Sixteenth World Lacrosse Championships - Everything Thread

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

Sportsnet Post-Match Interview

Percival Pelletier 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 what was a good match against Slembana in the night's Qualifier wiuth 16-11.

Ryu- As you saw, the Royal Kingdom of Quebec won in the Round of Six match today here in the Coliseum of Gaels. Their offence clicked in perfectly once again and scored enough goals to keep the match in their hold, as they won 16-11 against Slembana today. our guest here tonight is Percival Pelletier. Hello, Perci.

Pelletier- Bonne nuit, Monsieur. Comment ca va?(Good night, Mister. How are you?)

Ryu- Tres bien, merci. Et toi?(Very good, thank you. What about you?)

Pelletier- Moi, je suis tres bien. (I am good.)

Ryu- Comment etait son performance dans ce match?(How did you do in this match?)

Pelletier- C'etait tres bien....(It was good....) I've scored 7 goals and assisted a pair to keep the things on boat. With a tough opponent like those Banana nation in the Sporting Region of Esportiva, It's always good to be on top and lead my team to the win.

Ryu- Absolutely. Early today, you posted a post on your blog about Ioannes Bruccius's commentary against Logan Guthrie in Royal Five interview not so long ago. Can you tell us about your opinion?

Pelletier- Absolument(Absolutely). I'm sure that Mr. Bruccius do know know Logan Guthrie well enough. Mr.Guthrie, while largely serving as a tantalizing instigator in the latest World Cup of Hockey at Third line, is very much a scorer too. Mr.Guthrie, who's my oldest brother-in-law, scored 717 points while playing for 816 games(so, nine seasons) in Quebec Hockey League while playing in St.John's Celtics' top line. Not only that, he is very dynamic as a player and person: He shoots, he scores, he fights, he punches and et cetera. So, It is very unfair and stupid for him to just judge him as 'Cheap Shot artist' because he is clearly more than that.

Ryu- Thank you for clarification. This was your first cycle as the Captain of Hitmen. How is leading the team going?

Pelletier- It's going well. I experienced little bit of problems with leading at first, but now I'm used to it.

Ryu- Excellent. Tomorrow, Royal Kingdom of Quebec Hitmen will face Costa Luna Lacrosse Loonies at this very coliseum. Are you ready for the match?

Pelletier- Yes, very much. We've already faced them once before and it was a great experience. We know what went wrong last time, we'll fix that up in practice and don't make the same mistakes with defense as we did back then. If we mend holes and patch them to perfection, I'm sure that we'll do well and make our way into the Semifinal.

Ryu- Brilliant. Thank you for lending your precious time and hope to see you next time.

Pelletier- Anytime. See you in Quarterfinals here. Kids. Don't forget to follow your Lacrosse idols and cheer, whether you're at home, camp or elsewhere!

*Screen changes into a pet shop commercial*

[The Serbian Empire]

13-3 Win over Paradystopia.

Hopefully, the shameful performance of the Group Play won't be repeated against Sarzonia. However, it looks like the Serbian Empire has gone soft on offense and are no longer the force they were just a tournament ago although at this point the 13-3 win over Paradystopia has been a high water mark given that opponent in the previous tournament where the Serbian Empire only won by two goals in a 7-5 nailbiter. Either the Serbian Empire has improved or Paradystopia is on the decline as a power. Given the performance as of late from the Serbian Empire, most would say Paradystopia is on a decline after too many letdowns in the WLC 15 Championship tournament.

Besnik Hoxha will take over center duties after scoring three goals in the late stages of the game and the lackluster performance of Franjo Antic who has had declining performance in each of the tournaments rounds as the tournament has progressed. Some people suggest that Antic is hampered by a minor injury. Some sources say Franjo will be out for the rest of the tournament due from poor performance.

[Delaclava]

DNBSports.com

Offense steps up in Delaclava thrashing of Darmen

Having conceded just 11 goals, best in the tournament, in the past three games, Delaclava's defense was discussed as a key component to their success and a possible gateway to later success in the competition.

The offense finally matched that level as Ollie Roberts scored six goals and chipped in three assists, leading his Delaclava team to an 18-4 rout of Darmen to send the Phoenixes to the quarterfinals.

Roberts, one of the tournament's smallest players at just 5-foot-7 and 120 pounds, faced questions from pundits before the tournament if he would have enough confidence to take on much larger player. He put all discussion to bed with his performance, using his excellent quickness and vision to decimate the Darmen defense.

"Ollie played a great game today," said captain Will Chadwick, the team's leading scorer who added three goals and four assists in the game. "He was essential to our offense stepping to a new level today and showcasing our dominance on both sides of the ball.

Other goalscorers included: Thomas Stastny, three; Turner Chapman, two; Christian Fox, Evan Page, Devin Moore, Ben Skinner, one apiece. Also providing assists were: Carlo Villote, four; Stastny, Chapman, Fox, Victor Vigneault, one apiece.

In addition to adding a goal and an assist, rare for his position, Fox won all 14 faceoffs he took. Back-up faceoff man Silas Williams was 9 for 10.

"They are just so valuable to what we set out to do on offense," captain Villote said. "Our goal is to possess the ball, and when they win the faceoffs, we can do that."

Fox, in fact, scored the first goal of the game. Left unattended after scooping up the ball, Fox went through the middle and dunked the ball past Jake Alcorn just 8 seconds in. On the very next play, Fox won again and charged down the field. He drew the defensive slide and found Roberts, who ripped the ball past Alcorn from the left wing.

Darmen concentrated efforts to stop the transition attack, but they couldn't keep with Delaclava's relentless possession game. The first quarter ended 5-0.

"We possessed the ball very well to start out," Roberts said. "We were in control and I felt very confident in our ability to bring it to this team."

A pep talk from Darmeni coach Dilbert Alexander seemed to fire up the Darmen squad for the second quarter. They won their only faceoff, and thanks to suffocating defense and great counter-attack, Darmen pulled back to 5-4.

The momentum turned back to Delaclava after a great sequence from Solomon Rousseau. After making four saves in quick succession, he finally corralled the ball and threw it down the field. Roberts won the jump ball and turned about to beat the defense and knock in the goal.

Darmen would not score against. Rousseau didn't need to do much more thanks to a locking-down by the defense, but he still finished with eight saves. He also led his defense to 15 of 17 on clears.

"So much credit needs to go to our offense for establishing themselves early and continuing to control the game," Dominic Savard said. Savard led all players with seven ground balls. "A lot of credit also to Solomon and our defenders for continuing to stay the course they've set in this tournament. We in the midfield slipped a little in that second quarter but they were right there to shut down the offense after that."

Delaclava led 10-4 at half and continued to press the offensive pace, even as they rotated in other players. As the outcome of the game grew more doubtless, coach Patrick Johnson was able to sub in every single player for a stretch of time. Backup goalie Dick Turnbull had one save.

Delaclava next faces Mapletish, who defeated Towson 12-5. Delaclava previously beat Towson 10-8 in a shaky debut.

Down the road, Delaclava's path becomes much easier with the elimination of Saintland. Saintland had a tournament-high 54 goals in the group stage and surrendered only 14, but West Guiana stifled their red-hot offense in an 8-7 victory.

Looking around the bracket, Cyanean neighbors Sarzonia defeated Kriegiersien 17-9 to set up a group rematch with The Serbian Empire, who earned the bronze medal in last year's championship. The Serbian Empire won the title in the previous year. Sarzonia has an impressive track record in this tournament and seeks their fifth title. Sarzonia's captain, Carter Whitlock, said of his expectations about the game, "We fully expect they'll be seeking revenge after the group stage match... We played that match like a team possessed. We expect nothing less from them."

The Serbian Empire won over Paradystopia 13-3. Paradystopia gave up just 13 goals in the group stage, but The Serbian Empire blew apart their defense to match that number in just one game.

Defending champions Slembana bowed out after a 16-11 loss to The Royal Kingdom of Quebec.

Coach Johnson said, "I'm happy with how we're playing and I like the direction in which we're headed. But we absolutely cannot let up now. It's so easy to look at the light at the end of the tunnel, but we take this one match. I don't want to think about anything but Delaclava and Mapletish until that final whistle blows."

[Licentiapacisterra]

Quarter Final Results:

Sarzonia 11–5 The Serbian Empire
Kingdom of Costa Luna 13–13 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec (15–13 OT)
Delaclava 13–10 Mapletish
West Guiana 4–9 Shadowbourne

Semi Final Fixtures:

Sarzonia vs Kingdom of Costa Luna
Delaclava vs Shadowbourne

[Sarzonia]

The motivation for Sarzonia's national lacrosse team was emphatic.

They were facing a Serbian Empire side that had taken over its onetime position as the sport's darlings. They'd won their inaugural World Lacrosse Championships in WLC XIV, just as the Stars did in WLC III. They came in third in their second entry in WLC XV. Sarzonia did the same in WLC IV. They came into this championships with a sparkling record of 21-1 and with all the haugtiness of a team that fully expected to be back atop the medal platform for WLC XVI.

The Serbian Empire came in with some potential added motivation. Sarzonia marked its return to the World Lacrosse Championships with a 10-4 away thrashing of The Serbian Empire, playing "like a team possessed" according to captain Carter Whitlock. They knew they would have to do so again in the quarterfinals in The Licentian Islands to advance.

Boy did they ever.

Mike Tomscik made 13 saves, Whitlock scored twice and Sarzonia rolled to an 11-5 victory that ensured the Stars would be at least play two more matches in The Licentian Islands. They will face The Kingdom of Costa Luna, which defeated Phalnia and their group winners The Royal Kingdom of Quebec. The Costa Lunans also avenged a 10-9 group stage defeat that sent the Quebecois through as group stage winners by winning 15-13 in overtime.

Costa Luna carries a 3-1-1 mark into the semifinal match, and Coach Mike Sandusky said the team would be ready.

"That team has beaten some quality sides thus far," he said. "We won't be caught napping."

The other semifinal match will feature Sarzonia's Cyanean neighbours Delaclava, which defeated Mapletish 13-10 and faces Shadowbourne. Like their neighbours, Delaclava steamrolled through the group stage and won easily in the Round of 16. The Phoenixes have been playing to extremely strong form of late with a defence that hadn't been tested until Mapletish scored 10 goals against them.

"They're a great team," Sandusky said of Delaclava. "They've been winning the ground balls and they've been disciplined. We still haven't really discussed anything about what they do because we're focusing on our own match. They have to focus on their match too, so I doubt they're paying that much attention to us yet."

Regardless, fans in Cyanea can at least dream of an all-Cyanean final. That might have been far-fetched in earlier editions of the World Lacrosse Championships, but the dream is still very much alive in this one.

"Both our teams have to take care of business," Whitlock said. "We can't take our opponents for granted."

[Delaclava]

DNBSports.com

Delaclava capitalizes on opportunities, advances to first WLC semifinal

Delaclava lacrosse prides itself on having the majority of possession. It is an integral part of the team's offensive strategy. So naturally the team was concerned to have so little of it today.

Fortunately, they took advantage of every small possession they had, overcoming a 9-4 halftime deficit to defeat an attack-minded Mapletish 13-10 and advance to the semifinals of the World Lacrosse Championship.

"This was definitely a win we had to grit out," midfielder Dominic Savard said. "We weren't great on either side of the ball today, but we locked in, worked our butts off the whole game and we were standing on top at the end."

Savard was instrumental in shutting down Maplish captain Matthew Philander in the second half. Savard also had one assist and five ground balls.

Delaclava still won the majority of faceoffs - Christian Fox was 10 for 15 and Silas Williams was 7 for 10 - but Mapletish certainly fared better than any other team has, and it seemed to help the Lions. They played a rapid-fire game out of the midfield and Delaclava often found themselves shorthanded in transition. Mapletish built a 4-0 lead in just 6 minutes.

"They just got down the field faster than us and there was always an open attacker when one of us slid," defender Shep Vaughan said. "Solomon (Rousseau) had to make some great saves to keep us in the game."

Rousseau made 21 saves for the whole match, including six in the second half of the first quarter to let Delaclava escape down only 5-1. The lone goal came off a late faceoff when Savard drove to the goal and passed off the ball to Thomas Stastny, who faked out Randall Dwain and buried it behind him.

The second quarter was an even affair, with Delaclava getting their chances despite not possessing the ball well. Dwain made five saves in the second quarter. He finished with 12.

Down 7-1, Ollie Roberts was a key contributor to the offense in the second quarter. After a save by Dwain, he intercepted a soft pass to Denzel Delbert and beat Dwain back to the goal to score. On the next play, he set a solid pick for Stastny, who curled around the crease and converted the point blank shot. Soon after, Roberts collected the ball at midfield on a Delaclava clear and led an odd-man rush to the goal, where he found an open Will Chadwick for the goal.

"I told my team at the half, the midfield needs to start locking down on defense, get up top and get on their hands, don't let them go anywhere," said coach Pat Johnson. "We were creating the opportunities when we had the ball. We just needed more offensive time to do it."

The strategy worked. Savard, Fred Foote and Semyon Khotokhov frustrated Philander and the rest of the midfield into just one goal, and Mapletish won just one faceoff in the second half.

Chadwick re-energized the stagnant offense with four consecutive goals on great individual efforts to bring the game to 10-8 Mapletish at the end of the third.

"Will has the ability to do that, to score all on his own when he gets the ball down low," coach Johnson said. "When he does that, the opposing team starts locking down on him, tight double teams, and that's when we really open up the offense and get everyone scoring."

Mapletish did what was expected of them, and it worked. Roberts got the ball from Carlo Villote on the left wing. Delbert was cheating towards Chadwick and Roberts made him pay, firing the ball into the bottom right corner.

The next play was very similar; Victor Vigneault passed it down to Stastny on the right, who faked a pass to Chadwick. That backed Algernon Humphrey off, and Stastny stepped in and rifled the ball into the top corner to tie the game.

Those plays made the Maplish defense lose focus on Chadwick, who punished them for it by faking out Rod Fraser and then scoring a magnificent diving goal to give Delaclava an 11-10 lead, their first of the game. Maplish coach Primoz Jonjo protested vehemently that Chadwick had propelled himself in the crease, but it only earned Jonjo an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The Phoenixes capitalized when Roberts circled around the midfield, took the pass up top from Stastny and scored past Dwain as he ran down the middle.

An overly aggressive push for a goal by Mapletish backfired as Fred Foote intercepted a hurried pass and took it all the way down the field to score a rare goal for himself and seal the game with 1:21 left.

"This wasn't our best game by any means," captain Villote said. "But in a way it was such a trademark game for us. We showed a lot of intestinal fortitude down the stretch and we had what it took to come out with the victory."

Villote was limited in today's action due to a pulled Achilles tendon. Savard was also limited due to a groin injury, and Fox tore a muscle in his shoulder. All three said they will not sit out.

Reaching the semifinals is already the best performance for the Phoenixes at a WLC, under the direction of first-year coach Pat Johnson. Delaclava's previous best was four quarterfinals in five years under the direction of Cody Ray Kirk. Delaclava lost their first quarterfinal to Sarzonia and the other three to Allamunnic States. Delaclava carried the same roster to each of those tournaments but wiped the slate clean for their comeback to this competition.

Delaclava next plays Shadowbourne, who defeated West Guiana 9-4 to reach the semifinals, a surprise to most pundits. Across the bracket, an all-Cyanea final looks even more likely as Sarzonia controlled The Serbian Empire to beat them again 11-5. They will play Kingdom of Costa Luna, who survived a second straight overtime scare to beat The Royal Kingdom of Quebec 15-13.

"Delaclava and Sarzonia have been playing the best in the tournament and that final looks obvious," Villote said. "But Costa Luna and Shadowbourne earned their spots here as well. I know if we don't take care of business like we should, Shadowbourne would be more than happy to play in the final. I firmly believe this semifinal is our match for the taking. We just need to show up and clock in from the first whistle to the last."

[Kingdom of Costa Luna]

The Loonies go wild in the quarterfinals as Pedro scores 13 times in regulation and twice in overtime as the Pedro Show wins against The Kingdom of Quebec 15-13.

In his postgame interview, Pedro lamented, "I guess we can score more than nine a match. I was really hoping to keep the streak going, but I am glad that we can continue to the semifinals."

Costa Luna will face Sarzonia next, the nation that beat The Serbian Empire, in the quarterfinals.

Maria Gonzalez remarked, "Sarzonia is a great team, but stoppable. We have a great defensive team lead by Pedro and a great offensive team lead by Pedro. If we can hold Sarzonia to eight or less, we should beat them. However, after our fifteen goal game, I think we could rival any amount of goals Sarzonia puts up."

[Licentiapacisterra]

Semi Final Results:
Sarzonia 22–10 Kingdom of Costa Luna
Delaclava 10–5 Shadowbourne

Third Place Playoff (Monday 8th):
Kingdom of Costa Luna vs Shadowbourne

Final of the Sixteenth World Lacrosse Championships (Tuesday 9th):
Sarzonia vs Delaclava

[Sarzonia]

It's funny what a team will sometimes use to motivate themselves.

The Kingdom of Costa Luna came in playing well behind a stingy defence and behind the offensive heroics of each of the offensive minded Pedros. They made a critical mistake sounding off about their chances of beating the Stars.

"Sarzonia is a great team, but stoppable," manager Maria Pedro Gonzalez said. "If we can hold Sarzonia to eight or less, we should beat them ... I think we could rival any amount of goals Sarzonia puts up."

Those quotes greeted the Stars players as they arrived in their locker rooms. Coach Mike Sandusky told his team to give it everything they had.

"If we win, we'll get a day off to recover from the max effort we expect to put out," he said. "I don't want us walking out of here without firing all our bullets."

They didn't. Sarzonia rode a particularly aggressive offense behind six goals by Tim Cole and three goals and four assists by Carter Whitlock and a just good enough defence to a 22-10 shellacking and a trip to the finals. The Stars players knew going in they would face Delaclava if they won. The Phoenixes knocked off Shadowbourne 10-5, once again relying on a stingy defence that proved to be the best in the WLC during the group stage.

"We played about as well as I've seen this team play," Sandusky said. "It was a great effort for us to get out there and assert ourselves."

Despite an absence of two World Lacrosse Championships and not qualifying for the knockout stages in the last four World Lacrosse Championships, the Stars carry a 6-0 mark into the final, same as their Cyanea brothers. Whitlock said the match would be "great theatre."

Delaclav midfielder and captain Carlo Villotte agreed.

"Delaclava and Sarzonia have been playing the best in the tournament and that final looks obvious," he said after his team defeated Mapletish 13-10.

The Stars will have to contend with a possession offence by Delaclava that has, for the most part, controlled the ball nicely. They ran into trouble against Mapletish, trailing 7-1 before coming from behind to win the match with a great second half effort. Defensively, the team relies on positioning rather than the big hits. Sandusky said the team would have to concentrate on doing what it does best.

"We have to make sure we're opportunistic when we get chances to score," he said. "Defensively, we have to hustle to be at the right place at the right time. We also have to make sure we're physical where we need to be." He didn't say the team would use their size against attackman Ollie Roberts, but added that the team would have to be as disciplined as they've ever been.

"We can't afford stupid penalties," he said. "That's always been true, but it's especially true now. That Phoenix team is as disciplined as any team I've seen play the game of lacrosse."

The fact that Sarzonia has returned to the final and has a chance to hoist its fifth championship trophy and further cement its legacy as the greatest lacrosse country to ever play the game is something the Sarzonian players can point to, even if they fall short against their southern neighbours. But for now, it's time for business.

"It's one more game against a very strong opponent," Whitlock said. "We need to be ready to give it our all once again."

[Delaclava]

DNBSports.com

Defense returns to form, sends Delaclava to first final in all-Cyanea affair

Although the ten goals Delaclava surrendered in the quarterfinal against Mapletish were by no means terrible, it was certainly more than coach Pat Johnson and his defensive crew would have liked.

"We can't be putting that much pressure on our offense to come back at the end," defensive leader Shep Vaughan said.

Likewise, captain Will Chadwick said, "We have to possess the ball better and take the burden off the defense to stop the other team."

Offense and defense each held up their end of the bargain, using typical Delaclav lockdown defense and tight possession to score a strong 10-5 win over upstart Shadowbourne and advance Delaclava to its first ever World Lacrosse Championship final. They will play northern neighbors Sarzonia.

"We didn't crush these guys like some critics said we should have," coach Johnson said. "The score certainly doesn't look out of hand. But we controlled the flow of the game from start to finish. When I saw that we were doing that at the beginning, the outcome wasn't in doubt for me as long as that continued."

It certainly wasn't easy for Shadowbourne to put goals on the board. Vaughan effectively shut out Shadowbourne's best attacker, and the rest of the defense and midfield followed suit.

Silas Williams won 15 of 17 faceoffs in the absence of Christian Fox, whom Johnson left on the bench to rest after Fox suffered a torn shoulder muscle. According to Johnson, "This is why we have all of the players that we do. They all are great players and hard workers, we all push each other to be better, and everyone's ready to go when they're called to duty." Fox will play against Sarzonia.

After Williams won the opening faceoff, Delaclava held on to the ball for several minutes, sending midfielders to cut through the middle and making Shadowbourne work to contain. Shadowbourne's energy wore out when Turner Chapman cut across the middle, took a pass from Chadwick, who was behind the goal, and quick-sticked it into the corner.

Ollie Roberts scored the next two goals by cutting into the middle and taking the pass from the midfield, one from Carlo Villote and one from Chapman. However, it was Shadowbourne who ended the first quarter with the momentum. They capitalized on a rare penalty by Fred Foote with a quick goal, and goalie Solomon Rousseau misread a long shot near the end of the quarter, and the ball bounced by, cutting Delaclava's lead to 3-2 at the end of the quarter.

Shadowbourne looked poised to ride the momentum into the lead, but Williams killed their hopes of that. He won the faceoff with a nifty laser to start the second and, with no Shadowbourne defenders sliding towards him, took it himself for the goal. Delaclava took back possession from there and slowly wore down the defense once again. Although they were getting good movement and a few shots, the Phoenixes didn't get back on the board until a shot by Stastny hit the post and bounced out the other way to Roberts, who alertly put the ball past the goalie. Shadowbourne scored immediately after thanks to winning one of their two faceoffs, but Delaclava ended the half again with a long possession, albeit with no goals, to earn a 5-3 halftime lead. The Shadowbourne stopped the bleeding with some excellent saves. He finished with 16. Rousseau had 7 saves.

The two teams traded goals in the third quarter. Delaclava made it 6-3 when Victor Vigneault drew the isolation up top and beat his man before scoring on a highlight-reel low-to-low shot. The game returned to 6-4 when Shadowbourne got an odd-man rush on a clear and an attacker got an open shot on the crease. Delaclava scored next as Devin Moore, cutting down the middle, saved a low pass from Cato Castillo and shot the underhand high and past the goalie's shoulder. Shadowbourne ended the quarter with a goal of a nice drive and shot from the midfield.

Delaclava's defense came through to shut out the Shadowbourne offense for the fourth quarter. Late in the fourth quarter, Roberts made the game 8-5 after taking the pass on the wing from Chapman and firing a quick shot past a slow-reacting goalie. Delaclava then got two cheap goals - one from Evan Page, who somehow held onto the ball despite getting pinned between two defenders and reached over to get the ball into the back of the next, and one from Kevin Wang, who sold a nice fake behind the crease and came around to score before getting checked from behind by a frustrated defender.

"This was a signature win for us," captain Chadwick said. "We accomplished what we set out to do on both sides of the field and it resulted in a victory."

Dominic Savard (groin) also sat out today. Villote (Achilles tendon) played. Those two and Fox are all cleared to play against Sarzonia.

Sarzonia earned their ticket to the final by beating Kingdom of Costa Luna 22-10. Sarzonia has 50 goals in the last three games and have surrendered 24. Delaclava has scored 41 and conceded 19 in the knockout rounds. The Phoenixes have averaged a mere 30 goals in 6 games.

"Sarzonia has one of the more explosive offenses in the tournament," defender Bobby Suter said. "We'll have to be tighter than ever. Their attackers aren't very big but very quick so we'll have to use our own size and stay with them." The three Sarzonians attackers average 6 foot and 175 pounds. Suter, Vaughan, and Boris Shaw average a bit over 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds.

Sarzonia's defense may attempt to do the same. Defender Paul Landry often matches up against the best attacker, which would be Chadwick, but at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, he has seven inches and 85 pounds on Roberts and can effectively shut him down if Stars coach Mike Sandusky chooses to do so. Their other two defenders, Dane Tarrabba and Bill Harbour, are comparable in size to Stastny and Chadwick.

Regardless of whatever strategy each team employs to beat the other, it promises to be a great game between two geographically and diplomatically close nations who have had a lot of athletic success. Sarzonia comes off a Scott Cup win while Delaclava took the recent World Team Tennis Championship. Each had to beat the other in the final.

This is the second time the Stars and Phoenixes have faced off in lacrosse. Sarzonia won the quarterfinal matchup 12-10 at the WLC nine years ago in Cassadaigua. This is also the second ever Sarzonia-Delaclava final in any sport not on Cyanean soil. Sarzonia beat Delaclava in the final of the first World Indoor Soccer Championship 10-4.

"This is going to be a great final, no matter what happens, I can feel it," captain Villote said. "We're each going to have a lot of respect for each other, and after we leave everything out on the pitch we'll still respect each other the same. Both teams are coming back from a lay-off and this is an important game for both of us."

But just because the Phoenixes would celebrate a Stars victory doesn't mean they won't work their hardest to stop it. "We didn't come this far to stop just short of our goal," Savard said. "This is our last game regardless of outcome, and we need to go out and win it. I want this team to make history."

[Kingdom of Costa Luna]

In response to comments made about her remarks in the previous press-conference, Maria Gonzalez responded by saying, "What else could I have told the reporters?

If I came off saying that Costa Luna was going to get blown away by the ranked Stars team, then people would have said that I allowed my team to give up. I had to give some hope to my unranked Cinderella team and their dedicated fans, especially after two close overtime wins in the playoff round already.

I still stand by my comments that the Loonies can keep with any team in this or any other competition. We can match any opponent's goals. I believe that despite a blowout loss to the Stars; we still are a top team in the world and can pull off the upset win over Shadowbourne in the third place playoff tomorrow.

I highly disagree that Sarzonia thinks that I made a mistake in sounding off about the Loonies chances against the Stars. The Stars had nothing to really gain from the match, despite a place in the final match; they were a ranked team facing an unranked opponent, an opponent that no one thought would even make it out of the group stage, let alone into the semifinals.

Therefore, I am willing to state again that I believe that while Shadowbourne is a great team; they also are stoppable. Our goal is to hold them to eight or under. I believe that the Loonies can rival any amount of goals Shadowbourne puts up."

[Licentiapacisterra]

Third Place Play Off - Result:
Kingdom of Costa Luna 10–3 Shadowbourne

[Delaclava]

Delaclava's post-game lacrosse parties are always interesting affairs. There's food, alcohol, and music like any normal party, but you can also count on drunken dancing, a few players recruiting the young local women to celebrate the victory, and the sweet, strong scent of marijuana.

The latter of which is why Victor Vigneault was surprised to be getting a call on a certain matter from an old friend, Adrian Treadway. They had both been junior college transfers - Adrian from Nicksia City College, Victor from Drexel Polytechnic Community College - into University of Northern Benatar. They had partied together a lot before Adrian dropped out after one semester. Victor transferred back home to University of Drexel, finishing off a bachelor's degree and a spectacular college lacrosse career, before becoming a professional player. Victor and Adrian hadn't crossed paths much since then, although Victor had seen Adrian play a few times.

Anyway, the phone call. "Victor, you gotta help me."

"Yeah, what's the problem?

"I got suspended from the Scott Cup by the Sarzonian tennis association because I had weed in my locker. I didn't break any laws, just team rules. But now the tennis association won't lift my suspension and I don't know when I can play again."

Victor was shocked. "That's...that's terrible!"

"I know. It's frustrating."

Victor thought, and then said, "But I don't know how I can help."

"Doesn't your dad know someone on the DOC?"

Victor chuckled. Yes, his family, especially his wealthy father, knew multimillionaire, Parlamontseur and Delaclava Gymnastics Federation chair Nicolaus Amonescu very well. Guy-Andre Vigneault and Amonescu had been business partners for long time. Their combined influence had actually gotten Victor out of a few legal tight spots. And Victor wasn't a dumb kid, but he didn't even have the grades to get into community college. Amonescu had sorted that all out.

So, "Yes, he does."

"He needs to get the tennis head there to talk to our tennis people. They respect the DTA enough that they might listen."

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks man. And hey, good luck tomorrow. I mean, I don't want you to win, but...you know what I mean."

Victor laughed. "Thanks buddy. See you around."

---

A broad, tan older man with an impressive mane of swept-back, silvery-brown hair looked down at his vibrating phone and saw the name "Victor Vigneault" on his screen. Nicolaus Amonescu picked up the phone and answered sternly in his throaty, heavily accented voice, "Goodness, Victor, what trouble have you gotten into this time?"

Victor smiled. "For once, none."

Amonescu laughed deeply. "Well, that's a relief. It wouldn't be good if you had gotten arrested in that crackpot country you're in right now. I see you've been doing well in your lacrosse tournament."

"Yes, we're in the final tomorrow. We play Sarzonia."

"Well, I know we're friendly with them, but give them hell tomorrow. It's your time to shine."

"Thank you, sir."

"So what gives me the opportunity to speak with you tonight?"

"Speaking of Sarzonia...their tennis federation indefinitely suspended Adrian because weed was in his locker, and they won't lift it."

"But he didn't break any laws?"

"Just team rules."

Amonescu laughed harshly. "This is the same Sarzonia that keeps letting that bitch Grimsley play?"

"I hear she's a nice person."

"Maybe so, but her conduct has been absolutely disgraceful over the years."

Victor continued. "Anyway, I was hoping you could convince Mr. Walker to write the STF and ask them to let him play again."

"I most certainly will do that! Hell, I'll write the damn letter myself if I must."

Victor was surprised to hear such good news, but he recovered and stammered, "Thank you so much, sir. Adrian will appreciate it."

"I'm glad to help. As long as you're keeping your own nose clean. Good luck tomorrow."

Victor laughed and replied, "Thanks, Mr. Amonescu."

---

From the Desk of Mr. Martin S.S. Walker

To whomever it may concern at the Sarzonian Tennis Federation,

I hope this letter finds you well, and I extend my congratulations on another splendid performance in the Scott Cup and the World Team Tennis Championship.

I was aware that you had suspended Mr. Adrian Treadway from the Scott Cup third place tie after he violated team rules for his possession of drugs. I did not feel I needed to take any further action and I felt the response to the action was adequate.

It has, however, been brought to my attention by my colleague, Mr. Nicolaus Amonescu, that Mr. Treadway's suspension is indefinite and has not been lifted. I am concerned by this extreme action against a player who committed a minor infraction.

Obviously no offense is to be taken lightly. But this infraction seems insignificant compared to other incidents in the past. Although I am hesitant to mention names, Ms. Joann Grimsley has been a particularly undisciplined presence during the Scott Cup at times, making comments about various surrounding controversies and starting several herself, including the very public disagreement between her and Mr. David Polley in the fourth Scott Cup. As I might remind you, this escalated into Ms. Grimsley attempting to confront Mr. Polley before assaulting Mr. Treadway - this, by the way, should demonstrate his willingness to cooperate and his interest in preventing wrongdoing. Ms. Grimsley was fined a record 25,000 Karsikas by the DOC, summoned to Sarzonian court and later arrested in Delaclava for misconduct at a match. Yet, she was never suspended for her actions. I would also remind you that Mr. Polley is guilty of misconduct and was fined for this infraction, which he managed to appeal.

In summation: We would honor Sarzonian sovereignty and respect whatever decision you shall make. However, Adrian Treadway is an exciting young talent with rapidly improving maturity, and it would be a shame to see him derailed from a promising future because of a small, anomalous mistake. We would welcome him back to the Scott Cup with open arms.

Sincerely,

Martin S.S. Walker
President, Delaclava Tennis Association
Member, Delaclava Olympic Committee

[Sarzonia]

Martin Amaker was busy mowing the grass at his home in the Woodstock suburb of Saugerties. He'd finished a relatively short day at the office.

As president of the Incorporated Sarzonian Tennis Federation, Amaker's work duties were relatively light since only smaller tournaments were in play right now. The Sarzonian Open wouldn't be for another two months, so the full planning sessions that would result in 10- or 12-hour days hadn't happened yet.

Besides, the President's Day holiday was on Wednesday. Conveniently, it split up the work week for him and some of the staffers who were busy with the various tasks necessary to ensure that Sarzonian tennis ran smoothly.

He didn't pay much mind when he saw the postman drop by. Probably just junk, he thought as he stopped to wipe the sweat off his forehead. He went back to finishing the lawnmowing and then took the post into his house. After he kicked off his shoes, he sat down at the dining room table. His wife was cooking a pot roast for dinner and he didn't want to get in the way.

He saw the letter that was forwarded to him by the ISTF. His right eyebrow raised ever so slightly. Someone must have thought it important enough that it required his immediate attention.

During the World Lacrosse Championships and right after the Scott Cup? he wondered. He opened the letter and slowly inched backward to lean in the chair.

From the Desk of Mr. Martin S.S. Walker

To whomever it may concern at the Sarzonian Tennis Federation,

I hope this letter finds you well, and I extend my congratulations on another splendid performance in the Scott Cup and the World Team Tennis Championship.

I was aware that you had suspended Mr. Adrian Treadway from the Scott Cup third place tie after he violated team rules for his possession of drugs. I did not feel I needed to take any further action and I felt the response to the action was adequate.

It has, however, been brought to my attention by my colleague, Mr. Nicolaus Amonescu, that Mr. Treadway's suspension is indefinite and has not been lifted. I am concerned by this extreme action against a player who committed a minor infraction.

Obviously no offense is to be taken lightly. But this infraction seems insignificant compared to other incidents in the past. Although I am hesitant to mention names, Ms. Joann Grimsley has been a particularly undisciplined presence during the Scott Cup at times, making comments about various surrounding controversies and starting several herself, including the very public disagreement between her and Mr. David Polley in the fourth Scott Cup. As I might remind you, this escalated into Ms. Grimsley attempting to confront Mr. Polley before assaulting Mr. Treadway - this, by the way, should demonstrate his willingness to cooperate and his interest in preventing wrongdoing. Ms. Grimsley was fined a record 25,000 Karsikas by the DOC, summoned to Sarzonian court and later arrested in Delaclava for misconduct at a match. Yet, she was never suspended for her actions. I would also remind you that Mr. Polley is guilty of misconduct and was fined for this infraction, which he managed to appeal.

In summation: We would honor Sarzonian sovereignty and respect whatever decision you shall make. However, Adrian Treadway is an exciting young talent with rapidly improving maturity, and it would be a shame to see him derailed from a promising future because of a small, anomalous mistake. We would welcome him back to the Scott Cup with open arms.

Sincerely,

Martin S.S. Walker
President, Delaclava Tennis Association
Member, Delaclava Olympic Committee

Amaker drew in his breath slightly and exhaled slowly. He wasn't thrilled about being reminded of Joann Grimsley's misconduct during previous editions of the Scott Cup. He also remembered personally chiding David Polley after the partnership between the two of them fractured. That turned into an epic confrontation that still gave him pause whenever he'd speak with Polley. It also led to Polley barely tolerating him.

The drugs rule was a serious violation as far as Sarzonia's coaches were concerned. He was aware of that. But he also knew that no other sport in Sarzonia suspended players merely for having weed. Smoking it on matchday or smoking it during a match would lead to a one-match suspension. It would escalate if you were a repeat offender. But the other sports essentially left it up to their respective coaches to decide how -- or even if -- to enforce the regulation.

Had Polley been caught with weed in his locker, Amaker knew Vice President for Health and Athletics Carter Marshall likely would have gotten involved. He shuddered at the disapproving glare he imagined from President Nicole Lewis. He cringed when he imagined what would have happened had founding President Mike Sarzo been alive.

He knew that lifting Treadway's suspension would be merely symbolic at this point. He also knew Sarzonia's coaches wouldn't take too kindly to his overruling them on the team regulations.

I have to consider the best interests of Sarzonian tennis, he knew he would tell the coaches. And the relationship with Delaclava is far, far too important to us to risk the possibility that our not lifting Treadway's suspension could damage it in any way. The letter was compelling, he had to admit. He walked upstairs to his private office to type his response letter.

From the desk of Martin Amaker:

To Mr. Martin S.S. Walker
President, Delaclava Tennis Federation
Member, Delaclava Olympic Committee

I hope this letter finds you well, and I extend my gratitude on behalf of all of Sarzonia for another well-run Scott Cup and World Team Tennis Championship.

The suspension for marijuana possession is a team rule that our coaches firmly believe was the right course of action to take to ensure our players perform to their utmost. It is part of a contract each player signs before taking part in tennis in Sarzonia.

With that said, I am also aware of the violations by Mr. Polley and Ms. Grimsley that did not result in suspensions. We made both players aware that we would not tolerate such infractions in the future. I personally have spoken to Mr. Polley in the past about his conduct and about his role in representing Sarzonia on the international stage.

I have spoken with the coaches and I have advised them that, using my prerogative as president of the Incorporated Sarzonian Tennis Federation, I would lift the suspension as of today. The suspension was always intended to be one match pursuant to team rules. However, our coaches didn't see the need to lift the suspension after the third place tie. We felt we needed to send a message to Mr. Treadway that rules are meant to be followed and are there for a reason.

However, I have made it clear to our coaches that suspending Mr. Treadway on the eve of the third place tie sent that message loud and clear. I have also made it clear that Mr. Treadway should know he is welcome to compete in the next edition of the Scott-Giles Cup.

Thank you for taking the time to write to me. I hope that we continue to demonstrate how well our nations work and play together in the future.

Sincerely,

Martin Amaker
President, Incorporated Sarzonian Tennis Federation

With that letter being sent, Treadway's suspension was lifted. And he would be welcome to kick back and watch Sarzonia and Delaclava battle it out in the World Lacrosse Championship finals after finishing a workout at the newly-renamed Darren Giles Tennis Centre.

[Licentiapacisterra]

Final of the Sixteenth World Lacrosse Championships:
Sarzonia 14–8 Delaclava

Congratulations to Sarzonia !! Commiserations to Delaclava.

Thank you to everybody who took part; you've made it very fun for me to run this tournament. I'll see you around !!

[Sarzonia]

When Mike Sandusky reluctantly agreed to assume the head coaching duties for the Sarzonian national lacrosse team, he never imagined this day.

He couldn't imagine being the one to guide the Stars to a perfect 6-0 record as an offensive juggernaut. He couldn't imagine wanting anything more than simply being an offensive coordinator behind Harold Price. He couldn't imagine anyone other than Harold Price hoisting the championship trophy aloft.

And yet, here it was. After Sarzonia battled a determined Delaclav side in the final at The Licentian Islands, the Stars came away with a 14-8 victory that gave the Stars their fifth championship, further distancing themselves from the pack as the greatest lacrosse-playing country of all time.

Too bad it was against Delaclava, he thought, If there were one nation Sarzonians would be least upset to lose to, it would be Delaclava. They very much admired their southern neighbours and their possession offence. They respected the discipline and hard work the Phoenixes put into the sport. But they also knew they would have to give it their all.

As DNBS.com alluded, Sandusky chose to change things up for the final by assigning Bill Harbour to Will Chadwick. Paul Landry, who normally would have lined up against Chadwick, was instead matched up with Ollie Roberts.

"We wanted Paul to use his size and height advantage against Roberts," Sandusky said. "We needed to use our speed to our advantage with our forwards."

They did just that. Attackman Tim Cole scored four times. Midfielder Carter Whitlock scored three goals and added four assists. He also was a physical presence, warding off Roberts on two occasions and making him earn his two goals and his lone assist.

For his part, Landry held Chadwick in check as well, limiting him to one goal. The biggest success, however, was on faceoffs as Whitlock won 14 of 18 and Sarzonia won 61 percent of its faceoffs overall. The Stars also decided to use more patience than usual, winning the possession battle against a team that lived and died by that statistic.

"We knew going in possession was vital to their game," Whitlock said. "We decided to put more of a premium on possession than we otherwise would."

The victory gives Sarzonia (7-0) its fifth World Lacrosse Championship title against one defeat (WLC 9 to Mytannion). It means that someone other than Harold Price could coach the Stars to a championship victory. As the Stars made their way to the podium for the trophy presentation, they noticed that most of the rainbow-coloured shirts were still there along with the navy blue-wearing Sarzonian fans. The fans of other countries who came to watch the match had left, but Sarzonians and Delaclavs were still there.

"This trophy reads that this championship belongs to Sarzonia," goaltender Mike Tomscik said. "This is for all of Cyanea," he said. "Our Delaclav brothers pushed us to great heights and made us play our best lacrosse. If we weren't in the final, we'd be rooting for them to win it all."

Unfortunately, only one team could win it all. For the fifth time, it was Sarzonia. But Whitlock expressed optimism that Delaclava would soon get its moment in the sun.

"The potential has always been there," he said. "That team worked super hard to get here. They will be a force to reckon with in the future."

In the present, the Stars once again had their moment. They knocked out an upstart Serbian Empire side that crowed about a 21-1 lifetime record coming in but lost three of five matches total, including twice to the Stars. They scored 22 goals against the Kingdom of Costa Luna, providing the ultimate rejoinder to their manager Maria Gonzalez's bravado in saying the Stars could be stopped. And they held off a determined Delaclav side.

In another time, there will be a moment to consider where this Stars team ranks among lacrosse's all time great teams. There will be time for the Stars to ponder where this team ranks among its previous championship sides. But in the present, the Stars are world champions. As it was meant to be all along.

[Kingdom of Costa Luna]

Pedro in his final postgame interview said, "I want to thank the host nation for a great tournament. This was our World Lacrosse Championship debut and I, myself, am amazed at our overall placement in the tournament. I never thought that I would get a bronze medal coming into the tournament. The team, themselves, are thrilled at the 4-1-2 record in the tournament and are pleased that their only loss that could not be avenged came to the gold medalist team from Sarzonia. We will be back and hopefully have the same team as this year. Either way, Costa Luna will be back to challenge themselves, Sarzonia, and the world in the Seventeenth World Lacrosse Championships."