Sixteenth World Lacrosse Championships - Everything Thread

[Licentiapacisterra]

Group 1
The Serbian Empire 4–10 Sarzonia
Qazox 10–5 The United Regions

Group 1                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Sarzonia                      2   2  0  0   20  13  +7    6
2 The Serbian Empire            2   1  0  1   22  17  +5    3
3 Qazox                         2   1  0  1   17  23  −6    3
4 The United Regions            2   0  0  2   14  20  −6    0

Group 2
Kriegiersien 14–11 Levivania
Paradystopia 9–2 Torisakia

Group 2                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Paradystopia                  2   2  0  0   25   6 +19    6
2 Kriegiersien                  2   1  0  1   18  27  −9    3
3 Levivania                     2   0  1  1   20  23  −3    1
4 Torisakia                     2   0  1  1   11  18  −7    1

Group 3
Phalnia 10–9 Shilston
The Licentian Islands 4–15 Slembana

Group 3                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Slembana                      2   2  0  0   21   7 +14    6
2 Phalnia                       2   2  0  0   30  21  +9    6
3 Shilston                      2   0  0  2   12  16  −4    0
4 The Licentian Islands         2   0  0  2   16  35 −19    0

Group 4
Swibia 7–14 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec
Kingdom of Costa Luna 9–5 Thatius

Group 4                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec   2   2  0  0   32  15 +17    6
2 Kingdom of Costa Luna         2   1  1  0   18  14  +4    4
3 Swibia                        2   0  1  1   16  23  −7    1
4 Thatius                       2   0  0  2   13  27 −14    0

Group 5
Delaclava 8–2 The Kytler Peninsulae
Towson 18–12 Indo-Pasif Archipelago

Group 5                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Delaclava                     2   2  0  0   18  10  +8    6
2 Towson                        2   1  0  1   26  22  +4    3
3 The Kytler Peninsulae         2   1  0  1   14  13  +1    3
4 Indo-Pasif Archipelago        2   0  0  2   17  30 −13    0

Group 6
Mapletish 14–9 The Fair Republic
Schmiegelland 12–11 Darmen

Group 6                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Mapletish                     2   1  1  0   23  18  +5    4
2 Schmiegelland                 2   1  1  0   21  20  +1    4
3 Darmen                        2   1  0  1   23  20  +3    3
4 The Fair Republic             2   0  0  2   17  26  −9    0

Group 7
Britanno 9–14 Shadowbourne
Saintland 13–1 Carasatoga

Group 7                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Saintland                     2   2  0  0   36   5 +31    6
2 Shadowbourne                  2   1  1  0   24  19  +5    4
3 Carasatoga                    2   0  1  1   11  23 −12    1
4 Britanno                      2   0  0  2   13  37 −24    0

Group 8
West Guiana 9–5 Soviet Canuckistan
Sicoutimont 9–14 Chiata

Group 8                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Chiata                        2   2  0  0   26  18  +8    6
2 Sicoutimont                   2   1  0  1   21  19  +2    3
3 West Guiana                   2   1  0  1   14  17  −3    3
4 Soviet Canuckistan            2   0  0  2   14  21  −7    0

[Kriegiersien]

Dead or Alive?

The Kriegiersien LaCrosse Team can reach Play-Offs for the first time, after winning against Levivania 14:11. After the 4:16 against Paradystopia not much hope remained for the team, but now a draw against Torisakia could be enough.

In difference to the last edition the Kriegiersien Lacrosse team know consists of three blocks, the players who played in the last World Cup form the midfield, the defense is build up by Rugbyplayers and the strikers are from different Topteams of the last Kriegiersien Lacrosse tournament. The team is completed by the best known Goalkeepers. One of them a Hockeygoalie.

GK
Frank Stein
Patrick Baumgaertner


Defenders:
Steve Sperre
Bubi Blindschleich
Steve Schief
Olav Offen
Gisbert Gedrängehalb
Florian Verbindungshalb

Midfield:
Kevin Maus
Mark "Elephant" Ecker (Captain/Coach)
Greg Zuckerberg
Heinz Müller
Fritz Müller
Timon Müller
Schnaps Braugeist

Forwards
Uther Becker
Tim Becker
Mike Cunningham
Sing Susan

[Sarzonia]

All the anxiety the Sarzonian national lacrosse team had prior to their matchup against The Serbian Empire could be partly attributed to the fact the team was well aware of their mantra for a three-match qualifying stage: No margin for error. It could be attributed to the fact this Stars team hadn't convened in several World Lacrosse Championships prior to this one. It could even be dismissed as nerves in facing a team that supposedly was the next in line to serve as the greatest lacrosse country in history.

After Sarzonia played a smothering defensive match, the team served notice to the upstarts that the Stars are still a lacrosse country to be reckoned with. The Stars defeated The Serbian Empire 10-4 as the defence and goalie Mark Tomscik dominated the match. Tomscik made 28 saves, including three from point-blank range with 3:29 to go in the third quarter with the Stars leading 7-4. The saves blunted a mini-rally which saw The Serbian Empire score consecutive goals in a span of 1:04 to bring the match within three.

From there, it was the defence and Carter Whitlock who took over the match. He scored the next goal with 2:44 left in the third and the Stars (2-0) never looked back.

Mike Sandusky addressed his team in the immediate aftermath of the match, which all but clinched a spot in the knockout rounds in the Licentian Islands.

"We've got one more match, and we've got a chance to make a statement to the world in front of our home supporters. Let's focus on that match and build some momentum!"

It will be hard for the Stars to not be focused. After all, their opponent will either bring out the best in the team or the worst.

They Who Shall Not Be Named. The enmity between the countries is well known. Sarzonian teams will not travel to that country unless event organisers don't hail from there. Their teams traveling to Sarzonia must travel under heavily armed security for fear of reprisal by angry Sarzonians.

If Sandusky otherwise planned to play the depth players and give his starters a rest, he wouldn't dare do it against They Who Shall Not Be Named.

"We're playing that match the way we would play any critical match," Sandusky said. "Even if it's 20-0 with a minute left, I'm keeping my starters out there as if it were 0-0."

In other news, Delaclava defeated The Kytler Peninsulae 8-2 and They Who Shall Not Be Named played a dominant match against The United Regions, winning 10-5. However, the fact that they clobbered a team Sarzonia needed a last minute goal to defeat isn't cause for concern according to Whitlock.

"The Serbian Empire beat them 18-7 and look what we did today against a team that's one of the best in the world right now," he said. "On any given matchday, anyone can beat anyone."

[Qazox]

United 0 2 1 2   5
Qazox  3 2 3 2  10

We really need to start screening our interns for Dancougarian DNA, I swear it reduces IQs by 40%. It's been over 150 years and I swear that faulty DNA is spreading. Before you know it, our pure Qazian DNA will be permanently corrupted. Oh we're live now? Shit. Before I go Qazox won 10-5 over The united regions, setting up a showdown vs. Zarsonia? Narzosia? Dammit, what is that team's name?

QAZOX GOALS:
Berrigan
Barry
Berrigan
Zapata
Moline
Moline
Zapata
Berrigan
Martelli
Holbrook

[Licentiapacisterra]

Host Announcement:

Tomorrow's cutoff will be delayed for around two and a half hours from the normal time, until 6:30 BST, as I have something to do tomorrow afternoon that's come up at fairly short notice. I apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

[Kingdom of Costa Luna]

"We love Pedro" was the chant at today's Costa Luna-Thatius match though Costa Lunian fans still do not know which Pedro lead their team to victory today. Pedro is counted for having nine goals today, a hat-trick of hat-tricks. This is Pedro's second nine goal outing of the tournament. At one time during the game it was rumored that Costa Luna had two goalies on the field, one in goal and one on the attack. Maria Gonzalez has denied such claims stating, "No, we only had guys with the last name Pedro on the attack."

Tomorrow the Pedro Show takes on the undefeated team from The Royal Kingdom of Quebec. Costa Luna will advance automatically to the Round of 16 with a win, draw, or Swibia loss against last place Thatius. A win against The Royal Kingdom of Quebec will allow Costa Luna not only to advance, but also win Group 4.

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

Sportsnet Post-Match Interview

Stan Stafford and Hye Hong Ryu are at the team locker room in Licentiapasterra, where the 16th Word Lacrosse Championship is being held. The Royal Kingdom of Quebec won in a dominating match with 14-7 today, leading the group winning all 2 matches and scoring whopping 32 goals. Stafford, who was named the star of the match on both of those matches, is the team's star.

Ryu- As you saw, the Royal Kingdom of Quebec won in a dominating victory for the Quebecois with 14-7 off scoreboard. They are doing very well and seemed to improve a lot from their mediocre previous 2 cycles. My guest here is Stan Stafford. Hello, Stan.

Stafford- Hey, Hye Hong. It's good to see you again off-season.

Ryu- Surely I do too. On Today's match, you only scored 7 goals and 4 assists, compared to 11 goals and 5 assists the day before. How did you think you do on today's match?

Stafford- I did well. While I was unable to score much goals compared to last night's match, I nevertheless performed very well and did great plays on all aspects.

Ryu- Excellent. You were off from a mediocre season with Montreal Iroquois and got traded to Ottawa Totem. What's your reaction to that and did it by any means affect your performance here?

Stafford- Well, It definitely did. I think I was able to think about how I did and elevate my game to another level. I hope this will allow me to play better and stronger in QLL next season.

Ryu- I hope you do. There are lots of rumors around the nation that you're in a relationship with Diana Laurendeau-Schmitz. Is that true?

Stafford- Well, not really. Me and Diana are just close friends since high school. But who knows? Things might change future and the media might be right.

Ryu- Tomorrow, the Hitmen will face The Kingdom of Costa Luna tomorrow. What do you think?

Stafford- Think about what?

Ryu- Okay. Reworded, what do you think about them?

Stafford- They have a good team that can knock us off balance in this quick-paced sport named Lacrosse. While we made it into the Round of 16 already, that doesn't mean that we need to be careless and loose on the very last match. So, we will probably try to our best.

Ryu- I'm glad to hear that. Thank you for giving your precious time with us and good luck with your match against Costa Luna tomorrow.

Stafford- Thank you.

[Phalnia]

Phalnian Sports Network

Announcer: Now, it's time for our segment "LAX On, LAX Off", with Paul and Dean.
Dean: Hi, this is Dean.
Paul: And this is Paul. Well another good day for the Phalnian National team.
D: Good but a bit nerve wracking.
P: That was a close call indeed with the Phalnian team winning the match by one point, against the determined Shilston squad.
D: A very good team and a great test of skill.
P: I think we should all thank Waters for this victory.
D: Yep, after yesterday's injury scare he came off the bench to score four goals of the teams total nine.
P: The remainder of the points were made by Jack Broden and Francisco Hernandez, with three and two respectively.
D: But, I think this game was won by the defense, they managed to hold off a strong attack squad.
P: They definitely proved they have what it takes to stand up to the nations in this tournament.
D: Their gonna need to be on their best game tomorrow as they face Slembana, the other undefeated team in Group 3.
P: Winning this game will make Phalnia the group champ and be an excellent indicator of future performance.
D: No matter the outcome it is sure to be a good game.
P: A game I'm definitely looking forward to.
D: Same here.
P: This is Paul signing off.
D: See you all tomorrow.
Announcer: We've run out of programming, stay tuned for static.

[The Serbian Empire]

The Playoff Push

The Serbian Empire loses 10-4, which has been a particularly low scoring game for Serbian Empire standards both for and against setting a dubious record. There are two ways the Serbian Empire advances to the round of 16. First is that the Serbian Empire routs the United Regions team and Sarzonia wins against Qazox which given the poor play of the United Regions team is quite likely. The other involves Qazox either winning over Sarzonia by fewer than eleven or by greater than thirteen goals with a Serbian Empire win over the United Regions team. Either way, it's a three team battle for the two slots in Group One where it is more of a rock-paper-scissors relationship if all the top teams go 2-1. Simply, for Qazox to advance, the Serbian Empire must lose or they must produce a more impressive win over their rival than the Serbian Empire did over them in the opening round.

[Saintland]

Royal Five - Postmatch Interview

Iosue Alfenus is in the Royal Five Studios in the Licentian Islands. The Saintland National Lacrosse Team has just defeated Carasatoga 13 to 1.

Iosue Alfenus - Shadowbourne defeats Britanno 14 to 9. This means that Britanno has been eliminated from the World Lacrosse Championships. Our Kingdom's National Lacrosse Team will face Shadowbourne tomorrow. The winner will win Group 7. My guest today is the man who has allowed just 5 goals in the first 2 matches. Today, he held Carasatoga to just 1 goal. He is Prince Josephus!

Prince Josephus walked into the studio and sat down across from Iosue Alfenus

Iosue Alfenus - Prince Josephus, It is a pleasure to be speaking with you today.

Prince Josephus - I always enjoy speaking to Royal Five.

Iosue Alfenus - Let's talk about today's match. How did you hold your opponents to just 1 goal?

Prince Josephus - For one thing, I didn't face very many shots. Our defenders did a great job. When I did face shots, I was seemingly in a zone tonight.

Iosue Alfenus - You were injured during the World Cup of Hockey. How have you recovered from injury and seemingly come back better than ever?

Prince Josephus - I can't answer that, but I think it has helped that my mind has been entirely on field hockey and now lacrosse for a while. I'm not returning to ice hockey until after the Olympics.

Iosue Alfenus - At the World Championship in Field Hockey, your team struggled out of the gate. Is there some reason why you are so dominant at the World Lacrosse Championships?

Prince Josephus - When we first started playing field hockey, we weren't used to playing on an outdoor field. Its much easier for a field hockey team to play lacrosse than it is for an ice hockey team to play field hockey.

Iosue Alfenus - At the upcoming Summer Olympics, you are attempting to become the first team to medal in both field hockey and ice hockey in the same year. What would it be like to pull off such a historic accomplishment?

Prince Josephus - That's what we are trying to do. While I want to win the World Lacrosse Championships and end our championship drought, if I could choose one or the other, I'd rather have a gold medal in field hockey.

Iosue Alfenus - So, it is true that you are still bothered by that loss to Valanora?

Prince Josephus - Absolutely. There is not a day that goes by that I don't wonder what might have been, what should have been. I know that God works in mysterious ways, but I don't understand why He allowed us to make it that far and yet fall short.

Iosue Alfenus - God has His Plan.

Prince Josephus - I know that, but I don't yet understand what His Plan for us is. I hope we aren't going to wonder around in the wilderness for 40 years like the Israelitae did before they could enter Promissaterra.

Iosue Alfenus - We must not question God, even if we don't yet understand Him.

Prince Josephus - You're right, Iosue. Every day, I pray to God, asking Him to deliver victory unto us.

Iosue Alfenus - I apologize for changing the subject, but I want to ask you about your role as the Prince and sole citizen of the Protectorate of Saintland WA.

Prince Josephus - What about that?

Iosue Alfenus - Can you explain to our viewers what Saintland WA is?

Prince Josephus - OK, I'll do that. As you know, the World Assembly is a very powerful international body that imposes legislation upon its members. Each member has a single vote in the WA, which can help sway the WA's decisions. Unfortunately, our Kingdom cannot join the WA because there are numerous resolutions that we cannot possibly be expected to follow.

Iosue Alfenus - So, how do we get around that?

Prince Josephus - Fortunately, there is a loophole that numerous nations use. A few months ago, my father discovered it. He immediately constructed an artificial island out of a ship and anchored this ship just slightly outside of our Kingdom's territory. My father chose me to be the Prince of this new "nation," because he needed a ruler of that "nation" that is never going to be the King of Saintland.

Iosue Alfenus - So, he appointed you as the leader of Saintland WA? Does anybody else actually live there?

Prince Josephus - Of course not. I used my position to pass a number of laws, which I believe are compatible with the WA's resolutions, that prohibit immigration to Saintland WA. The penalty for illegally entering Saintland WA is deportation to a nation of the Prince's choice. Should I discover that this law is incompatible with the WA's resolutions, I will amend it to make it compatible.

Iosue Alfenus - That is interesting. How much time have you spent at WA headquarters?

Prince Josephus - Actually, I haven't gone there yet. I've sent in my votes through the Internet.

Iosue Alfenus - When are you going to get around to visiting the WA?

Prince Josephus - Probably after the Olympics. Right now, we need to be focused on winning the World Lacrosse Championships and winning that Olympic Gold Medal.

Iosue Alfenus - Sounds good. Unfortunately, we are out of time. I want to thank Prince Josephus for joining us.

Prince Josephus - Thank you for having me.

[Licentiapacisterra]

Group 1
The United Regions 6–4 The Serbian Empire
Sarzonia 10–6 Qazox

-  Group 1                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Sarzonia                      3   3  0  0   30  19 +11    9 Q
2 The Serbian Empire            3   1  0  2   26  23  +3    3 Q
3 The United Regions            3   1  0  2   20  24  −4    3
4 Qazox                         3   1  0  2   23  33 −10    3

Group 2
Torisakia 9–9 Kriegiersien
Levivania 7–9 Paradystopia

- Group 2                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Paradystopia                  3   3  0  0   34  13 +21    9 Q
2 Kriegiersien                  3   1  1  1   27  36  −9    4 Q
3 Torisakia                     3   0  2  1   20  27  −7    2
4 Levivania                     3   0  1  2   27  32  −5    1

Group 3
Slembana 7–18 Phalnia
Shilston 5–7 The Licentian Islands

- Group 3                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Phalnia                       3   3  0  0   48  28 +20    9 Q
2 Slembana                      3   2  0  1   28  25  +3    6 Q
3 The Licentian Islands         3   1  0  2   23  40 −17    3
4 Shilston                      3   0  0  3   17  23  −6    0

Group 4
Thatius 10–4 Swibia
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec 10–9 Kingdom of Costa Luna

- Group 4                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec   3   3  0  0   42  24 +18    9 Q
2 Kingdom of Costa Luna         3   1  1  1   27  24  +3    4 Q
3 Thatius                       3   1  0  2   23  31  −8    3
4 Swibia                        3   0  1  2   20  33 −13    1

Group 5
Indo-Pasif Archipelago 1–10 Delaclava
The Kytler Peninsulae 7–8 Towson

- Group 5                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Delaclava                     3   3  0  0   28  11 +17    9 Q
2 Towson                        3   2  0  1   34  29  +5    6 Q
3 The Kytler Peninsulae         3   1  0  2   21  21   0    3
4 Indo-Pasif Archipelago        3   0  0  3   18  40 −22    0

Group 6
Darmen 9–9 Mapletish
The Fair Republic 11–10 Schmiegelland

- Group 6                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Mapletish                     3   1  2  0   32  27  +5    5 Q
2 Darmen                        3   1  1  1   32  29  +3    4 Q
3 Schmiegelland                 3   1  1  1   31  31   0    4
4 The Fair Republic             3   1  0  2   28  36  −8    3

Group 7
Carasatoga 8–4 Britanno
Shadowbourne 9–18 Saintland

- Group 7                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Saintland                     3   3  0  0   54  14 +40    9 Q
2 Shadowbourne                  3   1  1  1   33  37  −4    4 Q
3 Carasatoga                    3   1  1  1   19  27  −8    4
4 Britanno                      3   0  0  3   17  45 −28    0

Group 8
Chiata 9–19 West Guiana
Soviet Canuckistan 7–12 Sicoutimont

- Group 8                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Sicoutimont                   3   2  0  1   33  26  +7    6 Q
2 West Guiana                   3   2  0  1   33  26  +7    6 Q
3 Chiata                        3   2  0  1   35  37  −2    6
4 Soviet Canuckistan            3   0  0  3   21  33 −12    0

Round of 16 Fixtures (Scorinated on Friday 5th):

Sarzonia vs Kriegiersien
Paradystopia vs The Serbian Empire
Phalnia vs Kingdom of Costa Luna
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec vs Slembana
Delaclava vs Darmen
Mapletish vs Towson
Saintland vs West Guiana
Sicoutimont vs Shadowbourne

[Qazox]

Qazox  1 2 1 2   6
Uhm... 3 2 3 2  10

We lost 10-6, on the road, but I have no idea where the game was played. I do remember seeing signs for Delaclava, so odds are we were near there. But Zing Maps and Giggly Maps both say there's nothing there. I think it might be one of those accidental Dreamed-Realm zones or something. But either way, we lost and are going home, with a 1-2 record, better than we thought we'd do. Next time, perhaps a .500 record?

QAZOX GOALS:
Berrigan
Barry
Zapata
Moline
Berrigan
Martelli

[Kingdom of Costa Luna]

Pedro scores has a hat-trick of hat-tricks of hat-tricks having scored 9 goals in each match in the Lacrosse Championship this year. Costa Luna lost against The Royal Kingdom of Quebec 9-10, but still advanced to the playoffs after Thatius blew out Swibia 10-4. Costa Luna will take on the winner from Group 3, Phalnia. Phalnia averages 16 goals a game while only giving up 9 and a third each game. Costa Luna has only allowed a maximum of 10 goals in a match and always scores 9 goals themselves. Pedro says, "We need to shut down Phalnia's offense, something that this group is good at doing. We took a couple high-powered offenses and shut them down. We can score nine and we expect to be able to make those nine count for a win."

Meanwhile across Costa Luna, the Department of Athletics has put up billboards like the one below.

[Sarzonia]

The sold out crowd at Franz Braddock Stadium told the story.

Lacrosse was back. Even though Harold Price had once again chosen retirement over prowling the sidelines, Carter Whitlock and company were working hard to win every ground ball, shoot accurately on net and stifle the competition.

They did all that and more en route to a 10-6 win over They Who Shall Not Be Named, earning the distinction of officially punching their tickets home. The home crowd was definitely appreciative. Any victory is a good one, but any victory over their hated enemies was even better.

Unfortunately for the Stars (3-0), it didn't seem as though They Who Shall Not Be Named even knew what the fuss was. They looked confused when the 35,018 fans booed them at every turn. They reacted as if they were deer caught in headlights when Sarzonia took a 5-1 lead with 4:23 left in the second quarter. They looked out of it when Sarzonia went on a four-goal run spanning the third and fourth quarters that gave them a 10-4 lead.

No matter. It didn't matter to the Stars whether They Who Shall Not Be Named remembered them or not. They had more important work to do. As Group 1 winners, they had a Round of 16 date with Kriegiersien, which finished 1-1-1 as Group 2 runners up. Only The Serbian Empire, the runners up in Group 1, had a worse record as a second place team than Kriegiersien did, and no group runner up had a worse goal difference than Kriegiersien's minus-nine. The Serbian Empire finished qualifying with an unsightly 1-2 record after a 6-4 loss to The United Regions.

To hear Coach Mike Sandusky tell it, however, the Stars aren't even thinking about all that.

"All the records go out the door now," he said. "We have no margin for error now because one loss does eliminate you."

The mantra of 'no margin for error' motivated these Stars to earn a 3-0 record and favourite position as the knockout stages begin. It would continue to motivate Sarzonia moving forward.

In other news, Delaclava also finished 3-0 with a 10-1 thrashing of Indo-Pasif Archipelago. The Phoenixes finish as Group 5 winners and will face Group 6 runners up Darmen, which finished 1-1-1 after a 9-9 draw against Mapletish.

When asked if the Stars were thinking of a possible playoff match against Delaclava, Whitlock shook his head.

"Right, we're thinking about Kriegiersien," he said. "If we don't win that, we're not going anywhere."

[The Serbian Empire]

1-2 and somehow advance to the next round? This just doesn't seem quite right, but we'll take it. How far have we fallen in this tournament and we'll be lucky to be seeing even a 3rd place result like in last tournament. We do get a familiar and powerful foe in Paradystopia for our next game so lets move on and keep plodding forwards though this tournament and don't leave the offense at home like the last two games.

[Kriegiersien]

Goalkeeper Stein was the man that was celebrated from his teammates and the few fans who had traveled with to Montfort, after a game where Kriegiersien nearly didn't deserve to draw.

In the last seconds of the match the dominance of Torisakia seemed to pay off, when one of their forwards shot on the goal, hit the bar and the rebound only had to swung into the empty goal by another faceless player from Torisaka. But Stein miraculously saved again, like so many times before in the game and by that saved the point that was enough for the Play-Offs, after Paradystopia had won against Levivania.

The next opponent is Sarzonia, real stars and Ex-World-Champs.

"We have all the luck that we missed the last WC. Also the team has found each other now and we have two days to analyse Sarzonia, why not win even against them? But I'm proud of my boys, all of them, and today we will party", said Coach and reserve player Mark "Elephant" Ecker.

[Phalnia]

Phalnian Sports Network

Announcer: Now, it's time for our segment "LAX On, LAX Off", with Paul and Dean.
Dean: Dean here.
Paul: And Paul.
D: Looks like good news for the Phalnian team today.
P: Absolutely, the Phalnian team has advanced out of the Group Draw and into the Round of 16.
D: A very strong showing from the squad against Slembana winning 18 to 7.
P: This victory advances them and means they are the winning team of Group 3, so far undefeated.
D: Their gonna need to bring their A game if they want to make it to the end, a defeat now means elimination.
P: Yes...I'm getting word that we have Head Coach Carson Brock live via the internet.
Carson: Hello Paul and Dean.
P: Hello
D: Hey, coach how are you feeling after the teams stellar performance?
C: Me and the team are very excited, and getting ready for the rest of the tournament.
P: How do you fell about the Costa Luna team?
C: Well really, I'm a little confused. Everyone appears to be Pedro and masters of the hat-trick.
D: That sounds confusing and we wish you luck.
C: Thank you.
P: Well he's a nice guy.
D: Eh.
P: Lets talk about scorers now.
D: Yes let's. The leading scorer was captain Jack Broden with 9 points, Alexander Waters with 4, Francisco Hernandez with 3, and Bradley Shaw coming off the bench to score 2.
P: Well I'm sure the remainder of the games we'll be covering from the Licentian Islands.
D: Sounds like fun.
P: Yep, this Paul signing off.
D: See you all later.
Announcer: Now, stayed tuned for an in depth look at how your taxpayer dollars pay for dogs to pee on hydrants.

[Delaclava]

Position	Number	Player
G	35	Solomon Rousseau (C)
G	30	Dick Turnbull
D	6	Bobby Suter
D	20	Boris Shaw
D	25	Shep Vaughan
D	5	Gabe Huston
D	13	Arnie Haas
D	8	Joey Brandenburg
LSM	31	Semyon Khotokhov
LSM	00	Dax Vermeer
M	3	Dominic Savard
M	55	Fred Foote
M	12	Steve Larkin
M	32	Lyle Lang
FO	99	Christian Fox
FO	11	Silas Williams
M	15	Turner Chapman
M	10	Carlo Villote (C)
M	97	Victor Vigneault
M	14	Ben Skinner
M	2	Bobby Bowen
M	6	Devin Moore
A	7	Will Chadwick (C)
A	4	Ollie Roberts
A	9	Thomas Stastny
A	19	Cato Castillo
A	30	Evan Page
A	1	Kevin Wang

About Delaclava's playing style: Delaclava emphasizes winning ground balls, body positioning on defense instead of big hits and poke checks (although we do like to hit), possession on offense and moving the ball around instead of quick goals. We do, however, like to try to score goals immediately off the faceoff if we can. Delaclava also likes to isolate midfielders one-on-one to drive down, so they can either draw the double and dump to the open man or take it themselves.

A note about starters: The goalie, three defenders and three attackers in bold start the game on the field. Of the rest: Savard, Foote and Fox will start on the field, with Fox taking the faceoff. If Delaclava gains possession, all three will come off and Chapman, Villote and Vigneault will come on. If the opponent gains possession, Fox will come off and Khotokhov will come on.

Other bench players: Vermeer will split time almost evenly with Khotokhov. Fox will take only a few more faceoffs than Williams and they alternate frequently to keep the opponent guessing. Skinner, Moore and Page will be the first substitutes to get in the rotation.

Other faceoff players: Fox and Williams are the two main faceoff guys, but all midfielders are expected to be able to take them. Of those, Savard and Villote are the best.

Handed-ness: All players are able and expected to use both hands. Most of these players have a slight advantage towards their right hand, with the exceptions of Shaw, Savard, Villote, Skinner, Stastny and Castillo.

Man-down team: Suter, Shaw, Vaughan, Khotokhov, Savard

Man-up team: Chadwick, Roberts, Stastny, Chapman, Villote, Vigneault.

[Sarzonia]

Even though the group stage was only three matches, those three matches in three straight days were enough to cause a little bit of fatigue in even the most match fit players on the Sarzonian national team.

So how did coach Mike Sandusky choose to handle the break?

Cancel the physical practice he normally would have and convene his team for mental reps.

"We drive ourselves hard," he said. "Almost as much as our southern neighbours. I'm a firm believer that we need rest more than we need to beat ourselves up in training."

Regardless, whatever the Cyanean teams are doing seems to be working. Both are 3-0 and both won their respective groups. Both defeated teams that play an important role in lacrosse history. Delaclava knocked off The Kytler Peninsulae during their group phase, while Sarzonia took out a Serbian Empire team that came in with a gaudy 22-1 lifetime record with a 10-4 thrashing that sent a strong message to the lacrosse world.

"We never really went away," midfielder Carter Whitlock said. "Even during a period of isolation, we never stopped working hard or believing we could be a team that's competing for a world title."

Before the Stars can consider playing for a world championship, they will have to get past Kriegiersien first. In a do-or-die situation against a Torisakia side it was battling for a spot in the knockout stages, they played to a 9-9 draw which was just enough given their 14-11 victory against Levivania the matchday prior. It sends them into the battle against the Stars with a 1-1-1 record, but their minus-nine goal differential is the worst among the 16 teams still alive.

That doesn't matter to the Stars, according to goalkeeper Mike Tomscik.

"We don't look at the records or the stats," he said. "RIght now, everyone's zero and zero. Anyone can beat anyone on any given day. They did what they had to do to get to the knockout rounds. We did what we set out to do. Now it's a matter of making sure we do everything we're supposed to do to reach the next round."

As for the rest of the field, there's no Allamunnic States. The former rivals of the Stars didn't even send a team to these World Lacrosse Championships. Of course, one of the last remaining memories for Sarzonia is their title in the first-ever championship series when they defeated the Allamunnic States two games to none. Now, at least there's only one match in the championship finals. If Sarzonia were to win the title match, it would add some excitement to an already exciting federal holiday for Sarzonians.

"We woyld have loved it if we could have won a title on President's Day," Whitlock said. "But we'll all celebrate it regardless."

[Delaclava]

DNBSports.com

WLC16: Stifling defense propels Phoenixes into knockouts

When Pat Johnson was appointed to coach the newly reformed Delaclava lacrosse team, he knew he had a big task ahead of him. The lacrosse squad of old was undisciplined, lacking in fundamentals and deficient in solid teamwork. After Delaclava elected not to attend the past two World Lacrosse Championships, Johnson decided to select a brand-new team. He had a few main focuses. Defense. Possession. Work ethic. Team unity.

The squad of 28 that Johnson assembled has been excelling in every single aspect. In three group stage matches, the Phoenixes have won ground balls, faceoffs, and possession time in each game. The defense has smothered opposing offenses to the tune of a tournament-best 11 goals, and they've done it with discipline, being penalized just 5 times for a total of 3 minutes. The Phoenixes are completing their passes, and 22 of Delaclava's 28 goals have been accompanied by assists.

That all has amounted to Delaclava winning all three games on the scoreboard, taking Group 5 by storm and rolling into the Round of 16, where they will face Darmen.

Johnson credits a much improved defense for their success. "They bring a new intensity and focus to every single game they played," Johnson said. "Giving up just 8 goals against Towson was a great showing. But they knew with their offense only scoring 10 goals, they needed to play even better. Surrendering just two against the Kytlerian team and one against Indo-Pasif shows that they understood the task at hand and exceeded all expectations."

The numbers put up by Bobby Suter, Boris Shaw, and Shep Vaughan are by no means astronomical. But they are combining to frustrate opponents looking for an open shot, and they currently hold a 94% success rate on clears.

Their efforts are aided greatly by goalie Solomon Rousseau. Rousseau played the game of his life against Towson, making 24 saves. The defense took the burden off him for the next two games, but he still made 9 and 7 saves, respectively.

"Solomon is one our hardest workers," Johnson said. He laughed a little as he told, "I remember him being a bit upset in our 10-1 win because he didn't get the shutout. He was telling me exactly what he should have been telling his defense, what he could have done on the shot. That's the player he is. He's constantly striving for perfection, and it makes him an excellent player."

Defensive specialists Dominic Savard and Fred Foote have also contributed to the defense's efforts, along with long-stick middie Semyon Khotokhov. Savard has totalled a team-best 18 ground balls, and Foote and Khotokhov have 9 apiece. Savard and Khotokhov have combined with the three defenders to shut out the opponent on man-up opportunities.

The offense has started out with Christian Fox's remarkable performance on faceoffs. Fox has taken 27 faceoffs in the tournament and won 25. Not to be outdone, backup fogo Silas Williams has won 15 out of 17.

"Christian and Silas push each other every day," Johnson said of his faceoff men. "Christian is slightly better, but Silas pushes him every day to be better, and vice versa. I feel comfortable using either one of them, and their performance on faceoffs gives us a huge advantage because we can get more possessions."

Not to be outdone, the offensive middies and attackers have broken down offenses with strong possession and fitness. Captain and midfielder Carlo Villote said, "Our goal is to wear down the defense over time. We move around a lot and keep the ball, and we force the defense to move around to contain us. We're fitter than our opponents, and eventually we start getting a lot of open looks."

There's truth to the statement. 19 of their 28 goals have been in the second half. Down 6-2 against Towson, Villote assisted four goals with his drive-and-dump play, and Victor Vigneault and Turner Chapman had two assists apiece. The goals in the game were scored by Will Chadwick (6, including the go-ahead with 2:38 left in the game), Ollie Roberts (3) and Thomas Stastny (1).

Scoring against Kytler Peninsulae was provided by Chadwick (4 goals), Roberts (2 goals, 2 assists), Villote (1, 2) and Dominic Savard (1, 1).

Scoring against Indo-Pasif Archipelago was provided by Chadwick (2, 1), Roberts (2, 2), Vigneault (2, 1), Chapman (2, 1), Villote (1, 1), and Stastny (1, 0). Savard, Ben Skinner and Evan Page also had an assist apiece.

Delaclava looks to be a strong favorite against Darmen, who only squeaked through as runners-up of Group 6 after Schmiegelland failed to get what looked like an easy. But Chadwick and his teammates know not to be complacent.

"We know we are the better of the two teams that'll be on the field," Chadwick declared. "But we play the game there, not on paper. We've been great in the group stage but that only matters if we continue to play the same stiff defense and smart offense that got us here."

[Saintland]

OOC: I put this off RPing for too long, so I'll do something quick before I go to sleep. If I wait until morning, I'll probably miss the cutoff.

After a 3-match group stage, the Saintland National Lacrosse team had defeated all of their opponents. They had a +40 goal differential in the Group Stage, scoring 54 goals and allowing just 14 goals. They led the World Lacrosse Championships in goals scored, but had just the 3rd fewest goals allowed. Delaclava had conceded just 11 goals and Paradystopia had conceded just 13. Of those goals, 9 of them had come against Shadowbourne and most of those had come after the result was already decided. Prince Josephus had pulled himself in favor of Ioannes Laetonius and Laetonius predictably conceded a number of goals in a relatively short period of time, but Shadowbourne just wasn't going to be able to come back in that match, regardless.

Since the Sanctii had advanced out of the Group Stage with a perfect record, none of their Group Stage matches meant anything now. Even though they had the best performance out of all 32 National Teams in the Group Stage, they could still be eliminated by West Guiana in their first Round of 16 match. All that mattered now was picking up another victory and advancing to the Quarter Finals. To do that, they would have to defeat a West Guiana team that had finished in a 3-way tie atop Group 8. Sicoutimont and West Guiana were both even with 2 wins, a loss, 33 goals scored and 26 goals allowed. Chiata had also won 2 matches and they had scored 35 goals. However, they had conceded 37. Chiata was apparently eliminated on goal differential. Sicoutimont had defeated West Guiana 12 to 5 in their head-to-head match, so they had the good fortune of facing Shadowbourne. Meanwhile, West Guiana had to face the Sanctii. As the Sanctii arrived at the stadium to face West Guiana in the Round of 16, Prince Josephus spoke to his team.

Prince Josephus - This year, we have traveled all over the world. We have played 3 different sports and played all of them well. Our nation has become recognized as a very tough opponent to face, regardless of the sport. Despite our strong performance at the Olympics, Valanora beat us for the Gold Medal and it wasn't even close. In the World Championship in Field Hockey, everything seemed to be going according to plan. Then, Ko-oren and Ancharmunn beat us 4 to nil in consecutive matches, as we ended up in 3rd place and those 2 nations played each other in the final. Now, we are 4 wins away from winning the World Lacrosse Championships. We have once again learned a new sport in a short period of time. We have once again mastered that sport. Now, we just need to beat West Guiana to advance to the Quarter Finals. Until we blew that Gold Medal match at the Olympics, our Kingdom seemed to win just about everything that we entered. Prince Petrus led us to an Arena Bowl championship with an undefeated record. Although we only entered a handful of Olympic athletes and all of them were considered longshots, we still won 2 Olympic Gold Medals in this year's Winter Olympics. However, since then we have not won anything. Even those notorious criminals Feministvs Sanctvsterra have won an international sports championship since then. We are the ones that started our Kingdom's slump. We need to be the ones that end the slump. Today is the start of that. I'm not telling you to put everything you have into these lacrosse matches, as we do need to save some energy for the Olympics, where we will seek to become the first hockey team to medal in both field hockey and ice hockey. However, we should not overlook the opportunity we have in front of us right now in favor of the opportunity that awaits for us in a few short weeks. We are playing for the world championship of lacrosse. We need to win it, for our Kingdom and for ourselves. We need to win the World Lacrosse Championships so that all the world will know that we are serious about winning an Olympic Gold Medal. With the World Cup ongoing and with my twin brother Andreas hopefully leading the National Soccer Team into the playoffs, we will not have a single match in this tournament that is uncontested by the World Cup. We should take advantage of that. Nobody back home is paying attention to the World Lacrosse Championships. Let's win this thing and give everybody in the Kingdom something else to celebrate on the night when they will hopefully qualify for the World Cup. Let's end the title drought and send a message that our 4 months in the wilderness are over. Let's send a message to the world that Saintland is ready to start winning championships again.

Prince Josephus hoped that his pre-match talk had been effective. He had purposely avoided doing anything of the sort during Group Stage, but as the elimination rounds started he just wanted to ensure that his team was focused and ready to shake off their reputation as chokers once and for all. To do that, they had to finally win the big one. They had to finally win a championship. West Guiana was the first of 4 obstacles in their way. After West Guiana, they would have to face 3 more teams and they already did not recognize many of their potential opponents. It seemed that this 16th edition of the World Lacrosse Championships was filled with nations that had once been powers of international sports, but were no longer. The Sanctii had to prove that it was a new era now in international sports. If they were to claim their spot as the world champions of lacrosse, every player on the team knew that they would not just have to eliminate West Guiana. They would also have to eliminate 3 other opponents.

[Licentiapacisterra]

Apologies, but the cutoff is going to be delayed to around half past six BST, as I have a prior commitment.

[Licentiapacisterra]

Round of 16 Results:

Sarzonia 17–9 Kriegiersien
Paradystopia 3–13 The Serbian Empire
Phalnia 9–9 Kingdom of Costa Luna (10–11 OT)
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec 16–11 Slembana
Delaclava 18–4 Darmen
Mapletish 12–5 Towson
Saintland 7–8 West Guiana
Sicoutimont 6–16 Shadowbourne

Quarter Final Fixtures:

Sarzonia vs The Serbian Empire
Kingdom of Costa Luna vs The Royal Kingdom of Quebec
Delaclava vs Mapletish
West Guiana vs Shadowbourne

[Sarzonia]

Perhaps Mike Sandusky is a better coach than he realised.

The Sarzonian national lacrosse team was able to take care of business effectively in their first knockout stage match of the 16th World Lacrosse Championships by beating Kriegiersien 17-9 behind a natural hat trick by Carter Whitlock and an opportunistic offence that went 3-for-5 on power plays.

Sarzonia's defence wasn't as strong as it had been in the past two group stage matches, but it was able to make critical stops to quell a rally that cut the Sarzonia lead to 8-6 just after halftime. The Stars went on a 4-0 run that resulted in a 12-7 lead after three. The Stars then added five goals including the final three to push the margin to 8.

Sarzonia's reward? A rematch against a team the Stars throttled during the group stage. The Serbian Empire played a dominant defensive outing in destroying Paradystopia 13-3, lining the most recent new lacrosse darlings with the darlings of a previous era. It's a rematch Whitlock cautioned The Serbian Empire would be eager for.

"Oh, absolutely," he said. "We fully expect they'll be seeking revenge after the group stage match. They were 22-1 lifetime coming in. We played that match like a team possessed. We expect nothing less from them."

They wouldn't be the only team that plays with motivation. Delaclava destroyed Darmen 18-4, setting up a match with Mapletish. The way the Phoenixes are playing might cause some lacrosse fans in Sarzonia to imagine a Cyanea final, but Sandusky warned against looking past The Serbian Empire.

"They didn't get to 22-1 without being a strong side," he said. "We've got our work cut out for us."

[Kingdom of Costa Luna]

Pedro says, "Nine is my favorite number" after scoring nine goals in regulation for the fourth straight match. The Lunian Lacrosse Loonies advanced in overtime by a score of 11-10 over Phalnia. Costa Luna will have a rematch of their 9-10 loss in the Group Stage as they face off against The Royal Kingdom of Quebec.

Pedro points out, "We will score nine. We always do. Our job is to hold our opponent to eight at most. I believe that we can shut down The Royal Kingdom of Quebec's high scoring. We barely lost the first match against them and we can patch up the few holes in the defense."

With a win, Costa Luna will advance to the semifinals of the 16th World Lacrosse Championships.