1st Champions Challenge Cup (Done)

[New West Guiana]

The Champions Challenge Cup is a invite only lacrosse tournament for those who during the recent World Lacrosse Championships have proven their ability to consistently rp, win or lose. This competition will place these teams together in the most harsh environment, everyone in one group, one round robin with the top two teams at the end advancing to the championship game, where at the end of the day there can only be one true champion. Winning is the only goal there will be no 3rd place and the one who comes in second will be given nothing, "There can only be one winner".

If you were not invited, do not post in here.

Group CC
West Phoencia
Vangaziland
Banija
West Guiana

First team is designated home team.

Schedule
MD1: Vangaziland vs West Phoencia; Banija vsWest Guiana
MD2: West Phoencia vs West Guiana; Vangaziland vs Banija
MD3: Banija vs West Phoencia; West Guiana vs Vangaziland

[New West Guiana]

Andrew Forte Memorial Stadium (18,700), Port Salem, Bekk

MD1: Vangaziland vs West Phoencia

Located 15 miles south west of West Guiana's third largest city and its largest in Bekk Lake the stadium is uniquely set in the backdrop of the Salem River which is connected to the Cross Continental Canal, that connects Bekk Lake with the oceans of Atlantian Oceania.The stadium is home to the National Lacrosse Leagues Port Salem Seahawks, winners of five NLL titles.

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Omni Tech Field (32,000), New Haven, Guiana

MD1: Banija vsWest Guiana
Omni Tech Field is placed just outside the city limits of New Haven, which is the Provincial Capital of Guiana, and is located on the St. Johns River which is also connected to the Cross Continental Canal. The stadium is home to both the State University of New Haven and the New Haven Hamsters, two time NLL champions.

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The Dome(10,150), Freemont, Myto

MD2: West Phoencia vs West Guiana
The Dome, is the second smallest stadium that will be used during this tournament, it is not home to any NLL franchise, but it is one of only six stadiums in West Guiana that are indoors.

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MD2: Vangaziland vs Banija

Tim Westy Stadium (21,800), St. Johns, Myto
Home to the FC St. Johns soccer club of the NPSL and the St. Johns Menance of the NLL, this stadium is set out near the suburbs so traffic if little to worry.

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Ace Park (36,900), Willington, Alkoul
By far the most unique field being used, due to its blue turf, Willington is the provincial capital of Alkoul and located near many ski resorts located in the nearby Calian Alps which serve as the backdrop for the city as a whole.
MD3: Banija vs West Phoencia

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Dalson Wildcat Field (8,700), Dalson, Aluersia
The smallest stadium being used for the group play, but it is also home to the newly crowned Dalson Wildcats who have won their fist NLL title. The city of Dalson is also the smallest at only 17,000 people.
MD3: West Guiana vs Vangaziland

[Vangaziland]

Vangaziland Royals National Lacrosse
Head Coach: Larry Hootsen
Assistant Coach: Jon Vennet
Personal Trainer: Sheila Hancourt

Starting
G - #3 - Stevie Jacob - 5'8 -176 lbs
D - #32 - Vince Heart - 5'11 - 215 lbs
D - #66 - Lars Swenson - 6'6 - 255 lbs
D - #41 - Mike Swythe - 6'2 - 245 lbs
M - #22 - Jake Carrs - 5'9 - 179 lbs
M - #7 - Rich Purdehar - 6'1 - 185 lbs
M - #25 - Chris Anderssen - 6'0 - 175 lbs
A - #1 - Will Rubey -5'8 - 170 lbs
A - #12 - Tony Tute - 6'1 - 190 lbs
A - #20 - Andie Verrando - 5'10 - 175 lbs

Reserve
D - #45 - Andrew Lotson - 6'0 - 200 lbs
D - #50 - Merril Andalay - 6'1 - 220 lbs
D - #35 - Freddie Tentson - 6'2 - 211 lbs

M - #27 - Derrick Kensite - 5'11 - 175 lbs
M - #7 - Henry Libberson - 5'8 - 164 lbs
M - #16 - Theo Scandrix - 5'7 - 170 lbs
M - #10 - Erik Schotta - 6'0 - 175 lbs

A - #8 - Mike Grensen - 5'8 - 175 lbs
A - #14 - Tim Dunbork - 6'1 - 190 lbs
A - #9 - Jimmy Lattersen - 5'6 - 165 lbs

[West Phoencia]

The West Phoenician Daredevils Lacrosse Team are honoured at the invitation and gladly accept.



Coaches

Head Coach: Roberto Taylor
Assistant Coach: Helena Bryce

Starting X

Prince Jericho Bush - Goalkeeper
Luiz Debney - Defender
Scott Mare - Defender
Jake Prospect - Defender
Ryan Marine Midfielder
Ben Ascot - Midfielder
Stephen Di Mateo - Midfielder-
Audie Cult - Forward
Colin King - Forward
Daniel Joseph - Forward

Bench

Skipper Brisbane- Goalkeeper
Joshua Indi - Defender
Rhett English - Midfielder
Matt de Chapps - Midfielder
Raj Kik- Forward

[Banija]

Official Banijan Men's National Lacrosse Team roster for the Inaugural Champions Challenge Cup

Head Coach: Pavle Yankovich. Banijan central midfielder in WLC 21 & WLC 22; Captain of the WLC 22 team. Managed WLC XXIV and WLC XXV. Age 44.
Demonym: Banijan
Trigamme: BNJ
Style Modifier: +5

2nd place finish at the 21st World Lacrosse Championships(International Debut)
3rd place finish at the 22nd World Lacrosse Championships
3rd/4th place finish at the 25th World Lacrosse Championships
4th place finish at the 1st Multiverse Games for Men's Lacrosse
KOed in the Round of 16 at the 23rd World Lacrosse Championships
KOed in Quarterfianls of the 24th World Lacrosse Championships
Total Record: 36-14
World Ranking: #6

Home jerseys: Black
Away: White
Alternate: Green

Starters are underlined
Players from the WLC 24 team are italicized
Goalies
Jela Ikeno. #29, age 24.
Boris Sakota. #31, age 33.
Anthony Valnovich. #35, age 26.

Defenders
Hassan Motuma #7, age 28. Left Side.
Isaiah Bath. #13, age 28. Central.
Lemuel Debebe. #17, age 24. Right Side.
Eleazar Aklilu. #2, age 31.
Daudi Maruty. #19, age 21.
Busara Badru. #4, age 23.
Nikola Vucenov. #5, age 24.

Midfield
Levan Wesley. #27, age 29. Left Side.
Alex Rod. #10, age 30. Central. Team Captain.
KeAndre Wright. #18, age 25. Right Side.
Joseph Novak. #22, age 30.
Beno Azizi. #24, age 19.
Kamari Nyo. #6, age 27.
Taji Adhama. #21, age 22.

Attack
Alexei Zitros. #16, age 31. Left Side.
Deke Papadakis. #15, age 28. Central.
Cyrus Bell. #9, age 23. Right Side.
Beno Abdalla. #8, age 24.
Mosi Basar. #20, age 33.
Usian Salehe. #23, age 26.
Zahur Mkubwa. #11, age 25.

Schedule
(TBA)

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goal scorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
Suspend my players: Yes (please specify the length of the suspension though)
Godmod suspension events: Yes (please specify the length of the suspension though)
Godmod other events: No

[New West Guiana]

First Matchday cutoff will be Wednesday around 1 am CST(Chicago)

[New West Guiana]

Manager Jim Ule (22-16), Has been the national team manager since the 22nd World Lacrosse Championships.

Roster

[Banija]

The All-Banija Sports Magazine
The only nationwide publication that is all sports, all the time!

Banija enters Champions Challenge Cup searching for gold following another 3rd place showing at the World Lacrosse Championships


Beno Azizi handles the ball in the 3rd place match against New West Guiana

NEW HAVEN, NEW WEST GUIANA- In the world of international lacrosse, the Lacrosse Council is consistently looking for ways to continue to grow the game and grow interest into the sport. The most recently completed edition of the tournament had 40 participants, which is a record in terms of number of teams participating in the WLCs. Even with the large number of teams, not many surprises were handed out. For the 3rd time in the last 4 tournaments, it was Abanhfleft lifting that trophy. Just like every one of the previous 4 tournaments, Banija made a run into the knockout stages but could not figure out how to lift that trophy.

That leads us, of course, to the 1st Champions Challenge Cup. An invitation-only tournament, as teams begin preparations for the next edition of the World Lacrosse Championships. 4 teams, who are Vangaziland, New West Guiana, and West Phoenicia, will descend into New West Guiana and battle it out for this trophy. They will play a round robin in a winner takes all format, and the top two group stage performers will play each other in the tournament final, where the winner will take it all and the second, third, and fourth place participants will get nothing. It is a good opportunity for these national teams to get in work on the international stage, as all 4 participants seem to have a reasonable chance of winning the next WLCs.

Of course, this Banijan team has a history of struggling to get the job done, as they've made three runs to the semifinals in their 5 tournaments, and yet have never hoisted that trophy. They've lost two semifinals to Abanhfleft, each en route to Abanhfleft lifting the trophy themselves, and they've won a semifinal, only to then fall to the then defending champions Cosumar in the 21st edition of the World Lacrosse Championships. Their incredible run of consistency, never failing to qualify for the knockout stages, something not even Abanhfleft can claim with their 3 trophies in 4 tournaments, has made Banija a lacrosse powerhouse. However, they are missing one crucial thing- a trophy.

Can this tournament be different? All 4 teams are sending out their first teams, meaning that this tournament figures to be fairly competitive. However, Banija, alongside hosts New West Guiana, can be considered one of the early favorites to walk out of here with their first competitive international lacrosse trophy. They defeated New West Guiana 11-10 for 3rd place in the last WLCs, and they also swept West Phoenicia at the last WLCs. Since Banija beat Vangaziland for 3rd place in the 22nd WLCs, that means Banija is, historically, undefeated against all three tournament participants.

That past, however, has no bearing on what'll happen in the upcoming weeks in New West Guiana, according to the Head Coach. "The pressure is great on us to win an international trophy, and we believe this is a great opportunity to win a championship. Of course, all of these games are going to be tough, as all 4 teams here are talented, but we believe that we can compete with anybody, at any place, at any time. We have players like Alex Rod, players like Alexei Zitros, who have been waiting to bring a trophy home to Banija, and I believe that this is our time. We have to prepare well however, and hopefully we will be well prepared for our opener against the host nation."

It is clear that the pressure is on Pavle Yankovich. After that devastating semifinal loss, he gained some good karma back by winning that 3rd place match, but the bar has been set for Banija ever since that first Cinderella run to the Final of the WLCs, even though they haven't been back since.The goal is trophies, and fans are getting restless, as well as Dejan Polek, who is in charge of lacrosse in Banija. If Yankovich fails to bring home a trophy from this tournament, he will lose his job, and that only serves to show the immense pressure on this Banijan team to perform well on this tour of New West Guiana.

[New West Guiana]

24 hours till MD1 cutoff

[West Phoencia]

Underdog up for the challenge!

The West Phoenicia Dare Devils have thrown out their old playbook. With Coach Taylor throwing in new plays and tactics that were not displayed at the last tournament as West Phoenicia gets ready to compete against Vangaziland in the first MD which is scheduled to be held in the Andrew Forte Memorial Stadium.

Coach Taylor is aware it's a risky move, but better to throw the enemy off their game.

All three matches promise to be tough as West Phoenicia is clearly the underdog. But The Dare Devils have something to prove and a strong desire not to be walked over by the competition.

No roster changes have been made, Coach Taylor having declared "I have my boys trained well, they played brilliantly in the last Lacrosse Tournament. They didn't win overall, but they learnt to work as a team, and build up a bigger reputation."

The West Phoenicia Dare Devils have promised it will not just be a match, but a performance whenever they hit the fields.

[Vangaziland]

The Group Stage went well for the Vangaziland Royals lacrosse team. They failed to advance from the Round of 16 though. It was an unassuming end for a team that showed real poise and skill. Vangaziland earned wins because of a few key characters and a basic strategy.

"It was a disappointing finish", said Coach Larry Hootsen. "We faced a tough opponent in Ko-oren. We still have some growing to do as a team before we topple a team like that."

But the Coach was more optimistic about his chances at the 1st Champions Challenge Cup.

"If we run our game, we have a shot to take this tournament", Hootsen said. "Our offense has a lot of weapons. Defense can clear and put pressure on teams. We'll just have to see who brings what to the table."

The coach had good things to say about the other teams in the tournament.

"We are in good company, as far as the invited teams are concerned. When you think of International lacrosse, you think of Banija and West Guiana. The same could be said about West Phoencia. Maybe one day, Vangaziland will build an international reputation as well."

Several players also spoke at a press conference centered around the Challenge Cup. One of them was Jake Carrs. The man proved to be a beast and a weapon over the group stage. He led the team in assists by far. He ran the offense like a quarterback or a point guard.

"I'll look to hit the field, just like I did for the WLC", Carrs said. "We have to run our offense. We have to win with fundamentals."

Carrs wasn't just a facilitator. He would keep the defense earnest with his shooting ability. Tony Tute led the team in scoring and was also on hand for interviews.

"We have to stick to our game-plan. We'll throw a few different plays in there", Tute said. "We'll do what it takes to drive on."

Tute also praised the other teams. "It won't be easy though. These are the teams known for fighting. I'm sure they'll game-plan for us. We'll do the same. We've been watching lots of tape. We're ready."

Lars Swenson was the defender on hand at the press conference. He led the team in tackles and clearances. The 6'6 Vangazi played center on the D-line. He was a big body that could shift and move quickly.

"We're expecting some tough offenses.", Swenson said. "For us, it's all about shifting, hitting and getting the ball out of danger. Each team has their weapons. We'll prepare."

The Vangazi people would be behind the game, with broadcasts projected to be shown in millions of Vannish homes.

"We missed the 24th edition of the World Lacrosse Championships", Hootsen said. "Lacrosse is our national sport. The Vannish public is hungry for this. We'll try not to disappoint."

[New West Guiana]

Challenges Ahead

Despite failing to place in the Silver Edition Jim Ule kept his job, but when he came to the WG Lacrosse HQ to negotiate his new contract to which he was expected to make $50,000 more per year than under his old with further incentives when in future World Lacrosse Championships his teams advance. However after long negotiations it was announced that after this invite only cup that Ule will resign as the head of the national team citing that being the head of the team for the past six years has taken his attention off his duties for the Newhouse Animals.

Newly elected president of WG Lacrosse Adam Silver announced that after the Champions Challenge Cup which is being fully sponsored by WG Lacrosse, that the commitee will be looking deeply into who will be the 5th Manager of the national team, and that he thanks Ule for doing his service despise the challenges he faced with the previous board of Directors. The new Board of Directors is comparmised up of those who have played, coached or currently own NLL teams; Sophia McCane(owner of the Japser City Energy), Tom Sandler(former coach of the Gemsbrook Eagles), Gergery Jones(Former Attacker for the St. Johns Menace), Samuel Smithsin(current HC of the Dalson Wildcats) and Frank Gore(former goalie for the New Haven Hamsters).

In his first press conference Pres. Silver announced that WGL made a record $67.91 million in the past year and that come WLC 26 in which he announced West Guiana will be making a host bid, that the player salaries will increase by 8% for an average of $18,000, plus a knock out bonus of $2,000 for every knock out game won. Also as that WGL is the head of lacrosse with in West Guiana and the semi-autonomous region of The Republic of Southern Legalese the BoD(Board of Directors) will start working with companies and local business leaders in creating more opportunities for further expansion of the National Lacrosse League which may include a promotion-regulation system. Pres. Silver announced by the 50th NLL season he want at lest sixty-four to seventy professional lacrosse teams part of the NLL. Saying:

I am fully aware that we are home to the largest lacrosse league in the world, but what the world lacks is top players to help develop their own leagues. Expanded the league to this size will increase player turn out and interest in lacrosse worldwide.

Some however are calling Silvers plan very ambitious and on the line of trying to over do it, such as Mark Wiener(why-ner) who previously owned the Port Salem Seahawks before the league took over and suspended operations in 2005:

I understand that President Silver wants and will try to do, but this is what lead up to the near failure of the pervious league, over expanding too fast with out trying to understand the consequences. Forty-teams is enough, the idea of sixty-four to even over seventy is far too many. He must understand business 101, about saturating the market and the toll of 24/7 lacrosse can do. We are home to a in development soccer league with sixty four teams, popularity for the sport is increasing, and the Commissioner Wisner of the NPSL has stated over and over that the league will have a hard cap of sixty-eight clubs and none more. We also have the United Football League which has stayed profitable with only twelve teams and the new Professional Basketball Association with twelve also. More isn't necessarily better and can lead to problems that you didn't foresee.

[New West Guiana]

Vangaziland 9–9 West Phoencia (11–10 OT)
Banija 12–4 West Guiana

Champions Challenge Cup Pld   W  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 

1 Banija                    1   1  0   12   4  +8    3
2 Vangaziland               1   1  0   11  10  +1    3
3 West Phoencia             1   0  1   10  11  −1    0
4 West Guiana               1   0  1    4  12  −8    0

Next cutoff will be around the same time(1 am CST-Chicago) on August 13.

[West Phoencia]

West Phoenicia out for blood against West Guiana.

West Phoenicia fans of the Daredevils were in a state of disappointment after the match ended in a draw and moved into Overtime, their hearts fell. Pushed into a position of pressure, nerves got the best of them. Vangaziland scored the next goal and in a move of unity West Phoenicia fought back with Forward Colin King extracting justice by levelling up the score board with a goal of his own.

Goal keeper Prince Jericho Bush than made a massive blunder, under estimating the forward line up of Vangaziland, his eyes on the wrong player as Vangaziland was easily able to score another goal with 10 seconds to spare cementing their win.

Still newbies on the scene West Phoenicia has vowed not to make such simple mistakes again. Coach Taylor has called on them in their next match against West Guiana to be more aggressive. Focusing on a strong attack and added assistance of the the Defenders to protect the goal keeper.

[Vangaziland]

The Vangaziland Royals National Lacrosse Team found themselves in a close match on game-day one of the 1st Champions Challenge Cup. They faced a motivated team from West Phoencia in the battle to start 1-0.

"The opponent showed a lot of heart tonight. They nearly stole the win from us", said Coach Larry Hootsen. "We never felt like we were in the lead of this game, even when we were up."

This was one of the closest games of the current stretch of WLC competition. Many of the stats were split. The teams were nearly at 50 percent in possession, ground balls, face-offs and tackles. The teams seemed to mirror each other. This was a game of runs. One team would score 3 goals, then the other team would score 4.

"WLC lacrosse is really fast paced and high scoring", said Jake Carrs. The midfielder led Vannish scoring with 5 goals. He found some of his passing lanes were more cut off tonight than usual. "I had to shift to more of a shooter tonight, and I'm comfortable with that role." Carrs still picked up 2 assists.

Leading scorer of the season, Tony Tute, finished with 3 goals. He had a harder time scoring from X, as the defense clearly game-planned against this strategy. The last play that surprised the Phoencian D, was when Erik Schotta snuck back to X. Schotta was normally a midfielder, but was sent to the right wing. He cut to X on a move that looked like a rotation for a shifting Tute. But Tute was drawing the defense.

There was a lag in the D, Carrs made a rocket past in to Schotta who popped up and timed his shot from the side. It pegged the top left corner of the net and scored the game winning shot.

Will Rubey and Theo Scandrix were the other two Vannish goal-scorers, with 1 goal each.

Lars Swenson once again spoke on behalf of the Vannish defense. "The line moved well tonight", Swenson said. "This was one of the tougher offenses we faced. We gave up 10 goals. But we closed down in the end. We look to improve from tonight, but it wasn't a total bust."

Lars had praise for the team from West Phoencia.

"They really made it tough for us on D tonight. We can learn from tonight's match. Hopefully the next few opponents don't fight this hard."

[Banija]

The All-Banija Sports Magazine
The only nationwide publication that is all sports, all the time!

Banija establishes position as clear tournament favorites with big 12-4 win over host nation New West Guiana in Champions Challenge Cup Opener


A Banijan player handles the ball in the final moments of their matchup with New West Guiana

ST.JOHNS, NEW WEST GUIANA- The rematch of the 3rd place match in the World Lacrosse Championships was expected to be a tight battle, the most entertaining match of group play. That title, however, is probably going to go to the Vangaziland vs. West Phoenicia match, where those two teams needed a session of overtime to finally separate themselves. Vangaziland emerged as winners, of course, and that win will give them confidence heading into their matchup with the Kingdom of Banija. Banija, however, made its own statement in New Haven, against the host nation.

The 3rd place match in the World Lacrosse Championships between these two sides was decided by a mere one goal, and people expected this one to be tight as well. However, that could not be further from the truth. Banija came like they were a team on a mission, and played their best game in years, especially against opposition at the quality of New West Guiana. They outscored the host nation 6-0 in the 1st quarter, which set the tone for the rest of the game. New West Guiana could not recover from that kind of early deficit, and Banija was in control for basically the entirety of the game.

With Head Coach Pavle Yankovich's job likely on the line in this tournament, and the pressure immense for him to bring home a trophy here, he had to be ecstatic at his team's performance. "We were able to play our game early, and score a couple of early goals. When you do that, it opens up the game for your own squad. You are able to do a lot of different things when you are sitting on a lead, and you force the other team to try and bring the game to you. If you take your chances well on the counter-attack, and play good defense, those leads can become insurmountable, and that's what happened today. They scored a few goals, but never really threatened to get back in the game. I could not be more proud of our boys performance on the field today."

Of course, that was the toughest opponent, at least on paper, that Banija will face in this tournament. Their next game, of course, is against Vangaziland, who is also 1-0 in the tournament following an overtime victory against West Phoenicia. While Banija, after their game against New West Guiana opens up as slight favorites, that does not mean that they should underestimate Vangaziland. They beat a talented West Phoenicia side, and both teams know that a win in this game could mean taking another massive step towards making the final of this tournament. If Banija does not have its foot on the accelerator from the get go, then it could be a very long night against Vangaziland.

[New West Guiana]

West Phoencia 13–6 West Guiana
Vangaziland 18–9 Banija

Champions Challenge Cup Pld   W  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 

1 Vangaziland               2   2  0   29  19 +10    6  A
2 West Phoencia             2   1  1   23  17  +6    3
3 Banija                    2   1  1   21  22  −1    3
4 West Guiana               2   0  2   10  25 −15    0  E

No matter the outcome of MD3 Van will advance due to the H2H on Banija and West Phoencia, likewise I'm eliminated due to the H2H of West Phoencia and Banija

[West Phoencia]

Recipe for Success

Ingredients:
1 Head Strong Coach
14 Determined Players
A splash of drive
A dash of commitment

West Phoenicia has come back to the second match to defeat West Guiana 13-6.

Learning from their mistakes from their first match, the Daredevils regrouped and spent extra hours playing out possible scenarios. The hard work and commitment of the team paid off, as they dealt a blow that would see West Guiana eliminated from the competition.

"We went into the match not thinking about the time, or worrying about the other team. We stood united and focused from beginning to end. Our goal was to get in front and stay in front and to not become over confident. We took each second as it came." Coach Taylor said beaming a wide smile. "This is what we need to do next when we go up against Banija. They clobbered us in the WLC but we need to forget that. This is a different day we need to walk out onto the Ace Court living in the moment and not in the past."
"They can be defeated Vangaziland showed us that, and they lost by a larger margin. Is Banija resting on their laurels? No way they will be tough and we are ready for them not to let up during the whole match."

[Vangaziland]

Many would ask what was the difference between Vangaziland and Banija in the latest match between the two. This time, Vangaziland just looked a step quicker. They beat Banija in the battle for ground balls and possession. Things just seemed to be going Vangaziland's way.

"This sort of thing happens in lacrosse", said Larry Hootsen. "It's a game about momentum. We had surprise on our side. They might have underestimated us at first. We used that to sneak in a few early goals and establish the tempo."

Vangaziland's offense was in great form. The ball moved around the field as Carrs and others set plays. A few times tonight, they tried isolation. Everyone would spread out and Carrs would take his defender 1-on-1.

The Royals looked strong. They were able to take the ball into the defense and get shots off. They would take their hits, but stayed on their feet and kept control of the ball.

"Lacrosse doesn't always work like this", said Jake Carrs. "But our gameplan made a difference tonight."

Carrs had 4 goals and 3 assists as he ran a few of the isolation plays himself. He shot well, bringing the bounce shot into effect 3 times. Once again he connected with Tute who also scored 4 goals. Tute played at X for much of the tournament, but rotated to the wing a few times as well.

The ball was spread throughout the offense, even more than usual. Andie Verrando scored 3 goals. Erik Schotta and Jimmy Lattersen scored 2 goals each, representing the second unit. Rich Purdehar, Theo Scandrix and Will Rubey each scored 1 goal.

Attackmen and midfielders moved well off the ball, presenting lots of cutting targets for passes. Vangaziland threw a lot of plays at Banija, and it seemed to work.

"We know Banija is one of the world's best lacrosse teams. That's why we gameplanned so hard", said Tony Tute. "It wasn't easy at all. This was a race. We knew we couldn't slip up and give Banija the chance to come back. It added pressure."

Defense made a strong effort, although they gave up 9 goals. 6'6" Lars Swenson played an excited game, looking motivated. He was beat to the goal a few times, but had some big tackles and even bigger clearances. The defender usually looks for Carrs with his clearances, although he may chuck it down field if time is running out.

"This isn't the kind of team you can shut down", Swenson said. "But you can manage them. You can take away opportunities. This wasn't the defense's most pretty game. But we gave the offense something to work with."

Vangaziland was starting to be seen as an offense-heavy team. The Royals looked to take on West Guiana, who was due to pull a win on game 3.

"We won't underestimate them either", Hootsen said about West Guiana. "We're going to show up, play our game and get ready for the finals."

The Royals found themselves lucky to be on top of standings in a closely-fought tournament that could have turned out differently.

[New West Guiana]

Banija 12–11 West Phoencia
West Guiana 9–9 Vangaziland (11–12 OT)

Champions Challenge Cup Pld   W  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 

1 Vangaziland               3   3  0   41  30 +11    9  A
2 Banija                    3   2  1   33  33   0    6  A
3 West Phoencia             3   1  2   34  29  +5    3
4 West Guiana               3   0  3   21  37 −16    0

Champions Challenge Cup Final

Vangaziland vs Banija

Tiger Stadium, Gemsbrook, FD(Federal District) Capacity, 79,800


The 1st Champions Challenge Cup final will be held at Tiger Stadium near downtown Gemsbrook, the stadium has perviously hosted the final for the 19th AOCL and the 22nd World Lacrosse Championships.

[Banija]

The All-Banija Sports Magazine
The only nationwide publication that is all sports, all the time!

Last minute goal sends Banija to the final of the inaugural Champions Challenge Cup


Banijan captain Alex Rod celebrates scoring the game's final goal in the Champions Challenge Cup

ST.JOHNS, NEW WEST GUIANA- The final group stage game between West Phoenicia and Banija was, essentially, a play-in game, or a semifinal. The winner would advance to the final of this mini-tournament, while the loser would stop playing. It technically was a simple group stage match, but in reality, it was a knockout game, and both teams prepared for it like it was one. Both Banija and West Phoenicia had lost to Vangaziland and had beaten New West Guiana, which meant the winner would earn a rematch against Vangaziland for all the marbles in front of 80,000 people, in a historic stadium that has hosted two WLC finals.

The game was played like a knockout game. Both teams played with the kind of passion and effort that you would expect in a winner-take-all game, with a spot in a tournament final on the line. Both teams left everything on the field, and you could tell the difference in their approach to this game as opposed to their approaches to the other group stage games. The game was tight from the beginning, and neither team really deserved to lose. Everytime West Phoenicia would open a lead, Banija would come storming back, and everytime the Banijans went ahead, West Phoenicia would quickly tie it up. You could tell that the game would come down the wire.

Banija had their only 2 goal lead of the match with 4 minutes remaining, when a goal by Alexei Zitros put them up 11-9 with only 4 minutes remaining. This seemed to be the dagger- to score two goals in a row, with little time remaining, in a game like this, seemed like a herculean task. But West Phoenicia didn't earn their place in this tournament for nothing. Filled with confidence after defeating the tournament hosts, who were an extremely disappointing 0-3 in this tournament, they pushed forward pressing for those goals. They scored one with 2:30 remaining, and then the pressure was on. West Phoenicia kept on bringing the ball up the field, and pushing, and pushing. Jela Ikeno was forced to make save after save after save, until, with 1:10 remaining, he was beaten again to tie the game at 11.

Everybody thought, at that point, that the game was going to overtime. But this sport is all about making the most of your chances, as one chance could lead to a goal. And that is exactly what happened. Alex Rod, who is the captain and the face of this team, scored with 32 seconds left to give Banija a spot in the final. The team, of course, celebrated wildly. They held on for the final half minute or so, and then the celebrations ran wild. Banija had earned a rematch in the final with Vangaziland, where they would hope to redeem themselves after getting dominated by the Royals on matchday 2.

Head Coach Pavle Yankovich spoke to reporters after the match, and was ecstatic about the victory. "Our boys played extremely well out there, and deserved the victory. Hats off to West Phoenicia, however. We played two good games with them in the WLCs, and this game was like nothing I've ever seen. They played with lots of heart, and I know that they are going to do some serious damage in the next edition of the World Lacrosse Championships. But our boys have reached a final! Of course, we don't go to tournament finals for sightseeing. We are here to win, and the pressure of playing in this game will help our team immensely. We celebrate tonight, but tomorrow we fly to Gemsbrook and train for Vangaziland. They smacked us around before, with a 9 goal defeat, and we need to put that behind us, or else we'll be in for a long night at Tiger Stadium.

[Vangaziland]

Vangaziland faced a talented and motivated team from West Guiana that was searching for a win. The Royals knew this would be one of their toughest matches of the season. They expected a fight and that's what they got, in the spirit of good sportsmanship of course.

"This week was an example of good lacrosse. It shows how fun the sport is, how close games can be", said Coach Larry Hootsen. "This has been quite the tournament."

The Royals established a hold over the group, going undefeated. They scored the most goals, while almost allowing the fewest with a +11 goal difference. 11 sounded like a low number. 11 goals were hard to come by in lacrosse and represented a fair lead. Vangaziland entered this tournament ranked 12th in the world. They were expected to do alright, but really stepped up for the group stage.

Their most surprising win was against Banija, 18-9. Jake Carrs was asked about Banija in an interview session after the results of Banija's win were announced. "Clearly we surprised them", Carrs said. "I'm sure they game-planned against us by now. They have the video. They know our strategy. We expect an entirely different game."

Carrs led scoring in the game against West Guiana. He looked angry, taking shot after shot and really driving into the defense. He scored a season high 6 goals and managed 3 assists. It was a different game for the man known as a facilitator. There was an interesting rumor going around.

Vannish pop star 'Heidi' is known for being a major sports fan. She is known for flirting with players and causing distractions. Heidi has caused many teams to lose with her antics. Some said Carrs wanted to show off for the singer, who was in attendance at this game.

A reporter even asked, "Did you take all those shots for Heidi?"

Carrs just laughed and turned red. "No comment", was his reply once he composed himself. He couldn't even deny it. But the fact that he changed his strategy probably helped Vangaziland get the close win against a team that clearly prepared for them.

All the fans in attendance would be treated to a game as close as the Banija-West Phoencia match. The team literally matched each other, goal for goal. It was Erik Schotta who hit the last shot of regulation. He had his back turned to the goal, from some distance away. He juked, turned and rocketed a bounce shot which hit the ground and bounced up awkwardly over the keeper's shoulder.

It sent the game into overtime. Vangaziland was playing as if something was on the line here. Overtime was just as closely fought. It was Tute who scored on his play from "The X", behind the goal. He finished with 3 goals, but had not scored since 2 early goals.

He later joked about Carrs and Heidi. "I don't blame Carrs for trying to steal the show. He didn't want to pass the ball my way. He'll be alright though." He laughed, showing he didn't mind. He later added. "I'm just glad for the win."

The Royals looked to march into their toughest game yet. Based on what most of the players said in their interviews, it was the Vangazi who expected to run into a long night. But they were Vangazi. They would show up and fight. And even if they lost, and all their wins meant nothing, they would still play lacrosse.

Many Vangazi were expected to fly in for the finals. Heidi would be there, as well as many other Vannish celebrities. This would be one of the larger crowds the Royals have played for. The game would be broadcast throughout the Empire and would gain high ratings, even with the Olympics.

[New West Guiana]

Final

Vangaziland 3–4 Banija (5-6 OT)

[West Phoencia]

Coach Robert Taylor of the The Daredevils thanks the tournament host for such a challenging tournament. The experience gained will benefit the Lacrosse Team moving forward in future competitions.

"Maybe not today and maybe not tomorrow but one day soon West Phoenicia will be a nation that others inspire to beat."