Cornellian Cup 2014 (Cornellian Empire only)

[New Edom]

THE FINEBERG TIMES

at Jun 21, 2014

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New Edom Beats Wielkilas 4-2

by Tim Stanton

HARBOR HILL, Handon, Schottia — First half strikes by Jabin Schumacher and Joseph Mahlon helped New Edom to beat Wielkilas 4-2 on Sunday and win its first four goals in a Cornellian Cup match.

New Edom led 3-0 at halftime, but withstood a stronger Wielkilasian second half performance to claim its first Cornellian Cup runner up since 1972 and move into second place in Group B with one match left to play.

Jabin Schumacher, one of three New Edom wingers who didn’t start in the previous match, , broke the deadlock in the 26th minute with a fine solo goal, running onto a through ball between two defenders and then touching it past Pawel Kasparek.

New Edom added a third goal in the 38th when Joseph Mahlon side-footed home from close to the penalty spot after Schumacher pulled the ball back for him.

Wielkilas didn’t manage a shot on target all half, and struggled to break down New Edom’s attacks.
However, it was far more positive after the break and pulled a goal back in the 48th minute when Libéral Bruant shot through the legs of Jasper Chilion, ending his streak.

Hopes of a remarkable comeback were soon extinguished, though, when swift passing by Mordecai Tuller put Daniel Cleopas through on a counter attack to make it 4-1.

Wielkilas striker Zladislaw bundled the ball home on 72 minutes from close range, but New Edom’s defence held on to secure a historic victory.

“Woo hoo! We won, awwwww yeah!” screamed Mara, jumping up and down and clapping. “Wow, did you see that? Oh my gosh, I love these guys! Yay!”

Count Lalery certainly liked watching Mara jumping around and clapping, it was lovely to see her hair floating around, her excited face, bouncing bosom and wriggling hips.

“You know what, I totally feel bad for Izolda though, but her team did really good. Oh my gosh, I’m so excited I’m gonna hurl or something. Hey we should totally go get something to eat now, and look Izolda and Fleur up, I just can NOT sit still, I’m not even joking right now....”

[Hittanryan]

Dim Summit Tavern
Tau City, Adiron

"What the fuck?" Kirk exclaimed as L'Ossienne scored its third goal. Unfortunately, to punctuate his point, he half-slammed his cup on the table, which was still mostly full of beer and sloshed over the cup's rim.

"Hey!" Daisy exclaimed as the drink threatened to ruin her jeans.

"It's just a fucking game," Josh chastised his more enthusiastic peer.

"It's the Cup!" Kirk countered.

"Who gives a shit? Bunch of overpaid meatheads chasing a ball around. The outcome of which you, personally, have no control over, so get over it," Josh pressed.

"Fuck this, they really do fucking suck this year..." Kirk complained as he stormed out.

Dan decided to enlighten their naysaying friend. "Kirk made a bet when the Orcas started winning. As soon as he did that, they stopped winning," he explained with a smirk.

Josh narrowed his eyes and said incredulously "He gambled on Adiron? We never win! Even I know that. They always choke in the semifinals if they get that far, no matter how good they are."

"Well, that's why he's pissed," Dan explained.

"Why didn't he just burn the money? Or hell, give it to me..."

Adiron fans in the bar were filled with a mix of severe disappointment in the Orcas for choking at the last second, along with jeers from a few football fans who had developed a particular hatred for one L'Ossienne player or another, usually the more famous ones. It wasn't really the players' fault, they were just more visible. Although they had advanced to the semifinals, the prospect of an Adiran victory was rather slim. Everyone knew they'd need a lot of wins against the best Cornellia had to offer.

Naturally, L'Ossienne fans were buying rounds of drinks, and if any of their buddies were Adiron fans, giving them a hard time. Sure enough, Adiron didn't catch up.

---

Sport Report: Adiron Chokes, 1-3 L'Ossienne

Handon, Schottia- In a critical match to determine positions in the semifinals, the Orcas may have just lost their shot at the Cup. The Adiran defense crumbled in the face of a relentless Ossiennaise offense, suffering a demoralizing 1-3 loss. Bloch scored two goals in the first half, with Adiron's fate sealed by a third by Fethuel. Hall answered the assault with only a single goal near the 45 minute mark.

Though calculated as ever, commentators have noticed that the Adirans looked increasingly ragged over the last two games. The hard-fought draw against Gylias and the victories over Jedoria and the Commoners have taken their toll on the Adirans' stamina. Cracks were starting to show in the until-now solid defense when they conceded an otherwise-avoidable goal to Shalum. Today the exhausted Adiran defense simply could not keep up with the likes of Fethuel, Bloch, and Veryat, resulting in a rout. The Orcas have been playing non-stop since week one of the Cup, while L'Ossienne had a day off on Tuesday.

Although general fatigue has been identified as one potential problem, commentators also observed that a number of injuries have had a cumulative impact on the Adirans' performance:

- Most notably, in the match with Jedoria Chin was sent off the field with a head injury, possibly a mild concussion. In attempting a tackle, Chin was kneed more or less directly in the head by a supporting Jedorian attacker. Although Chin's alternate, Stan Spence, did an admirable job in his stead, Adiron fans note that he lacks a certain energy possessed by Chin. More bitter fans note this is when Adiron began conceding goals.

- Jiang's ankle injury remains a subject of speculation, though his performances against Jedoria and the Commoners suggests it may be inconsistent. Nevertheless, Adiran striking was notably off in the last two matches.

- Art Sung pulled a hamstring in the match with Shalum, but was back on the field in the match with L'Ossienne. Commentators already note he was unable to keep pace with the Ossiennaise forwards, allowing their attacks to drive home unhindered.

- Lowe collided with Hardesty in the Adiron-Commoner match. Though he finished the match and brushed off questions over his injuries' severity, Lowe has been notably slower on the draw than he was in the match with Gylias.

None of the Adiron team was available for comment, including Coach Lei and Manager Drescher. Orcas fans hope the brief break before the semifinals is enough for the team to regroup.

[Schottia]

Fixture list for the quarter finals.

Gylias v Wielkilas
Dukes Street, Handon

Arbites v Ri'en
Gannon Park, Soessch

Adiron v Schottia
Harbour Hill, Handon

New Edom v L'Ossienne
Ashley Road, New Belfast

[Schottia]

Daily Worker Sport Special.

In the build up to their game against Adiron on Tuesday night there has been a degree of trepidation amongst the Schottia squad. The fear of taking on one of the regions top sides has been compounded by news that top striker Bruno Schwartz and defender Darren O'Brian are both out. Schwatz, who was substituted against Dassallia, was hoped to be fit for the quarter final clash, however, he has not been passed fit by the doctor, and must sit the Orcas game out. King's Park man O'Brian, was unlucky to pull up with a hamstring strain in training this morning and is now struggling to be fit for the start of the new season.

In response to this Port Sebastian striker Mark Allen, 23, has been called up to the bench, as has Boguszowice 1898 left back Robert Morris, 25. It is believed that Daller and Coine will slot in at left back and centre forward respectively, Coine has already featured heavily as a substitute in the earlier matches.

The Schottic public have been glued to their TV screens all the way through the tournament so far, and there have been some fantastic matches for the neutrals. Adiron's 7-2 demolision of TECT will live long in the memories of the Schottic fans, and they will be hoping not to meet the same fate.

However the green and whites have had a few good wins themselves, in particular against New Edom, and will fancy their chances of causing an upset. We spoke to Schottic midfielder and outsider philosopher Gary Corsie earlier today:

'Of course one must take every match at face value. It's a cliché often banded around that you should treat every match like a final, but essentially that is all that one can do. I wholeheartedly believe that any other approach is ineffectual.

To an extent we have played well over the last few weeks, but there is always room for improvement. I mean, you can look at it and say Schottia is a small country hitting above its weight, or you could say we have an excellent culture of football, and any one game is 11 v 11. I honestly say we have as good a chance as anyone.' Gary Corsie

Royal visit

Security was also tightened following the arrival of Queen Mara I of New Edom. The sports fan's impromptu visit has been met with excitement in some quarters, which may be surprising considering the nations general attitude to the elite classes. The Queen has been invited to stay in Norton Manor, the state guesthouse normally reserved for official state visits.

Norton Manor, outside Handon

Security has been on high alert regardless, with care taken to usher Arbites and Adiron fans between matches. It had previously been feared that the once warring countries, would be sparked into violence drinking in the same city together. This said overall there has been little trouble at such a major tournament; police and ground staff have reported everything going seamlessly.

[Arbites]

Order Eidos Office of Sport
Magus Civitas, Imperium of Arbites Materia

'He has to listen this time, they can't ignore it this time...'

Angelica Howard was a football fan. Not that clunky touch-and-go spectacle most of the country watched, but The Beautiful Game. The one played around the world. Real football. Naturally, she was an Imperial fan. What proud subject of the Emperor would cheer for heathens and heretics over their own countrymen, after all? The trouble, however, was that it didn't seem like the sports broadcasters in the Order Eidos, the Imperium's state media apparatus, were on board, and Angelica was a mere secretary.

In its waning years, Old Ceti had developed a fascination with gridiron football in a petty effort to stand out from the crowd among nations and compete with the Romans. This persisted despite the difficulty in establishing amateur football teams due to equipment costs and the high rates of injury associated with the game at the time. The old men in charge of the Office of Sport were dinosaurs, the most senior of whom were actually old enough to remember Old Ceti, who derided association football as un-manly.

'In spite of the fact that the players are pampered, padded lumps of meat who just crash into each other every five seconds before stopping and doing it again...' Angelica would complain bitterly to her husband whenever the comparison was made.

She believed she had found an accomplice, however, in Rick Mitchell. Mitchell was the liaison between the Office of Sport and the Office of Feats and Service. F&S celebrated the deeds carried out by everyday Imperial subjects in service to the Emperor. The Order Eidos was always on the lookout for heroes, after all. She'd been taking minutes in a meeting where Mitchell had brought up the fact that the Imperium had advanced to the semifinals in the Cornellian Cup.

'I don't think anybody is watches that, do you?' one of the geezers had wheezed.

It was a travesty. They didn't even know who Ernest Carter or Tom Swain were. The Emperor had answered their prayers in every match so far, prayers administered by an ordained priest, no less, and it was going unreported. That's why Angelica, who saw Mitchell out of the corner of her eye, very carefully timed her step so that she would bump into him with a surprised cry and dump the contents of her folder onto the floor.

"Oh shoot! I'm sorry, I'm such a mess," she said, bending down to try to scoop up the papers.

"It's all right, happens to everybody," Mitchell replied. Sure enough, manners dictated he help a lady.

'Yes! I'll get him for a minute,' she thought. "I saw the Emmons piece the other day, very moving, a very brave man. The Imperium needs more men like him," she opened.

"True, if all the men in Arcologia were as brave as him, this war would be over," Mitchell commented.

The two of them rose to their feet and started trying to reassemble the ream of papers she had spilled, Angelica stalled a bit by straightening her skirt and adjusting the bun in her red hair. "I was in your meeting with the heads. So have you been following the Cornellian Cup?" she asked, trying and possibly failing to make it sound like a casual conversation-starter.

"Just the scores, statistics. I mostly watch baseball at home, to be honest," he replied in a neutral tone.

She could work with that, in fact, it might be better. "Did you know that not a single goal has been scored against us yet?" she asked.

Mitchell was straightening a pile of papers by banging them on the edge, but he seemed to pause for a moment. "Really?"

"Yes! A shut out every game. And did you know most of our goals, the ones that carried us to victory, were scored by a single man?"

They had finished putting the folder back together, but he didn't leave. "Who would that be?"

"Carter, Ernest Carter! Well, I wouldn't blame you if you lost track, soccer gets buried in the sports section, they didn't even report the last match," she explained.

"Yeah...a bit of a waste that is," Mitchell contemplated.

"Carter works so hard. Without him we wouldn't have won...and he probably doesn't get paid half of what the football players do..."

Mitchell snickered a bit, and chucked Angelica under the chin. "Clever girl..." was all he said before walking away. He clearly knew he had just been played, but seemed to like the idea well enough that he was going to propose it anyway. Angelica walked away with a spring in her step and a broad smile.

---

Order Eidos
Feats and Service

Cornellian Cup 2014 Series: Ernest Carter

Six games and not a single goal conceded. Six games, five wins. Soccer fans throughout the Imperium have been electrified by the National Team's strong showing in the Cornellian Cup the past two weeks, in which the Hounds have faced all comers and emerged victorious but for one match against the Wielkilas Reapers which ended in draw. They have prevailed against even the most experienced and dedicated teams in the nation, including Schottia and New Edom.

Although the Imperial defense has proven impenetrable so far, defense alone is not enough to win matches. Over the course of six games, one man has scored four of the game-deciding goals: center-forward Ernest Carter. While defenders such as The Wall, Baker, Evans, and Cooper have kept the Arbiter goal safe, Carter maneuvers his way around the opposing defenders to sink the goals which have brought glory to the Imperium.

Ernest Carter is a Robles native, the son of Stephen Carter, a clerk. As a child, Ernest apparently began to complain to his father that the neighborhood kids didn't want to play soccer anymore. One day, Stephen found out why when he chanced upon a match walking home from work: his son was utterly trouncing the others in every match played. If Ernest was on the opposing team, you were guaranteed to lose, and the other kids were sore about that.

"He was blessed," Stephen explained. His son had a gift, it was that simple, he said. Ernest was sent to Whitmore Academy, where he trained to become the vital player the entire nation is watching with anticipation.

Carter has played for the Samoreau Strikers and Kavanagh before becoming a fixture on the Dire Wolves, the capital's largest football club and one of the best in the nation. Eventually he attracted the attention of Coach Wilkins for the National Team in 2012 where he was put in as a striker. However, the National Team's performance has been relatively disappointing until Coach Alexander took charge and revolutionized the team's tactics.

Credited with having a better eye for his talent, Alexander apparently saw the same thing in Carter that his father did. Carter has become the team's target man as a solid player who can reliably make attacks even unsupported. Although Carter revels in the challenge, Alexander's strategy has been criticized by football fans for putting a bit too much pressure on a single player for the duration of a tournamnet. Injuries happen, and after an unspecified muscle strain in the match against San Lucifero was unable to press the attack against a strong Wielkilasin team, seemingly validating their concerns.

With the mounting pressure and what is likely to be growing fatigue, the faithful should pray for Carter and the rest of the Imperial team in the upcoming semifinals.

[L Ossienne]

Later.

[New Edom]

“ONE TWO THREE FOUR, FOUR WINS AND ONE MORE! ONE TWO THREE FOUR, FOUR WINS AND ONE MORE!” the team were chanting as they were doing their stretches. The whistle blew and they straightened up as the coach, the medic and the other team leadership walked towards them. “On the line! Fall in!” shouted Imlah. “Come on you sons of bitches, move your asses! Levi, stop scratching your balls and get a move on! Smith, do you have hearing problems? Move it, boy, move!”

“Now listen up,” said Coach Imlah, walking along the line of players at the practice field. “You did good. You did me proud, you did the country proud, you did the whole League proud. But now we’re up against Les Cygnes—and they are quick on their feet. They got trounced by Gylias and they bounced back! So I want a midfield clash that will send them reeling. We have to learn to adapt too, and by the living LORD we’ve been doing it.”

“Today we’re focusing on dribbling, passing and sprinting. We’re studying their tactics. Their teamwork is awe inspiring—we have to beat it anyway. And people—do not lie about injuries. Let me be the judge. God help you if you lie. Alright you sons of bitches, let’s play some football. Start with a good run, get the air into the lungs, get the blood flowing”

Imlah concealed his worry about the L’Ossienne midfield. They were damned good. He showed the team a video of the 4-4-2 formation, some classic moments of breaking it, had compiled a video of Bloch and Fethuel scoring, made points on how he speculated they could be dominated on the pitch.

It was funny—the closer they got, the more there was a feeling that they had something to lose. He had to distract the team from that spirit of things. “Remember,” he said, “It’s just this match. This match! All I want from you is one match at a time, boys, and you will do well.”

Norton Manor, Schottia

Captain Ramoth waited patiently in the antechamber. Countess Merodach had told him the Queen was in conference and it would be a little while before she would finish and could see him.

He sat and fingered the file he held and smiled. Quite all right, he thought; some things are worth waiting for.

He watched the Queen's secretary as she sat at her desk, and he felt his body tingle and his trousers become pleasantly uncomfortable. She was a hot-looking little piece, and he smiled and ran a thumb along the file in his hand. If she only knew what was in this file, he thought. Well, she'll know soon enough, and so will Her Majesty.

The dark haired slim young woman looked up and smiled. “It’s a lovely day is it not Captain?”

“The best day I’ve had in a while,” he replied. “Thank you Countess.”

She glanced at her phone and picked it up. “Yes? Alright, the Queen will see you now…” she got up, smoothed her skirt, opened the door for him to go in.

The Queen stood in front of a long wide desk. She gave him a faint smile and nod. His blood throbbed at the sight of her; her dark (now natural) hair fell past her shoulders, her eyes were a lovely hazel brown and her skin softly olive; she wore a short tight skirt and a tight light blue silk blouse. Sumptuously curved yet strong, and he knew she’d been working out like crazy trying to shed some winter puppy fat, now sleek and tight.

“Majesty, this has come to my attention, and I felt it could not wait,” he said, offering her the file.

“Alright, let me take a look.” Queen Mara said, “By the way, wasn’t it nice of the government to set me up here? I was all ready to settle for a really nice swanky hotel, and instead there’s this! But then that happens a lot, right?”

Just read the damned file! he thought, smiling at her. He knew a few ways he could shut her up…

Mara opened it. “Oh…my…gosh!” she stared, flipped through the photographs and pages.

“Your trip to Cacerta. Very interesting, wouldn’t you say?” Ramoth said. “I particularly like that one of you and Queen Anelyn in the park. Oh and this one, of you at the…well I guess you’d call that an orgy. You look amaing.”

Mara stared at him, and then back at the pictures. “How did you get these?”

“Never you mind that…Majesty. I have them, and I have digital copies and they are on a time release.” He glanced at his watch. “So listen to what I have to say very carefully. I hope you acknowledge that if these get out, it will ruin your reputation in our oh so religious country.” He paused for effect, watching her eyes widen.

“What do you want?” she whispered.

He smiled. “What I want is two things: first my backers would like you to agree to step aside for your younger and more worthy sister Jocasta. What I want?” he looked her up and down. “I have other potential backers, but I would gladly accept some compensation from you personally.”

Mara took a deep breath. What this did to her bosom sent him into near rapture, and she said, “Let me see if I understand you, you want me to abdicate and let you have sex with me?”

“I love hearing you say that,” Ramoth said with a grin. Mara shuddered and pushed a button on her desk. A door opened and Count Lalery walked in.

Ramoth felt nervous suddenly.

Mara said, “Tell my mother to do her worst, and remind her if she hasn’t become too drink addled to forget that I have as much dirt on her as she has on me. But as for you—what shall I do with you Captain Ramoth?”

“I have digital copies—“ Ramoth said, stepping back.

“Found. Stored.” Lalery said with contempt. “Like you will be.” He struck without warning, a fist smashing into Ramoth’s adam’s apple, and then when he bent over, wheezing, trying to cover, another to his solar plexus, and then when he went down several kicks from a hard dress shoe. Mara watched bright eyed.

Lalery crouched down and slammed a fist into the man’s throat again. Mara grinned and patted at her hair. “Alright Tommy, don’t kill him, but I want him pissing blood in my mother’s toilet when he calls on her, and I want him thinking twice before he blackmails anyone for sex again. Then pack him on a plane and get him out of here.”

Lalery chuckled. “To think it took so much to bring us into unity, sweet cuz.” He drew back his foot, and Ramoth screamed.

"Alright, I have to get changed, I'm meeting with a few of this lovely country's lovely people--I'll say your sick, shall I?" Mara said to Lalery.

Lalery watched the writhing man below him and looked up. "Tell them I had to get rid of some shit." he took out his cell phone. "And have a good time." He looked down at the man again and smiled.

Oh, mummy, Mara thought. I only wanted peace, but you want war. So be it. Her high heels clicked as she walked out, into the bedroom that had been given to her, and found Precious looking worried, then panting eagerly at the sight of her. "Oh, Preciousyweshiousy woo, did the nasty man frighten you? Diddums frighten you? Sois-sage, bon chien, tres bien! Mummy's gonna have so much fun at the match!"

[Wielkilas]

Bye bye.

[Gylias]

Handon, Schottia

The Gylian team had been having a great time at the Cup so far. They had already been richly rewarded with fun matches and good times with new friends (especially those from Ri'en), so it was a sweet cherry on top when Sarna cancelled their training and gave them several days off after their last match with Shalum. One of these had been spent mainly swimming and relaxing at the beach, to recuperate from their exhaustingly relaxing improvised tour of Handon the previous day.

The sun setting and being replaced by a pleasant evening haze, the Gylian team had made its way back to its accommodation and opted to retire for the night in order to recover from the day's recuperation, each in their own way. Hana Matsuri withdrew to her room for extended meditation practice. Bhaksa and Mared Terneshyk were still in high spirits so they went back to call home and then catch up on their watching for the day. Nels Langenberg crashed into his bed and almost immediately fell into a deep sleep. And so on.

Naomi Mizushima had accompanied Arda Shanrek to her room, after which she jumped into a shower to cool off and treat herself to some noisily enthusiastic a cappella karaoke. Arda paused for a moment to look towards the closed door of the bathroom with amusement, and then she sprawled on the bed with her laptop. She stretched her legs back and forth behind her and propped up her head on her arms, waiting for the video call to go through.

When it finally did, she moved one of her hands from under her head to the side and fluttered its fingers up and down, cheerfully saying, "Hi, mum!"

On the other side of the screen appeared after a delay the image of a woman sitting in front of her computer, wearing a pink blouse whose colour matched her short pink hair and a black dress on top of it. It was Arda's mother, Lucy Shanrek. Propped up on her lap was a younger girl who shared her pink hair but wore it much longer, nearly waist-length - it was Arda's younger sister Kaide.

The sight immediately made Kaide squeal "Aah, big sister!" and try to lunge to embrace the monitor entirely, only being stopped by Arda genially moving her hands from Kaide's shoulders to embrace her around her stomach and keep her in place. Kaide grunted, "Oof!" as she suddenly found herself slightly immobilised, and then looked at her mother only to see a warm, loving smile with a slight hint of amusement that after all this time, Kaide had still not figured out that trying to bear-hug part of a computer was generally not a good idea. Chuckling, she then faced the monitor again and said, "I miss you so much!"

Having covered her mouth to silently laugh, Arda replied, "Ahh, I miss you too, baby sister, and you, mom. Still, I get to call you, so that's not that bad, is it?"

"No, it certainly isn't, dear. Though you have no idea how hard it is without you around.", Lucy said playfully, reclining in her chair and gently rocking Kaide in her lap. "Either way, I'm glad to see you're having a great time there."

"Yeah, we've seen you all the matches! You were really kicking it old school!", Kaide added.

Arda laughed, and pointed towards her laptop screen while looking at Kaide mischievously, saying in a sweetly sarcastic tone, "Kaide, you've been borrowing my rap albums again?"

"Mm-hmm!", Kaide replied guilelessly, smiling with closed eyes and nodding. Arda simply looked at the screen with a content expression, happy to see her mother and sister happy for her. "You're just insatiable, Kaide.", she finally added after a pause. "Don't ever change."

"No, of course not!", Kaide said excitedly, and thrust her arms in the air in a way that made Lucy slightly dodge her head to avoid being hit. "After all, you'll always be my big sister..." She then drew her palms together behind Lucy's neck, happily concluding, "...and you'll always be my mummylove!"

Lucy leaned slightly forward and softly kissed the top of Kaide's head. She then returned to her normal sitting position, moving Kaide closer and rubbing her hair with one hand. "We've had a great day together, darling. I trust yours was the same?"

"Sure it was, mum, we had a day off at the beach!"

"Aa, really?", Kaide asked in a distinctively big-eyed way. "How was it?"

Arda exhaled happily, leaned closer to the screen, said, "You've seen enough beach episodes, Kaide, you know exactly how it was~", and winked.

Lucy had to close one of her eyes and playfully plug one of her ears in response to Kaide's extremely approving "Uwaaaaaaaaah, so cool!♥". She then looked down towards Lucy with her eyes and then back towards Arda on the screen, almost as if jokingly saying, "What am I ever going to do with you all?", but her affectionate grin and aura of maternal pride more than adequately answered the question. Arda nodded very subtly and smiled in response, silently confirming how overjoyed she and Kaide were that she was their mother.

Lucy, Kaide and Arda continued to chat long into the night, joined at a later point by a naked Naomi who had just left the shower and immediately deposited herself rather forcefully on the bed to glomp Arda. She proved to be quite popular with Lucy and Kaide.

[Schottia]

Results

Gylias 6 - 3 Wielkilas
Dukes Street, Handon

Arbites 1 - 0 Ri'en
Gannon Park, Soessch

Adiron 1 - 0 Schottia
Harbour Hill, Handon

New Edom 2 - 0 L'Ossienne
Ashley Road, New Belfast

On behalf of the tournament organisers, and the people of Schottia, a massive congratulations to the winners of the quarter-finals.

Thursday's semi-final fixtures are as follows:

Gylias v Adiron
Harbour Hill, Handon

New Edom v Arbites
Dukes Street, Handon

Cut-off will once again be 22:00 GMT

[Hittanryan]

Sport Report: Adiron Advances to the Semifinals, 1-0 Upset Against Schottia

Handon, Schottia- In the first match of the quarter-finals, Adiron was pitted against regional football capital and 2014 Cornellian Cup hosts Schottia. Both teams made a strong showing. The Orcas must have been keenly aware of their past losses to Schottia as well as their current standing in the Cup, while Pascal Voitle was undoubtedly under tremendous pressure to deliver on his home turf. However, Jiang scored the deciding goal for Adiron in the 50th minute.

Galvanized by their loss to Les Cygnes, the Orcas' starting lineup was back on the field in full force, but they had their work cut out for them. Schottia is consistently one of the strongest teams in the region, with a storied tradition spanning decades. Today's close match marks only the second time in Cornellian Cup history in which Adiron has won a match against Schottia, and it was a hard-fought victory. Multiple Adiran attacks failed which would have likely prevailed against any other team, and the defenders were never given an inch, always a hair's breadth from disaster.

Adiron now advances to the semifinals where they play tournament-favorite Gylias. Notable for their highly malleable playing style and emphasis on the technical ability on individual players, Gylias has remained at the top of the rankings throughout the tournament. They have won every match so far save one: a draw against Adiron. However, a draw won't be good enough to make the finals. In this rematch, the Orcas will have to figure out a way to score against Sarna Dervedz's squad.

Regardless of the outcome of Thursday's match with Gylias, the semifinals represents the high-water mark of Adiran performance in the Cup. In what football fans disparagingly refer to as merely "the Curse of 98," the semifinals is the farthest the Orcas have ever advanced in the Cornellian Cup in their history. Jinxes or no, this year's lineup has performed exceptionally well already, and no matter what happens on Thursday will come home with their heads held high.

Highlights from the game:

Minute 3: Schottian goal attempt. Orcas fans were nervous as Avelione punched through the Adiran midfielders right out of the gate and made a long shot on the Adiran goal. The ball hit the side of the goal net, however, and was collected by GK Townsend.

Minute 15: Adiran goal attempt. After a back-and-forth battle in midfield, Green unexpectedly passes back to Davis, who takes a risky shot. Okywa heads the ball out of danger.

Minute 23: Yellow card on LW Jiang for attempting to push LB O'Brian away. Direct free kick awarded to Schottia, shot deflected by the Adiran wall and collected by Adiran RFB Lowe.

Minute 31: Corsie and Schwartz lead an exciting charge directly up the center, rapidly passing back and forth to evade the Adiran midfield. Adiran CM Sung, CB Brooks, and LFB Rodriguez manage to disrupt the attack, with Sung taking possession after a successful tackle by Rodriguez.

Minute 39: Adiran goal attempt. In an upset encounter between the new kid and the old hand, Nguyen managed to wrest possession from Donaldson and catch the defenders momentarily off-guard by advancing forward. Just as he reached the Schottian penalty area and seemed to set up a shot, however, the Adiran CM was solidly tackled by Schottian CB McCann.

Minute 50: Adiran goal. CM Nguyen attempts a pass to CF Hall. Rather than simply collecting the ball, however, Hall appeared to sense the Schottian defenders around him, and headed the ball in Jiang's direction. Just as O'Brian closed on him, the Adiran striker lobbed a curving shot into the goal just ahead of D'Araby's fingertips.

Minute 75: Schottian goal attempt. Resembling a pinball machine, Avelione, Killanen, and Fontan keep the Adiran defenders off-balance through repeated passes as they work their way up the field. Brooks and Chin manage to catch Fontan in the penalty box, deflecting an attempted pass out on the side. The resulting throw-in results in an indecisive melee which sees the focus of play shift back to midfield.

Minute 82: Schottian goal attempt. Schwartz mounts a one-man offensive as the time ticks down. After briefly losing possession to Brooks, Corsie returns the ball to Schwartz who sets up a shot. Despite his attempts to fake the Adiran GK out, however, Townsend deflects it.

Minute 87: Last-ditch effort by Schottia to even up the score, with the Schottian midfielders and full-backs working to sustain the assault. Adiron tightens up its defense, pulling its center-fielders back in an effort to preserve its lead. The match ends in the middle of another attack by Schwartz.

---

Harbour Hill Stadium,
Handon, Schottia

Schottia fought hard, very hard. There were times during the second half when it seemed another goal by Schottia was virtually assured. Only one team had ever beaten them at the Cup before, and a penalty kick played a key role that time. At some points it seemed like Corsie, Schwartz, and the rest of the household names were just wading through them, inconvenienced rather than kept at bay.

But they held. Somehow or other, the Orcas held the line.

The crowd erupted as the 90th minute came. Many of the fans, supporting their team the whole time, had resigned themselves to a Schottia win. To their shock and delight, the underdogs came out on top. Fans back home went wild. Kirk was certainly in better spirits in the Dim Summit, with the Schottia fans sweating it out and cringing at each missed goal opportunity. Joseph didn't even point out that they were up against Gylias next. In New Laconia, a triumphant cry of "Fuck yes!" was heard coming from the President's office, who was told he had some "personal business" to attend to...which just happened to coincide with the last few minutes of the match.

The team was ecstatic, a lot of back-slapping, fist-pounding, and a number of hugs on the field. They were very obviously quite pleased with the outcome of the match. Naturally, they had to acknowledge their formidable opponents; as they slapped hands with the Schottian team, the Adirans made a number of comments like "Hell of a game," "Hardest win we've ever had," "Great game." Some of the Adirans who'd squared off against a particular player also praised their worthy opponents as well.

Drescher and Lei, while equally pleased, already had the next match on their minds: Gylias. They had utterly demolished Wielkilas 6-3, and Wielkilas was on par with L'Ossienne, who had delivered the Orcas a disheartening loss only a few days before. It was entirely possible Adiron would lose even at their best. Facing down the tournament-favorites was one thing in terms of skill, but there was psychology that Drescher had to worry about as well. The press kept jinxing the Orcas with their incessant, fabricated, superstitious, and practically intolerable fixation on their "Curse." To the press, if you didn't win a Cup, you were cursed. "Fuck them. Have those reporters ever won a Cup? Winning a Cup is hard!" Lei had put it, and Drescher actually agreed with both the statement and the delivery in that case.

The problem with "the Curse" was that it was a self-fulfilling prophecy. Football, as with virtually any sport, had a significant mental component. The pressure was bad enough without this extra weight of 'you are cursed to lose this game.' Hell, mind games were how Townsend tended to deal with penalty kicks. The very notion of a curse was absurd, conjured up by talking heads who couldn't recognize the entirely mundane reason why it was hard to win in the semifinals: you were playing very good teams. That's it, that's all, no supernatural bullshit required, and Drescher didn't need some myth screwing with his players' heads just when he needed them to be at their best.

They assembled the team in the lockers after the game. Drescher addressed the team. "All right, good hustle, it's one for the history books: we beat Schottia. We're going to the semifinals," he said, with a chorus of approving cheers. "We've got a rematch with Gylias. It's going to be tough, but so was Schottia. It's the semifinals and it will be hard, but so was today's match. Don't let the pressure mess with your head," Drescher said. "Remember, the Cup is just a trophy. Every time we get this far, more and more kids back home get into football. Every time we show them what Adiron can do, we get more and more talent staying in Adiron instead of going off to play in a foreign league. Every time we succeed like you've done, our team gets better. In a way, we've already won. So when we play Gylias on Thursday, stay loose, just like them. We'll play our best game, and that's all we can do."

"That's not to say we're gonna make it easy for them!" Lei announced bombastically. "They may think this total football scheme of theirs can't be analyzed or predicted, but you've played them before. They're not all strikers, and they're not all center-backs. They've got patterns, they've got habits, and we've got seven of their games on tape. When you're not doing drills, you should be studying them. Our whole team needs to know what every single one of them is capable of. It's the only way we're gonna break through and make some goals. All right?" There was a series of "yeahs" in response. "OK Orcas, go get some R&R, we don't need a horde of zombies running at Gylias on Thursday."

[New Edom]

At Some Swanky Event

“Izolda, and Fleur—you know my cousin Count Thomas Lalery? How lovely to see you both—“ Mara leaned forward and kissed each of them on both cheeks, makeup or no makeup. “Wow, it’s so exciting! This has been such a wild cup. I’m soooo sorry we beat you though—“ she laughed then. “Kinda! We haven’t seen each other since Anahid Vaneni’s funeral, do you remember that? The McNernian Ambassador, the TurtleShroomer ambassador putting their respective feet in their mouths—not that I should talk, you should have seen me at my first ever big diplomatic dinner in Norvenia, I actually had a melt down.”

Precious wriggled in Mara’s arms, trying to get closer to the two women, making little yips and barks, his furry black body almost shaking with his curiousity.

“Hello, it is nice to see you both again,” said Count Lalery, his eyes gleaming as he took in the lovely ladies, particularly Izolda and her impressive bosom. “Hope you’re having a good time. Did you enjoy watching us kick L’Ossiennois ass?”

The Pitch

Sometimes Imlah didn’t really give proper credit to the Lord, and he repented of it now. For some time he had lamented his life—lost friends, lost peace, lost family; he had come out of the war having seen terrible things, and he had been struggling with the pressures of this match.

However the words of the Queen, coming to the locker room again, had startled him. “You have done so well,” she said, “You know, I never thought we’d make it this far—it has been so long since any great effort was done, and last year’s sports were so far behind. It’s like that song isn’t it—about not just the team, our country.”

“Song, Majesty?” he asked her.

“Through many dangers, toils and snares, we have already come. Twas grace that brought us safe thus far, and grace will lead us home.” Mara said quietly. “And remember, we are all sinners…” her face was pensive a moment, and she smiled then. “We have all done things that are less than gracious—yet God’s grace remains. I forget sometimes too. Thank you—well done.”

He stood on the pitch alone for a moment, night sky obscured by electric lights, and heard the words as though for the first time again.

Amazing grace,
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost
But now I’m found
Was blind, but now I see.

He felt a gratitude sweep through his very soul, and fell to his knees, raising his hands in thanksgiving.

Thank you, God, for my life.

When he led the team in prayer that night, it was a prayer of thanksgiving, and he said quietly, in his gruff voice, “No matter what happens, boys: we were men. We came and fought well and hard. No matter what happens—we can go home with our heads held high. Up against some of the best players in the region, best coaches, best tactics. I am proud to have served with you. Think of it fellas—our war torn country recovered. We lived through it; we are now competing in the Cornellian Cup. Anything is possible with God.”

[Arbites]

Daily Herald
Sports Section

Cornellian Cup: Arbiters Advance to Semifinals

Soessch, Schottia- The Emperor continues to watch over the Arbiter National Team as they advance to the semifinals in the 2014 Cornellian Cup. Father Ross' squad has enjoyed a steady string of victories throughout the tournament, capped off by their 1-0 victory against Ri'en in the quarter-finals. AMC Swain scored the winning goal at the 26 minute mark, at which point the Hounds closed ranks and closed off the Arbiter goal.

The success the Hounds highlight the importance of piety, prayer, and humility. Father Benjamin Ross is the team manager, who in addition to planning the Hounds' tactics and practice regimens, ensures that the team is provided with proper spiritual guidance. He administers their own private sermons even while abroad, ensuring that the Emperor remains at the forefront of the team's lives through their many trials.

"Falling into an obsession with victory and the spoils it brings is to forget the Emperor," Ross explains. "If we abandon our faith and our values in the pursuit of glory, then no matter the outcome of a match, we have lost ourselves. Once that happens, we shall lose the matches as well. Arbiters are one people, united by faith. Just as our nation is, so must our team be."

Next match is against a nation which also understands the importance of faith: New Edom. Having only recently recovered from its latest devastating civil war, the return of the Flockers to the international football scene has evoked an emotional response in New Edom extending all the way to Her Majesty Queen Mara I, who was in tears during their opening match. Nothing would symbolize the nation's recovery more fittingly than a win at the Cornellian Cup, and Coach Imlah understands that better than anybody. Ross' squad prevailed against New Edom during the draw, but they have so far employed similar defensive strategies which has brought New Edom success similar to that of the Hounds. It will come down to who will blink first. After what New Edom have been through in the past year, however, if anybody deserves to humble the Imperium on Thursday, it is our allies in the struggle against global communism.

Ross has employed a rather cautious strategy so far. His 4-5-1 lineup is based upon outlasting the attackers. In conceding no goals, the forwards are free to pick and choose opportunities to mount attacks at their leisure, rather than being forced to stage risky attacks to catch up. Football fans have sometimes called Ross' defensive style "quicksand," and in the international scene this strategy has resulted in a significant number of draws, many of them ending in a rather disappointing score of 0-0. However, during this Cornellian Cup, the Hounds are invigorated, aware the hopes and prayers of an eager nation are with them. As their defense holds steady, they need only a single goal to win.

[Gylias]

Handon, Schottia

It was an unexpectedly sweltering afternoon in Handon, the temperature slightly higher than usual for the winter but it was the lack of air circulation and humidity that were missing. That difference was enough to render it the kind of afternoon that sent people to the comfort of their air-conditioned indoors, feeling drained.

Most of the Gylian team was resting after having woken up early for a trip to the beach and some good swimming and volleyball; by the time the sun had reached its highest point in the sky, they had retired to their rooms for relaxing showers and were now napping. Possibly the only player still awake was Hana Matsuri, though it would have been hard to tell because she moved very quietly. In her room, she took the pillow from her bed, and placed it on the floor. She then sat down on it carefully, facing her balcony, and fidgeted for a while between stretching her legs out ahead of her or crossing them in the lotus position, holding herself up by putting her hands on the floor. Her movements were graceful and serene, and she looked out her window as she worked her way into the best position, enjoying the good view of the shore and the waves of the sea gently brushing against the sand and withdrawing in a cycle. She chuckled mildly through her nose when she heard a flock of seagulls passing overhead, thinking Yep, now the picture's complete!. Eventually, she managed to find the sitting position she was most comfortable with. Smiling, she closed her eyes, rested her hands in her lap, intertwining her fingers, and sat, at peace.

Hana's parents had been Japanese immigrants who'd somehow managed to land in Gylias; they'd named her "Hana" because she happened to be born on the day of the Hanamatsuri festival, and much later in life she opted to go by "Hana Matsuri" because she found the pun amusing. (And she preferred to keep her real family name for her family and friends.) They had adjusted quite easily to their new home, and appreciated the flexibility of Gylian society, but they had taken care to raise Hana with an awareness of her heritage. It wasn't something she was proud of, because that wasn't really an achievement so much as happenstance, but she did consider it an important part of her identity. Her parents weren't particularly religious, but the story of her name intrigued her enough to read about Buddhism. She slowly came to like it as a result and had taken up meditation, though she opted to forge her own path when it came to practicing it, working parts of other religions she'd been exposed to like Shintoism, Concordianism and Cacertian Monotheism into it.

A real practitioner of shikantaza would have probably reacted to Hana's idiosyncratic methods by losing their colour, or having a huge sweat drop accumulate on their forehead. She got the part about "quiet sitting" down perfectly. Whatever movements she made during her meditation were subtle, easily missed with the naked eye - her chest expanding and contracting in rhythm with her breathing, the slightest hints of movement in her fingers, mere centimetres compared to her otherwise steady posture...

It was the "open awareness" part that she tended to have trouble with. She'd learned early on that attempting to make herself focus while meditating and prevent her mind from wandering away was a pointless waste of time. Thoughts came and went, simple as that, and they were impossible to suppress. Trying to force them out really only made them stronger. (Not to mention the fact that thinking about not thinking about something was in itself a thought.) She found it was better to let them happen as they did. After all, a child running and frolicking in a field of sunflowers on a pleasant summer's day would eventually find themselves having to lay down when they burned off their energy, and still enjoy the sights and the day but in a different way. She would do the same when meditating, let her mind wander off freely, wherever it may, and if it may have strayed into parts that were better off avoided she'd calmly think positive thoughts and guide it back to the light, like a diligent mother taking her child's hand and pulling them back to safety when they got too close to the opposite. It was delightful to be alone with her thoughts, since the public education she'd received had done an excellent job of making the inside of her mind a great, lively place to spend time in, and it was always fun to polish and improve her imagination.

Eventually, Hana did actually succeed in having her mind exhaust herself from jumping on random trains of thought and settle down into a slower, more tranquil state where it wasn't thinking or focusing on anything in particular, and everything else had faded in the background, with only her sitting on her pillow meditating remaining as a clear image.

Unfortunately, she failed to notice because at that point she had in fact fallen asleep.




She continued to fail to notice that she had fallen asleep for a few hours.




Some particularly loud footsteps on the corridor outside her room proved to do the trick, and Hana jolted back awake, exclaiming "Guhwa?" as she opened her eyes. Realising what had happened, she laughed, and decided she'd had enough for today and would do other things. It's not as if there was a rush or anything. After all, she had an eternity on hand to get it right. (And it would take her that long, certainly.)

She then got up off the floor, took the pillow and brushed the dust away with her hand, jocularly whispering "sorry..." as she put it back on the bed.

Almost as if on cue, there was a knock on her door, followed by her friend Naomi's distinctive voice, playfully calling "Ha-na-chaaaaan~?" in a tuneful voice, each of the syllables tuned to a separate pitch as if she was imitating a chime.

Grinning, Hana moved on to answer the door.

---

Match statistics

Goals scored
Gylias
Bhaksa Terneshyk (11:03)
Tzane Leuthej (23:15)
Nels Langenberg (37:09)
Kalse Ramned (73:18)
Xadje Korxal (58:35)
Arevik Moushian (85:27)

Wielkilas
Libéral Bruant (29:55)
Gaspard Ulliel (80:51)
Karol Adamiecki (90:00)

Fouls

Starting lineup
Dietmar Enns (goalkeeper)
Mared Terneshyk
Bhaksa Terneshyk
Navan Dzíorny
Tzane Leuthej
Rubinho Rodrigues
Arda Shanrek
Hurik Davidyan
Arevik Moushian
Nels Langenberg
Kalse Ramned

Substitutions
Bhaksa Terneshyk > Adna Acsir (45:00)
Mared Terneshyk > Xadje Korxal (45:00)

Possession
Gylias 59%
Wielkilas 41%

Game summary
03:35 - Zygmunt Puławski slide-tackles Arevik Moushian after she passes. The Gylian team gets a direct free kick.
11:03 - Receiving a pass from the direct free kick, Bhaksa Terneshyk shoots. Marcin Czacki deflects the ball upwards but it rolls past the goal line behind him.
23:15 - Tzane Leuthej takes a long shot from outside the penalty area, scores.
29:55 - Libéral Bruant scores.
37:09 - Mared Terneshyk shoots but Marcin Czacki deflects the ball. Ball is taken by Nels Langenberg before it can leave the penalty area, who shoots and scores.
43:46 - Tadeusz Peszke shoots; Dietmar Enns defends.
45:00 - Ball accidentally flung out of the pitch. Gylian team gets a free throw. Half-time called while the ball is in the air.
54:15 - Zdzisław Krygowski shoots; Dietmar Enns defends.
58:35 - Xadje Korxal scores.
73:18 - Kalse Ramned scores.
80:51 - Gaspard Ulliel scores.
85:27 - Arevik Moushian scores.
90:00 - Karol Adamiecki shoots; Dietmar Enns dives after the ball and slows it down, but it still rolls past the goal line.

[Schottia]

Results

Gylias 1 - 0 Adiron
Harbour Hill, Handon

New Edom 1 - 1 Arbites
New Edom win 3-1 after extra time.
Dukes Street, Handon


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

The Final will be between:

Gylias v New Edom
Harbour Hill, Handon

Cut-off 23:00 GMT Saturday

[Hittanryan]

Sport Report: Adiron Out of the Semifinals

Handon, Schottia- The Orcas have been eliminated from the Cornellian Cup semifinals by tournament-favorite Gylias. Ascir scored the deciding goal in the 75th minute of the match. Hall and Jiang were never able to penetrate the often-chaotic Gylian defense, confounding Lei's normally calculated strategies through sheer unpredictability. Dyrvedz's squad will play New Edom for the Cup, who emerged victorious over the Imperial team.

Adiron has never won the Cornellian Cup, yet 2014 marks one of the Orcas' stronger performances. Adiron advancing to the semifinals in 1998 was considered something of an upset, with the quarterfinal match being won through a penalty kick. This year the Orcas' only defeat during the overall draw came from Les Cygnes, who had similar difficulty overcoming Gylias' somewhat unorthodox tactics.

Although a loss with total victory in sight must never be easy to stomach, the Adiran team seemed to leave the field with their heads held high. Going up against the best the region had to offer, they managed to hold their own until the very end. Interestingly, both teams from Ceti have been eliminated at the same time, with Adiron scoring over twice as many goals as the Imperial team.

Analysis

Despite their strong showing this year, "almost" is never good enough for some sports fans. In light of the Orcas' defeat by Gylias, some of Lei's tactics are being called into question by football experts. His preferred formation is a highly-mobile 4-3-3, which although adaptable to a variety of situations places a great deal of strain on the players. Much of the team is expected to cover wide areas of the field for the entire match, which is not a problem in typical league matches but critics argue can quickly lead to fatigue in extended tournaments. Disappointed football fans have noted that Adiron's performance peaked only halfway through the draw, before they were playing for keeps.

Critics also note that Lei seemed unwilling to substitute players short of a serious injury, exacerbating the very real problems of fatigue and injury. "Is he really that dependent on his starting lineup?" ANBC football analyst Michelle Day critiqued. "If he is, that begs the question why he didn't pick better alternates. If he knew he was dependent on his starting players, why didn't he get alternates who could actually fill in for his starting players? Or did he really plan on running his starting lineup two weeks straight?"

"Money's too good abroad, that's the problem," opined Al Maxwell of Football Today. "This was a good year by Adiran standards and we had a good team, don't get me wrong, but we've still got the same problem we always have: our best talent just doesn't stay here. Tom Hall gets press over here like he's some kind of superstar, but how many more Tom Halls are out of the country playing in Gylian, Ossiennaise, Schottian, or Wielkilasin clubs? Do you realize that Bloch, who wiped the floor with us I might add, gets paid 50% more than Hall? They've all got more money, more prestige, and more experience. If the AFA would get its head out of its ass, maybe it could attract Adiran talent back to this side of the Tartarian. Maybe then, Lei would have enough proper alternates to keep his team upright through a whole tournament."

[Schottia]

Daily Worker Sport

Schottia Manager Voitle Sacked!

Schottia manager Pascal Voitle was sacked earlier today following his sides exit from the Cornellian Cup on Tuesday. Many have questioned the timing of the decision, which came the day before the final has even been played. Voitle may feel a little had done by, as he has by no means had a bad tournament; reaching the quarter finals and picking up a win against finalists New Edom. The quarter final exit, at the hands of Adiron, comes on the back of a string of poor tournaments on the international stage however, and in the past Voitle's tactics have been accused of being a little gung-ho.

So far no one from the SFA has been available to comment on the departure as the Green and Whites will now begin the search for a new manager before world cup. One of the biggest controversies levied against Voitle was the perceived bias towards players from the supposed larger teams such as Handon United and Soessch. Some have said he was too quick to dismiss stars like Port Sebastian's Mark Allen and Hollin's Chris Jack, who never set foot on the pitch the whole campaign.

Commenting today as he left Harbour Hill to a mixture of boos and cheers, the fifty-five year old said he "was proud of what he had achieved with the team and was sorry it had come to an end." He went on to wish the next manager "all the best" claiming that they had a good bunch of player there, and they had a great chance of success in the future.

Voitle also took time to echo the words of his Adiron counterpart, who after their exit to Gylias criticised the role of money in regional football.

"With Football starting to take off in a big way, we are going to have to seriously look at introducing wage caps on domestic clubs' spending. A socialist country like Schottia is slowly but surely going to lose out to foreign clubs who can afford way bigger salaries. It doesn't matter that we are offering doctors wages to our top stars, if they can get a quarter of a million a week elsewhere. We need some sort of a level playing field where we are not in danger of loosing all our best players to capitalist countries. We are in real danger of seeing our league seriously depleted of talent in five or ten years time." Pascal Voitle

[Gylias]

Gylias-Adiron match statistics

Goals scored
Adna Acsir (75:11)

Fouls

Starting lineup
Nar Enylesh (goalkeeper)
Zardáy Thashnæn
Arda Shanrek
Adna Acsir
Kalse Ramned
Navan Dzíorny
Tzane Leuthej
Dietmar Enns
Bhaksa Terneshyk
Mared Terneshyk
Nels Langenberg

Substitutions
Tzane Leuthej > Panagiotakis Xanthopoulos (45:00)
Dietmar Enns > Rubinho Rodrigues (45:00)

Possession
Gylias 47%
Adiron 53%

Game summary
06:02 - Arda Shanrek receives a pass close to the penalty area, and unsuccessfully attempts to dribble past Cory Rodriguez.
08:48 - Navan Dzíorny shoots. Kurt Townsend leaps after the ball and misses it narrowly, but the ball narrowly misses the goal in turn.
17:11 - Nels Langenberg shoots, but Kurt Townsend defends.
24:07 - Dietmar Enns intercepts a long overhead pass from Kurt Townsend to Ryan Jiang, and makes an overhead pass to the Adiran side of the pitch before the ball hits the ground.
25:19 - Santiago Lowe headers the Gylian pass before it can reach Tzane Leuthej, and passes to Art Sung.
43:32 - Scrimmage in the centre field ends with Adiran possession of the ball.
45:00 - Harold Davis shoots; Nar Enylesh defends.
46:00 - Panagiotakis Xanthopoulos pries the ball away from Ken Nguyen with a slide-tackle.
47:10 - Ed Chin seizes the ball from Mared Terneshyk.
51:49 - Panagiotakis Xanthopoulos receives a long overhead pass in the penalty area and shoots. The referee stops play and rules that he has committed an offside offence. Adiran team receives an indirect free kick.
59:46 - Rubinho Rodrigues attempts an overhead pass but kicks the ball too hard. Ball reaches Kurt Townsend, who punches it away, and is then taken by Ed Chin, who passes to Tom Hall.
67:07 - Kalse Ramned accidentally kicks the ball off the field. Free throw given to the Adiran team.
73:24 - Rob Brooks and Bhaksa Terneshyk scramble for the ball after a botched overhead pass. Zardáy Thashnæn takes the ball in the confusion and passes to Adna Acsir.
75:11 - Adna Acsir scores with a kick into the right corner of the goal that Kurt Townsend's leap narrowly misses.
80:51 - Tom Hall dribbles past Rubinho Rodrigues and Navan Dzíorny.
82:16 - Ralph Green shoots. Ball hits the goalpost and bounces off the field.
87:37 - Ken Nguyen attempts to pass to Ryan Jiang in the penalty area. Tzane Leuthej intercepts.
90:00 - Ryan Jiang sprints towards the penalty area, but full time is called before he can shoot.

[New Edom]

DUKE STREET STADIUM, Handon, Schottia

No one had expected the Arbiters to be an easy win—they had beaten them before. And the moment that the team knew that Sean “The Wall” Hall was out on the pitch, they were setting their jaws. He looked like Goliath out there. Imlah for a moment felt his confidence falter—the Aribters were like classical heroes of old. He had to remind himself of the many times that the children of the Lord faced mighty men, giants, and the will of God prevailed always. One battle, one match, was not His entire will. So without hesitation he bowed to Coach Alexander.

“If we’re ever to be rivals, let it always be on a pitch or a playing field,” said Imlah sincerely. “You’ve played wonderfully this Cup—it is an honour to meet your team on the pitch again.”

Imlah watched, breathing hard as right away the Arbites’ defense proved tough to get past, with Pabadakis’ pass to Mahlon tackled by Larry Baker, dribbling like a juggler, turning easily as a windmill and sending a pass to Ken Reed, zipping it off to Tom Swain who was wide open for a shot at the goal, slamming the ball forward at lightning speed, but a flying dive by Reuben Ephratities blocked it and he hurled the ball to Raphael Gabon.

Imlah could see it clearly: they had studied the Griffons’ tactics keenly. It was as though they presciently could anticipate Cleopas and Mahlon trying to lead a charge through the field, as though they knew when Pabadakis was bluffing for a pass.

Nerve wrackingly, again and again the Arbiters stole the initiative, grabbed the ball and charged through a barely rallying midfield and goal defense, the towering Arbiters running as though they were made for it. Imlah could see the demoralization building, and finally Ernest Carter slammed the ball in, Ephratites missing by a mere finger’s length just seconds before the half.

During the break, Imlah knew that they expected him to just chew them out; he could see it on their faces in the locker room. He heard them muttering. The Arbiters had done unbelievably well, they were unbeatable like the unlikely Gylians. What could be done?

“New plan,” said Imlah quietly. “All of you listen up. I can see it on your faces—we could really lose this one. From now on, stop worrying about getting the ball down the field. Don’t let them through. No matter what—don’t let them through. If an opportunity comes, take it, but focus on one thing and one thing only: don’t let them through. Got that?”

“Yessir,” they said.

“Believe me,” he said, worried about the lackluster response, “You can do it.” Time to snap them out of it.

“Yessir.”

“What? I can’t hear you!” he shouted.

“Yessir!”

“Bullshit, I can’t hear you!” he yelled.

They thundered “YESSIR!”

“Alright, let’s have the doc look you over, then get out there and hold. You hold, no matter what—you hold.” Imlah said, meeting all their eyes. This they could do. Hopefully. He got out the white board and began to write the opposing team’s positions, designating players to players, trying to rewrite the playbook on the spot.

Imlah sometimes forgot what a marvel this was, this symbol of the nation as the President had put it. They were a real team of rivals.

He could see Daniel Cleopas muttering to himself, crossing himself, looking at his opposite number who looked like he was made of springs and high tensile steel. Cleopas jogged in place, member jiggling, and closed his eyes then opened them, determined.
Please, thought Imlah, Stick to the midfield. Please hold them.

Again ad again, the Arbiter crashed against the fighting retreat of the Griffons, to no avail, though there were two more shots saved by Ephratites, who then went off with a sprained wrist, replaced by Gabriel Orpah.

Ten minutes left, and still 1-0. They had fought the good fight, it was over. All the Arbiters had to do was hold them now. Imlah clenched his teeth—Roy Collins got the ball off Michael Pabadakis, swept away from Zacharias Agag who just couldn’t catch him, and then at the last second, slipped. It was a chance of a lifetime pass as Agag zipped in and passed to Joseph Mahlon, Pabadakis sprinting suddenly to get in the way of Gerald Cooper. As though they had planned it, Cleopas charged down the field and receiving a long soaring pass from Mahlon meters from the goal head slammed it in.

Imlah realized the voice cheering was his, it just exploded out of him.

He felt more like a general than a sergeant—he had to give orders and hope they’d be carried out, take his brief chances to direct things. Cooper and Evans drove Cleopas offside before he could pass to Mahlon. Intercepted overhead pass between Pabadakis and Gabon by Reed. Reed dodges around Pabadakis’ attempt to regain, expertly dribbling and moving to pass to Carter, who powerfully kicks the ball at the goal for a save by Orpah, the ball ricocheting off, scuffling between Carter and Clemens, Carter has it but Clemens is fast after him, Orpah hunched and alert, this time catching the goal kick and throwing it to Gabon.

At extra time, the team, keen as mustard, rush down the pitch. Reed gains the ball from Pabadakis, but his attempt to pass to Swain partially intercepted by Cleopas and goes out; a free throw for the Arbiters has them trying to seize control again. Swain and Mahlon scrambled for the ball; Swain slams a pass to Carter, but his goal kick strikes the post.

Moving the ball fast down the pitch, Pabadakis fakes out Cooper and passes to Cleopas who is past his prima donna days as he passes to Mahlon, who fires a shot of that goes in.

Slapping hands and backs, Cleopas and Mahlon run grinning down the pitch in what will become one of the iconic photos of the team for the New Edomite fans at home.

A fierce back and forth battle at midfield followed—short passes and dribbling, neither team wanting to lose their chance, the Arbiters could still bring it to a tie again, not wanting to let it go, but a tumble by Clemens and a ricochet of the ball off Collins results in an opening for Cleopas, and with Pabadakis running interference he sends a successful long pass to Joseph Mahlon who sends in the goal.

While they cheered and pumped fists gladly, they also remembered the courtesy of the Aribters before and made the same invitation to them, and complimented them hugely on their style of play.

[Schottia]

The Grand Final Results

New Edom 1 - 0 Gylias
Harbour Hill, Handon
Capacity crowd: 55,000

[New Edom]

THE FINEBERG TIMES

at Jun 28, 2014

---

New Edom Wins!

by Tim Stanton

HARBOR HILL, Handon, Schottia — New Edom defeated the Gylias 1-0 in the teams’ finals for the Cornellian Cup in Harbour Hill, Handon. 55,000 people gathered to watch the final match of what has been a very exciting Cup for a number of teams.
Joseph Mahlon scored the winner in the 55th minute, powering a shot past Dietmar Enns.
The amiable Gylian team, whose home television networks are among the few that showed the New Edomites uncensored, have brought to the Cup a rare sense of athleticism for athleticism’s sake.

“It was like playing water polo with dolphins” said Daniel Cleopas, shaking his head and laughing during an interview with NENN. “They don’t know how good they are. Even if we were inclined to, how could we hate them?”

The Gylians startled the Griffons by cheering for Jasper Chilion for a barely by a finger’s breadth goal save, entirely void of sarcasm, and two Gylian players, Hana Matsuri and Navan Dzíorny stopped play when Michael Pabadakis badly hurt his left arm in a fall, helping him off the field before anyone could get there.

Nevertheless, this surprising courtesy did not put the Edomites off their game—indeed the Gylian fluid defense/offense was positively off putting and defied tactical anticipation. Frequently Coach Imlah was seen clenching his jaw and pacing like a caged leopard.

The goal that won the match sealed the victory of the Griffons—shocking and delighting fans as the first Cornellian Cup played by the national team in years was also a winner—a dark horse run indeed that has ended in joy for the nation. Ecstatic players bowed in courtesy to the Gylians and thanked them for a wonderful game, offering to buy them drinks and a meal later as their treat.

President Pahath-Moab has said, “If anyone has doubted that people from different parts of the country, different backgrounds, different faiths, different cultures, could come together to succeed and have victory in peace, let those doubts now be put to rest, and let every member of the team and coaching staff know: New Edom is proud of them.”

[Hittanryan]

STOMP STOMP CLAP
STOMP STOMP CLAP
STOMP STOMP CLAP

The Adiran stands were echoing with rhythmic stomps and claps. In a way, this match was more important than the Cup. There were rumors, however dubious, that DeGroot himself was coming down. That was a gross exaggeration, all he really did was call Drescher, congratulate him a good run, and to urge his team to "unleash absolute fucking hell on those Imperial shit-stains." Drescher said the team wouldn't disappoint, and had passed the message on accordingly. Now there was a flash mob in the Adiran stands as the Orcas were set to emerge. The Orcas themselves, had actually met with the ringleader and were coordinating it. Now a figure emerged near the top of the stands. The crowd parted to reveal speakers and a single man, sporting a fake Freddie Mercury moustache, with a microphone.

Buddy you're a boy make a big noise
Playin' in the street gonna be a big man some day
You got mud on yo' face
You big disgrace
Kickin' your can all over the place
Singin'

The singer then pointed directly at the Imperial fans, and a thunderous chorus erupted from the Adiran stands:

WE WILL WE WILL ROCK YOU
WE WILL WE WILL ROCK YOU

Buddy you're a young man hard man
Shoutin' in the street gonna take on the world some day
You got blood on yo' face
You big disgrace
Wavin' your banner all over the place

WE WILL WE WILL ROCK YOU
WE WILL WE WILL ROCK YOU

Buddy you're an old man poor man
Pleadin' with your eyes gonna make you some peace some day
You got mud on your face
Big disgrace
Somebody better put you back into your place!

WE WILL WE WILL ROCK YOU
WE WILL WE WILL ROCK YOU

The singer, meanwhile, was readying an electric guitar. There was an amp amongst the speakers. The Orcas below, meanwhile, were ready for their cue.

WE WILL WE WILL ROCK YOU
WE WILL WE WILL ROCK YOU

Then the singer fired off a chord on his guitar, and Hall led the Orcas' charge out onto the field. The flash mob continued their rhythm, but the rest of the crowd was electrified. As the climactic guitar solo continued, Chin started waving at the Adiran stands to psyche them up. Davis made a praying gesture, then pointed at the Imperial team. Hall and the rest of the forwards advanced, stone-faced, onto the field. They'd lost to Gylias, and the only team to score a goal on the Imperium so far was New Edom. If anyone was going to break through these bastards, it might as well be an Adiran.

The Field

Eventually, they were all on the pitch lined up against one another. There was silence as the formalities got under way, but eventually a single comment was hurled by an Adiran. "So, killed any gays lately?" Nguyen quipped at his Imperial opposite number. The rest of the Adiran centers glanced over at him, then appraised their enemy.

There was a moment of silence, until Swain replied "That's funny, I was just about to ask you if you killed any babies recently." There were a few chuckles from the Imperial lines.

Chin then yelled forward "Yeah, their livers taste best with some fava beans and a nice Chianti." He then made an unsettling slurping noise.

"That what you eat after a fag wedding?" Collins retorted, not even trying to mask his contempt. "Before you pound each other in the ass, I mean?"

Davis only answered with a "kissy-face" directed at Collins. The kickoff was starting soon, the nervous ref just about to start it up. The Imperium won the coin toss, and Swain was making the kickoff. Then, Adiron and the Imperium were seemingly at war again.

Soundtrack

Swain's kick-off sailed towards the Adiran goal, and was quickly collected by Brooks. Just as the first Imperials converged on him, the defender faked a pass forward in favor of a pass to Lowe, who connected a long pass to Jiang. As they moved to support the strikers, the Adiran centers were swarmed by Evans, Cooper, and Collins. Baker was sticking to Hall like glue, Green was behind at least two others, and now Jiang was up against The Wall and Griffin.

Realizing he was probably going to lose the ball anyway, Jiang stopped to taunt his opponents, lifting the ball up and trying to bounce it on his head past the defenders. The Wall was having none of it, rushed him, and when the ball dropped back to the ground flat out kicked both the striker's legs out from under him. Lei was calling foul, and Alexander was berating Lei's bellyaching. The refs let it slide, much to Lei's outrage.

As The Wall tried to make a long pass, Tom Hall (no known relation) deflected the ball with his chest. Unable to collect it, the ball went out on the side. Baker threw the ball to Wright, who advanced upfield until just before coming under assault by Sung and Davis. He deftly connected a sideward pass to CB Evans, who in turn passed to CB Cooper, dragging the Adiran defensive midfielders with them.

Abruptly, Cooper toppled over, victim to a slide tackle by Green hitting him from behind. He wasn't alone. No sooner had he collected the ball than he found himself darting his way around Baker, at which point he was solidly tackled by Griffin.

This was all in the first two minutes of the game.

The fierce melee continued unabated for most of the first half. Despite the Adirans connecting plenty passes forward, however, the forwards simply couldn't hang onto the ball. No matter what the Adirans did, the Imperial defense just soaked up every single attack. Just like the match with Gylias, Hall and Jiang just couldn't get anything to work. Some goal opportunities were lost within seconds; The Wall in particular seemed to delight in bowling the Adirans over. At the same time, Chin lost count of how many times he slammed into Carter. He knew their game: he was their target man, almost half the Imperial goals in the Cup had been scored by him alone. If the bastard was laid out on his ass, he couldn't score a goal. Both sides were heated; two yellow cards were pulled on each team in the first half hour, with nothing coming of the kicks.

In minute thirty two, the stalemate broke at last. The Adirans were driving hard, with even their defensive midfielders trying desperately to support a failing attack by Hall. Wright bolted forward as he saw Griffin steal the ball. The heretics' grunts and sweat was suddenly a mile away: Wright was out in the open, and Griffin saw him. The pass nearly missed. Wright had to leap what felt like two meters into the air to bounce it off his chest. Emperor willing, however, he got it, and almost before his feet hit the ground, he sent it up to AML Collins, who sent it over to Carter. Chin descended on him, but Carter sidestepped Chin's slide tackle and barreled his way right up to the penalty box. He was so close Townsend had to pick a direction and guess which way to dive in a split second. He guessed wrong. The Imperium was now 1-0, and the Imperial stands began to sing Magi hymns.

Now the Imperial wingers pulled back and swarmed every attempt to make it past the center line. Lei and Drescher were scrambling. All of their target men were marked, outnumbered, and isolated. The Adiran stands were quiet, their gaze fixated on the field...and on the Imperial stands. The Orcas themselves were tense; they didn't say a word to their opposite numbers, barely acknowledging them as people outside of their roles on the field.

Drescher knew they had to make a change. Taking their defeat by Gylias to heart, he knew flexibility was the only way to come back now. This was looking like every Imperial victory so far. They got a single point lead, then locked the entire field down. Attacking in force just wasn't their style at this stage of the game. Therefore, his epiphany dictated, there was no use holding the midfielders back to disrupt attacks. The centers were to go virtually all-in on the offense.

In minute 41, the Adiran midfield surged forward to take on the Imperial defense directly. It didn't quite work. Aware the Adiran defense was weakened, Wright attempted once more to send a pass forward. This time, however, Carter was utterly alone, and it was him against four determined attackers who easily anticipated the pass' trajectory. Carter never even collected it, Rodriguez did as the other three formed a solid mass of football players between the Imperial CF and the ball.

Rodriguez passed to Davis, who had dropped back for a moment. Instead of passing forward, he begin simply dribbling upfield at full speed. He briefly lost possession to Wright, who suddenly found that Nguyen wrested the ball out from under him. Just as the Imperial defense reoriented, Nguyen passed back to Davis again. The Wall and Baker had Jiang and Hall marked, not anticipating a sudden attack by a center-midfielder, and were too slow to respond. The rest of the Adiran team paved a corridor for Davis, who only briefly lost possession to The Wall, who in a rare instance found himself on the receiving end of a tackle by Hall. Once inside the penalty box, Davis took the shot. Powell guessed correctly which way to dive, but couldn't anticipate the extra bit of spin Davis put on the ball. It curved mere centimeters from Powell's outstretched fingertips into the goal. The crestfallen Adiran stands erupted.

In halftime, there were reports of fights breaking out between the Adirans and the Imperials. Tied after a herculean effort, the two bitterly opposed nations were taking the opportunity to vent some of the simmering tension in the form of a bit of the old ultraviolence. Schottian police, luckily, anticipated difficulties, and broke up altercations before they spread past the limits of what was sane or safe.

After halftime, the Imperial team couldn't simply stay locked down as they had before. Barring intervention by the Emperor, chances were much lower that Carter could press home an attack completely unsupported. Solid player that he was, the Adiran defense would simply overwhelm him while the rest of his team was on the other side of the field. The game returned to the fast-paced but indecisive battle of the first half. The feverish efforts of both teams to affect a breakthrough was reflected in the disciplinary record: eleven yellow cards, six for Adiron, five for the Imperium, were issued in second half.

By the time a corner kick in the 85th minute rolled around, both teams had appeared to slow down with exhaustion. They'd been beating the hell out of each other for the entire match. It looked like the game was going to end in a draw. No one expected what happened next. The Imperials realized victory might not come, and so they had nothing to lose. As the kick went off, even the noisy stands could hear the entire Imperial team let loose a ferocious cry:

"FOR THE EMPEROR!"

With that, the Imperial team surged forward as a phalanx towards the Adiran goal. Midfield briefly disrupted the attack, but was enveloped and overwhelmed. The Imperials seemed to be everywhere at once, being driven by some unseen power to push past their physical limits of endurance and fatigue. The Adiran forwards doubled back just to try to slow their advance. After Chin felled Swain like a tree, however, Townsend found himself staring down Carter, Collins, and Reed.

Chin dove on the first shot by Carter, deflecting it off, but Wright was there to collect it. He shot the ball over to Collins. In an instant, the ball was careening towards the goal. Townsend barely saw it, just enough to react, jumping with his hands raised. He felt the impact, and it shot back out onto the field. Reed took the next shot, just as the Imperials were being mobbed by the Adirans coiling around them. Reed wasn't the best striker though. Townsend watched him, looked at his feet, and dove out to his right. Suddenly, he realized, the ball was his, in his hands.

He looked at the clock. 88 minutes. He looked at the field. Almost the entirety of both teams were present, and the Orcas were fighting to stay in position. How the hell could they do this?

Without enough time to weigh all his options, Townsend dropped the ball down and began dribbling.

The Imperials were all covered by at least one Adiran, they couldn't get to him. However, Townsend was only willing to push his luck so far. Eventually he'd navigated his way to the edge of the field with Imperials in pursuit, and passed a single shot to Jiang near the center field. 89 minutes.

With the Imperial defense concentrated all near the Adiran goals, Jiang did what he did best: dribble really, really fast. They couldn't catch him. No one could catch him. He was on Powell's penalty box in no time. Powell guessed that Jiang would shoot with his left, which would put the ball in one corner. As the shot came, he dove to the left.

The ball sailed over Powell into the net. Adiron 2-1. Ten seconds to spare. The Imperials didn't even have time to make it to the Adiran goal when the buzzer sounded.

For fans back home this was the most important match of the Cup. For this match alone, they took time off work. People who didn't care about football watched this match on the edge of their seats. Impromptu parties broke out, held by people who hated football. Now that they won, nothing else mattered. They didn't care that they took third. They didn't care about the controversy surrounding Lei's strategy, or that lousy brackets forced them to play the Cup favorites in the semifinals. They beat them.

Imperial state-run media didn't report the loss. In fact, the fact that the match even took place wasn't even reported. The Order Eidos had been careful not to mention that the third place match would take place in the run-up, just in case.