were also in fine voice adding banter and atmosphere to the matches and creating a buzz around the streets of Barunia. Jasmin Barič was a particular favourite after scoring two unlikely and outrageous goals and then scoring Mattijana's goal in the final with a top edged pass into the top corner of the goal.

--------------------------------------------------------------

OOC:

I'd like to say thank you to everyone who participated and to Barunia for delivering a very smooth tournament. Field Hockey is something I feel has excellant potential here on NS Sports and hopefully we will meet again in the future.